CityLab’s Ouafa Kinaoui makes Moroccan tea, shares the traditions of the Islamic holiday
Special to the Journal
Last week, Estaphany Rodriguez, the Family and Community Coordinator for Revere Public Schools, hosted a special segment on RevereTV’s Family Liaison Cooking Series.
In celebration of Ramadan, Rodriguez welcomed CityLab High School’s family liaison, Ouafa Kinaoui, who demonstrates the art of making traditional Moroccan tea.
Ramadan, the holiest month of the Islamic year, started at sunset on Sunday, March 10, and will end at sunset on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. During this time, observers must abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk for 30 days.
Kinaoui is known in the RPS community for her delicious Moroccan mint tea, which she serves at CityLab to guests and dignitaries visiting the school.
“Today we’re here at RevereTV, where, under the suggestion of so many families who keep asking about how Ouafa (Kinaoui) makes her Moroccan tea,” Rodriguez began the episode. You can watch the full episode and follow along as Kinaoui guides us through the preparation of this delightful tea at: http://tinyurl.com/2255km3w. The show is spoken in three languages: English, Arabic, and Spanish.
“Moroccan tea is a popular beverage in Morocco,” explained Kinaoui. “Every house has a Moroccan tea set, and it’s part of our tradition and part of our culture. Whenever we have guests, it’s the first thing we offer to make them feel welcomed.”
Kinaoui makes the tea with simple ingredients like gunpowder green tea, mint, and sugar.
“It is so easy, and everyone can make it,” said Kinaoui. “It also doesn’t take long and will be ready in 15 minutes.”
Kinaoui was born and raised in Casablanca, Morocco, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in English and came to the U.S. in 2005. She recently traveled to Mecca with her family for the Hajj—an Islamic pilgrimage to the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime.
“We did this episode for Ramadan because we Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset for a month, and there is a lot of preparation when we break our fast after sunset,” said Kinaoui. “Today we did just one quick thing we made during Ramadan. But we have other dishes that are popular (deserts during Ramadan).”
Aside from her tea, Kinaoui brought some sweets courtesy of Casablanca House of Pastry in Revere.
“During Ramadan, after sunset, we will present the tea with pastries that are popular in Muslim homes during Ramadan, like almond cookies,” she said.
RPS Assistant Superintendent of Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Lourenço P. Garcia said RPS would like to extend its warm wishes for a happy Ramadan to our Muslim students, colleagues, families, and friends.
“As a community that prides itself on equity, inclusion, and diversity, we should strive to value each other’s’ humanity and differences,” said Dr. Garcia. “Hence, we urge you to go the extra mile and treat our Muslim students, families, co-workers, and friends with compassion, respect, and dignity during this time of the year.”
He added that while many of us do not observe the holiday, there is a lot we can learn from Ramadan’s teachings and universal principles of gratitude, altruism, and service.
“We hope that these values can reinvigorate our efforts towards building a more just and equitable world for all of us,” said Dr. Garcia. “While many families are celebrating, others, especially children and elders, are suffering due to conflicts and wars. Let’s keep them in our thoughts!”
The new series, part of RevereTV’s popular What’s Cooking Revere, was the brainchild of Dr. Garcia and RevereTV Executive Director Bob Dunbar. The first episode aired last month in honor of Dominican Independence Day.
