Cultural exchange
British and Moroccan Food Connections
Britain and Morocco lie at opposite ends of the Atlantic seaboard of Europe and Africa, yet their culinary histories are entangled in surprising ways. The single most important is tea: the green gunpowder tea that became Morocco's national drink arrived largely through British trade. But the connection is older than that, reaching back to an Elizabethan alliance built partly on Moroccan sugar and to a brief period when Tangier itself was an English possession.
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- 7 min
- Topic
- Cultural exchange
- Updated
- 20 July 2026
At a glance
- Anglo-Moroccan relations date to the Elizabethan era, with sugar a key part of early trade.
- Tangier was an English possession from 1661 to 1684, part of a royal dowry.
- British merchants were central to bringing green gunpowder tea to Morocco, the basis of its national drink.
An Elizabethan alliance and the sugar trade
In the late 16th century, Elizabethan England and the Saadian dynasty of Morocco found common cause against their shared rival, Habsburg Spain. Diplomatic and commercial ties developed, and trade flowed both ways: English cloth, and sometimes arms and timber, went south, while Moroccan goods came north. Among the most valued of these was sugar. Morocco was a significant sugar producer in this period, and Moroccan sugar sweetened English tables and became a notable item of the trade.
This early exchange is a reminder that the two countries had commercial and even strategic dealings long before the modern era. Sugar, which would later become so central to Moroccan cooking and to the sweetness of its tea, was in this period something Morocco supplied to others, including the English.
English Tangier
For a little over two decades, from 1661 to 1684, Tangier was governed by England. It came to the English crown as part of the dowry of Catherine of Braganza on her marriage to Charles II, and for those years it was an English garrison town and outpost. The occupation was difficult and ultimately short-lived — the English abandoned and demolished much of the fortifications when they withdrew — but it stands as a curious episode of direct English presence on Moroccan soil.
The culinary legacy of English Tangier was slight, but the episode reflects the long-running entanglement of the two countries in the western Mediterranean and the Atlantic, and it foreshadows the cosmopolitan, internationally-connected character that Tangier would retain into the 20th century.
The tea that changed a nation
The most consequential British-Moroccan food connection is tea. Green tea from China reached Morocco through European trade, and British merchants — major players in the tea trade — were central to establishing it in the Maghreb during the 19th century. One widely repeated account holds that British merchants, seeking new markets during a disruption to their usual Baltic and other trade, redirected large quantities of green gunpowder tea to Moroccan and North African ports, where it caught on rapidly.
Combined with local mint and with sugar, this imported green tea became Moroccan mint tea — now the country's national drink and its supreme symbol of hospitality. That the foundation of so quintessentially Moroccan a ritual arrived through British commerce is one of the great ironies of the country's food history. For the drink itself, see the history of Moroccan mint tea, and for the wider tea trade, see tea trade and Morocco.
Frequently asked questions
How did tea reach Morocco from Britain?
Green gunpowder tea from China reached Morocco through European trade, with British merchants — dominant in the tea trade — central to establishing it in the Maghreb during the 19th century. One common account holds that British merchants redirected large quantities of green tea to North African ports, where it rapidly caught on.
Was Tangier ever English?
Yes. Tangier was an English possession from 1661 to 1684, having come to the English crown as part of the dowry of Catherine of Braganza on her marriage to Charles II. The English garrisoned it for just over two decades before withdrawing.
What was traded between Elizabethan England and Morocco?
In the late 16th century, England and Saadian Morocco developed trade and a shared rivalry with Spain. English cloth, and sometimes arms and timber, went to Morocco, while Moroccan goods including sugar came north. Moroccan sugar was a notable and valued part of this trade.
Is Moroccan mint tea really connected to Britain?
Indirectly but importantly. The green gunpowder tea at the base of Moroccan mint tea was established in the Maghreb largely through 19th-century British commerce. Moroccans combined it with local mint and sugar to create their national drink, so a quintessentially Moroccan ritual has roots in British trade.