From Paysage Maure by Paule Valette, éditions Terre du Ciel
The tea ceremony punctuates Mauritanian time several times a day. There is no public occasion from which it is excluded, be it a commercial transaction, a marriage proposal or a private gathering. The tea? A Chinese green tea, "8147", and one drinks not one but three teas in succession. This is the backbone of the ceremony, but the Mauritanians' art lies in making these moments unforgettable for their guests. For this slow liturgy to unfold, three conditions are required — the famous 3 Js: Jmar, Jar, Jmaa. First come the embers of charcoal in the "canoun", on which the little pewter teapot is set to heat the water.
The word jar, denoting slowness, is used in this context in reference to the dance of the same name, whose defining feature is precisely the extreme slowness of its movement. Slowness of the infusion of the tea leaves mixed with green mint, releasing their subtle aroma. The rhythm at which the three glasses are prepared indicates, by its slowness or briskness, whether the young woman wishes to detain the visiting man or not: if she so desires, her silent presence can stretch the ritual to two hours at times. And in the same moment one absorbs the fragrant liquid, the stolen glances and the harmonious ballet of slender hands expert in the art of crowning each glass with its fine collar of foam. The young woman can stretch out the time, all the more so as the courteous young man must not take his leave before she has rinsed and dried each little glass, cleaned the tray, put everything back in its place and stored the tea service under a doily. Only then may the man depart.
Jmaa means the group, the assembly, for tea is rarely prepared for one person alone. This drink is the thread linking those present to one another, and the generous little teapot serves each his brew — bitter as life, sweet as love, suave as death: which would seem to sum up the essential preoccupations of a human being... down to the very last drop, "the tear of honey". Tea punctuates every act of the day. There is always something a little solemn at the start of the ritual, but very soon, once the first glass is drunk, the liveliness of conversation reclaims its rights. I have noticed that the quality of the discussion always goes hand in hand with a successful tea.