UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-2005 The social significance of mint tea consumption in Morocco: Reflections on its symbolic eprr esentation of Muslim faith, gender prescriptions, socio-economics and hospitality Monika Sudakov University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation Sudakov, Monika, "The social significance of mint tea consumption in Morocco: Reflections on its symbolic representation of Muslim faith, gender prescriptions, socio-economics and hospitality" (2005). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 1856. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/673p-u1yf This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE SOCIAL SIGNIFICANCE OF MINT TEA CONSUMPTION IN MOROCCO: REFLECTIONS ON ITS SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION OF MUSLIM FAITH, GENDER PRESCRIPTIONS, SOCIO-ECONOMICS AND HOSPITALITY by Monika Sudakov Bachelor of Arts Chapman University, Orange, California 1998 Bachelor of Fine Arts Chapman University, Orange, California 1998 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts Department of Anthropology College of Liberal Arts Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas August 2005 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1429730 Copyright 2006 by Sudakov, Monika All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI UMI Microform 1429730 Copyright 2006 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Thesis Approval uNiy The Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 16 _,2005 The Thesis prepared by Monika Sudakov Entitled The Social Significance of Mint Tea Consumption in Morocco: Reflections on its Symbolic Representation of Muslim Faith, Gender Prescriptions, Socio-Economics and Hospitality is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Anthropology Examination Committee Chair Dean of the Graduate College .xamination Committee Member y / n Examination Committee Member A iduate College Faculty Repreæntativeyreæ ntativ PR/1017-53/1-00 11 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT The Social Significance of Mint Tea Consumption in Morocco: Reflections on its Symbolic Representation of Muslim Faith, Gender Prescriptions, Socio-Economics and Hospitality by Monika Sudakov Dr. John Swetnam, Examination Committee Chair Professor of Anthropology University of Nevada, Las Vegas The purpose of this analysis is to explore the ways in which the Moroccan ritual of mint tea consumption is symbolic of and informed by the underlying core values of Moroccan culture. In particular, issues of Muslim faith, gender prescriptions, socio­ economics and hospitality will be explored in detail as they pertain to the ritual of mint tea consumption. The analysis will show that ultimately “what and how you drink is what you are.” Understanding the particular consumptive practices of a culture is key to understanding what is considered to be “right” and “natural” behavior by individuals within that culture. Ill Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................... iii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF THEORY AND METHODOLOGY..................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2 THE DEVELOPMENT OF MINT TEA CONSUMPTION AS RITUAL IN MOROCCO......................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER 3 A TALE OF THREE TEAS.................................................................... 16 CHAPTER 4 ISLAM AND MINT TEA CONSUMPTION .........................................30 CHAPTER 5 GENDER DIFFERENTIATION AND MINT TEA COSNUMPTION. 34 CHAPTER 6 SOCIO-ECONOMIC DIVERSITY AND MINT TEA CONSUMPTION. ............................................................................................................................................... 44 CHAPTER 7 THE HOSPITABLE GLASS.................................................................. 50 CHAPTER 8 CONCLUSION........................................................................................ 57 REFERENCES.................................................................................................................64 VITA.................................................................................................................................69 IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF THEORY AND METHODOLOGY The purpose of this thesis is to explore the ways in which the ritual consumption of mint tea by Moroccans represents and simultaneously perpetuates fundamental core values by which Moroccans behave within their cultural structure. The ritual is not haphazard, but one that is codified into a specific form that is not only recognized by all Moroccans, but has come to be expected. It is through the enactment of the ritual that social interactions have been structured. As such, its pervasiveness within the culture does not mean that subtle differences in its enactment do not exist. These differences represent both conscious and unconscious regional, socio-economic and individual differences that order Moroccans within a highly hierarchical social structure. Consumption of mint tea in Morocco is not simply a biological need fulfilled because of necessity. It is a social act and one that is laden with symbolism. Every aspect of consumption is carefully considered by Moroccans including whom is drinking, what they will be drinking, how the beverage will be prepared, when will it be drunk and where. These decisions are informed by the basic tenets of daily life by which Moroccans structure their activities. Issues ranging from religious prescriptions to gender prescriptions to socio-economics to exchange obligations are considered when determining consumptive patterns. While the consumption of tea is not unique to Morocco, its specific form is. Like the elaborate rituals of tea consumption that have developed in Japan, China and Britain, 1 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. at the very heart of the ritual of mint tea consumption in Morocco is the reification of the fundamental core values and concepts of individual and group identity that pervade the Moroccan psyche. Maintaining these core values and concepts of self is highly critical in a culture where the sense of community and of one’s correct place in it is highly codified. It is through the dissection of this secular ritual that these underlying core values can be deciphered and explored in greater detail and through which a greater understanding of what it means to be a Moroccan can be gained. In order to appreciate the theoretical background utilized in researching mint tea consumption in Morocco, one must understand the fimdamentals of food and culture research in anthropology. While certainly not a new field of study, food and culture studies have only recently been gaining in popularity among scholars who are realizing that there is more to a peoples consumptive practices than simply biological need and the availability of resources. Researchers such as Sidney Mintz, Carole Counihan, Penny Van Esterik, Marvin Harris, Lévi-Strauss, and Diva Sanjur, amongst others, have recognized the social implications of a culture’s consumptive practices and have developed various methods of analysis to investigate why people consume what they consume and how they consume it. Sidney Mintz is often considered to be the grandfather of food and culture research. While he was not the first to begin analyzing the relationship between food and culture, he has been instrumental in establishing a symbolic methodology to food and culture research. Mintz states: For us humans,