Challenging power and authority in pre-protectorate morocco: Shaykh muhammad al-kattānī and the tarīqa kattāniyya Order No.
In the winter, if mint is rare, sometimes leaves of الشيبة chiba or sheeba in Moroccan dialect are substituted for or used to complement the mint, giving the tea a distinctly bitter flavor.
Among urban populations, partaking in the tea ceremony became a symbol of status and savoir faire, while among rural farmers it was a way to emulate the urban class they both envied and resented.
The native spearmint naʿnāʿ نعناع possesses a clear, pungent, mild aroma, and is the mint that is traditionally used in Maghrebi mint tea.