đź“· Tea Before the Dunes

Older man in white djellaba and blue head wrap prepares Moroccan tea while seated on the floor beside a tray of small glasses, silver teapot, and tins of herbs and sugar at Auberge Kasbah Touareg in M’Hamid.

In M’Hamid, the road has already given way to desert, though our camp in the dunes is still hours away. We stop at Auberge Kasbah Touareg, run by Moulay Ali and his family, for lunch as we adjust our bags and switch to 4x4s before continuing into the dunes. As is customary, we are welcomed with tea and treated to an invigorating meal of Berber pizza and seasoned fava beans. From here, the journey shifts again as we prepare to leave the road behind.

  • Entrance to Auberge Kasbah Touareg in M’Hamid, Morocco, with red clay walls, intricate roof detailing, a green door painted with white and blue patterns, and yellow pots beside the entry.
    The entrance to Auberge Kasbah Touareg in M’Hamid, Morocco, marked by red clay walls, a painted green door, and decorative roof details typical of Saharan kasbah architecture.
  • Entrance interior at Auberge Kasbah Touareg in M’Hamid decorated with blue Amazigh fertility symbols, clay pots, lanterns, and shaded archways.
    Blue Amazigh fertility symbols decorate the entrance interior of Auberge Kasbah Touareg.
  • Interior of the tent seating area at Auberge Kasbah Touareg in M’Hamid with rugs, cushioned benches, and the tea host waiting as the tea steeps.
    Inside the tent at Auberge Kasbah Touareg, cushioned benches and rugs surround the low tea tray as the tea begins to steep.
  • Traveler resting on cushioned benches in the shade inside the tented seating area at Auberge Kasbah Touareg in M’Hamid, Morocco.
    A traveler sits in the shade on cushioned benches inside the tented seating area at Auberge Kasbah Touareg in M’Hamid, Morocco.
  • Two men in djellabas prepare Moroccan tea together inside the tent at Auberge Kasbah Touareg in M’Hamid, Morocco.
    A second man joins the tea preparation at Auberge Kasbah Touareg, helping arrange the ingredients and glasses.
  • Close-up of hands breaking apart sugar inside a metal tin during Moroccan tea preparation at Auberge Kasbah Touareg in M’Hamid.
    Sugar is broken into smaller pieces before being added to the tea.
  • Close view of Moroccan tea pouring from a silver teapot into small glasses from height at Auberge Kasbah Touareg in M’Hamid.
    Tea is poured into small glasses from height, helping to mix the sugar and aerate the brew.
  • Berber pizza served on a plate with fava beans and table setting on a bright blue tablecloth at Auberge Kasbah Touareg in M’Hamid, Morocco.
    Berber pizza is served with fava beans at Auberge Kasbah Touareg in M’Hamid.
  • Guest rooms at Auberge Kasbah Touareg in M’Hamid, Morocco, arranged around an open courtyard area.
    Guest rooms at Auberge Kasbah Touareg are arranged around open courtyards within the compound.
  • Weathered metal door handle on a dark green wooden door at Auberge Kasbah Touareg in M’Hamid.
    A weathered metal handle on a painted wooden door inside the kasbah compound.
  • Guest rooms, palm trees, yellow pots, and clay decorative patterns inside the Auberge Kasbah Touareg compound in M’Hamid.
    Guest rooms and palm trees line one side of the Auberge Kasbah Touareg compound.
Naturalist’s Notebook
hand drawn ear

Listen to the sound of a meal

Each meal sounds different – tea pouring into a glass, bread being torn or cut, plates being set down, conversation from the kitchen, the pause before another pour. What do you hear and what does it tell you?

hand drawn question mark

Ask Yourself

Especially when you’re traveling, ask yourself what is the difference between someone serving you and someone welcoming you. Where do you see generosity, pride, attentiveness, ritual or relationship extending beyond the transaction?

Posted In: Morocco, Art of Living, Food as Memory, Inheritance in Motion, Sahara, Sightlines

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