''Mahia'' ( ar, ماء حياة, he, מאחיה, literally ''water of life'') is a
Moroccan Jewish
Moroccan Jews ( ar, اليهود المغاربة, al-Yahūd al-Maghāriba he, יהודים מרוקאים, Yehudim Maroka'im) are Jews who live in or are from Morocco. Moroccan Jews constitute an ancient community dating to Roman times. Jews b ...
alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage (also called an alcoholic drink, adult beverage, or a drink) is a drink that contains ethanol, a type of alcohol that acts as a drug and is produced by fermentation of grains, fruits, or other sources of sugar. The c ...
distilled from
dates
Date or dates may refer to:
*Date (fruit), the fruit of the date palm (''Phoenix dactylifera'')
Social activity
*Dating, a form of courtship involving social activity, with the aim of assessing a potential partner
**Group dating
* Play date, a ...
.
It is also sometimes prepared with
figs
The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...
.
Overview
''Mahia'' (ماء الحياة) is a traditional
Moroccan Jewish
Moroccan Jews ( ar, اليهود المغاربة, al-Yahūd al-Maghāriba he, יהודים מרוקאים, Yehudim Maroka'im) are Jews who live in or are from Morocco. Moroccan Jews constitute an ancient community dating to Roman times. Jews b ...
brandy
Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...
distillates from fruits such as jujubes, figs, dates, grapes, and flavored with anise. Its name literally means "
eau de vie
An ''eau de vie'' ( French for spirit, §16, §17 literally " water of life") is a clear, colourless fruit brandy that is produced by means of fermentation and double distillation. The fruit flavor is typically very light.
In English-speakin ...
" in Arabic. Originally from Morocco, it was historically produced by the
Moroccan Jews
Moroccan Jews ( ar, اليهود المغاربة, al-Yahūd al-Maghāriba he, יהודים מרוקאים, Yehudim Maroka'im) are Jews who live in or are from Morocco. Moroccan Jews constitute an ancient community dating to Roman times. Jews b ...
before they emigrated in the second half of the 20th century. ''Mahia'' can be enjoyed as a digestif or used as a base for cocktails: it goes very well with pomegranate juice, rose water; ginger syrup or mango juice for example. It can also be infused with fennel leaves, to enhance its aniseed scent. Today, ''mahia'' very often designates adulterated alcohol in Morocco sold informally and consumed in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Even in present-day Morocco it is still traditionally associated with
Morocco's Jewish community.
See also
*
Boukha- a similar
Tunisian Jewish
The history of the Jews in Tunisia extended nearly two thousand years and goes back to the Ancient Carthage, Punic era. The Jewish community in Tunisia is no doubt older and grew up following successive waves of immigration and proselytism ...
alcoholic beverage
References
Sephardi Jewish cuisine
Moroccan cuisine
Jews and Judaism in Morocco
Israeli cuisine
Alcoholic drinks
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