Chef Zohra
Atay b Chiba (Moroccan Wormwood Tea)
The cold-evening cousin of mint tea: gunpowder green tea brewed with chiba, the bitter winter herb Moroccans use when na'na is scarce and the house needs warming.
Culinary Explorer
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Nous-Nous
Created by
The café-terrace order that means half-and-half: strong coffee under hot milk, served in a glass, quick enough for a weekday and generous enough to keep someone seated.
Beverages
Moroccan
Quick Meal
Weeknight
5 min
Active Time
5 min cook•10 min total
Yield1 glass
The glass tells you the truth before you taste it: dark coffee below, pale milk above, meeting in the middle like two neighbors who already know each other. Nous-nous means half-half, and that is not a decoration. It is the whole order.
You make the coffee strong because the milk will soften it. You heat the milk until it is sweet-smelling and velvety, then pour with a steady hand so the drink stays balanced, neither black coffee nor a bowl of milk. The why is plain: equal parts give you the Moroccan café place between hurry and staying.
This is not ceremony food. It is the small glass on a terrace in Casablanca, Oujda, Rabat, Tangier, anywhere someone has five minutes and still makes room for one more person at the table. Une table, c'est une porte qu'on laisse ouverte (a table is a door you leave open), even when the table is only big enough for two glasses.
Nous-nous belongs to Morocco's 20th-century café culture, which grew strongly in the cities during the French and Spanish protectorate period from 1912 to 1956, when espresso counters and terrace cafés became part of daily urban life. The name comes from Moroccan Darija, from nuss meaning half, and it marks a local way of ordering rather than a written court recipe. Its exact first café use is not recorded; it lives in counter speech, where many everyday food traditions are kept.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
freshly brewed espresso or very strong coffee
Quantity
60ml
whole milk
Quantity
60ml
sugar (optional)
Quantity
to taste
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| freshly brewed espresso or very strong coffee | 60ml |
| whole milk | 60ml |
| sugar (optional) | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Espresso machine or moka pot
- •Small heatproof glass, 120ml to 150ml
- •Milk pan or milk frother
Instructions
- 1
Warm the glass
Rinse a small heatproof glass with hot water and empty it. A warm glass keeps the coffee from going flat and cold before the milk arrives.
- 2
Brew strong coffee
Brew 60ml espresso, or make very strong coffee in a moka pot. It should smell deep and roasted, not watery, because the milk is coming to soften it.
- 3
Heat the milk
Heat 60ml whole milk until hot and velvety, with small bubbles at the edge if you are using a pan. If you have an espresso machine, foam it lightly, but don't turn it into a mountain of foam. Nous-nous is half coffee, half milk, not a dessert glass.
- 4
Pour half-half
Pour the coffee into the glass, sweeten it if your table wants sugar, then add the hot milk in an equal amount. Serve at once, while the top is pale and glossy and the coffee still holds its strength underneath.
Chef Tips
- •Equal parts matter. If the milk takes over, you've made café au lait; if the coffee takes over, you've missed the little Moroccan middle place this drink is named for.
- •Use whole milk if you can. It gives the glass its roundness and soft top, and the coffee still comes through.
- •Sugar belongs to the drinker. Many cafés serve it on the side, and that is good hospitality: each person finishes the glass to their own mouth.
Advance Preparation
- •Nous-nous is made and drunk at once. Have the glass warm and the milk ready before you brew the coffee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 120g)
Calories
40 calories
Total Fat
2 g
Saturated Fat
1 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
1 g
Cholesterol
5 mg
Sodium
30 mg
Total Carbohydrates
3 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
3 g
Protein
2 g
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