Tea Party menu
Moroccan Tea Party Menu — Mint Tea and a Table of Sweets
In Morocco, tea is never just a drink — it is hospitality itself, poured from height into little glasses and served with a table of sweets that could rival any afternoon tea. This menu sets out a proper Moroccan tea party for six to eight: the ceremonial mint tea at its heart, surrounded by almond-filled kaab el ghazal, crumbly ghriba, sticky chebakia, warm msemen and fresh dates. Most of the pastries are baked ahead, so hosting is relaxed and generous. The real art is in the pour — tall, frothy and repeated three times. Gather friends, warm the pot, and let the afternoon stretch out sweetly.
The menu
The tea itself
Moroccan mint tea
Gunpowder green tea brewed with a generous bundle of fresh spearmint and plenty of sugar, poured from height into glasses to build a frothy head.
Almond pastry
Kaab el ghazal
Delicate 'gazelle horns' of thin pastry filled with orange-blossom almond paste. The elegant centrepiece of the sweet table.
Biscuits
Ghriba
Crumbly, cracked-topped biscuits of almond, coconut or semolina that melt in the mouth. Endlessly moreish with tea.
Honey pastry
Chebakia
Sesame-and-honey flower pastries, fried and soaked in syrup. Sticky, fragrant and traditional alongside mint tea.
Warm bread
Msemen with honey
Flaky griddle pancakes served warm with honey for those who want something less sweet and more substantial.
Fresh accompaniment
Dates and dried fruit
A bowl of soft dates, dried figs and apricots to balance the pastries with natural, chewy sweetness.
Shopping list
- Gunpowder green tea and a large bunch of fresh spearmint
- Sugar (loaf or granulated) and a warmed teapot
- Ground almonds, icing sugar and orange-blossom water (for kaab el ghazal)
- Flour, coconut or semolina and eggs (for ghriba)
- Sesame seeds, honey and anise (for chebakia)
- Flour and semolina (for msemen)
- Soft dates, dried figs and apricots
- Butter and oil for griddling
- Cinnamon and a little baking powder
- Small tea glasses for serving
Prep timeline
-
Two days before
Make the chebakia and kaab el ghazal — both keep well in tins and let the flavours settle before the party.
-
Day before
Bake the ghriba and make the msemen dough. Arrange the dried fruit and dates on their serving dish.
-
Morning
Griddle a batch of msemen ready to warm through. Lay out the pastries on tiered plates and polish the tea glasses.
-
30 minutes before
Warm the teapot, rinse the gunpowder tea, and steep with mint and sugar so the first pot is ready as guests arrive.
-
Serving
Pour the tea from height into glasses, warm the msemen, and keep the pot refilled — brew fresh mint as the afternoon goes on.
Host's tips
- Pour the tea from a height of a foot or more — it aerates the tea and builds the little froth Moroccans prize.
- Rinse the gunpowder tea with a first splash of hot water and discard it to soften any bitterness before brewing.
- Taste and adjust the sugar in the pot, not the glass — Moroccan mint tea is meant to be properly sweet.
- Bake the keeping pastries two days ahead so the party itself is only about pouring and refilling.
- Offer dates and dried fruit alongside the sweets so guests can balance the sugar with something less rich.
Questions about this menu
How do you make proper Moroccan mint tea?
Rinse gunpowder green tea with a splash of boiling water and discard it, then add fresh spearmint and sugar and steep. Pour a glass and return it to the pot two or three times to mix, then serve poured from height for froth. Adjust sweetness in the pot; it should be generously sweet.
Why is the tea poured from height?
Pouring from a foot or more above the glass aerates the tea and creates a light froth, or 'crown', on top, which Moroccans regard as the mark of a well-poured glass. It also cools the tea slightly and is part of the theatre of hospitality that makes serving tea a small ceremony.
What sweets go with Moroccan tea?
A generous assortment: kaab el ghazal (almond gazelle horns), ghriba biscuits, sticky chebakia, warm msemen with honey and bowls of dates and dried fruit. The idea is abundance and variety, letting guests graze across delicate almond pastries, crumbly biscuits and honeyed treats while the tea is continuously refilled.
Can I make the pastries ahead?
Yes, and you should. Chebakia, kaab el ghazal, ghriba and fekkas all keep well in airtight tins for several days, and many improve as they settle. Bake them a day or two before, and on the day simply griddle fresh msemen and brew the tea, so hosting stays completely relaxed.
How much tea and sugar do I need?
Moroccan mint tea is served sweet and in many small glasses, so brew generously — expect guests to drink several rounds over an afternoon. A large bunch of fresh spearmint and plenty of sugar per pot is normal. Keep brewing fresh pots with new mint rather than stewing one pot all afternoon.
Learn to cook this menu with a local in Marrakech
Every dish here is taught, hands-on, in a Marrakech cooking class — or taste them across the medina on a guided food tour.