The Art and Tradition of Arabic Coffee

Coffee is an inseparable part of Arab history, culture, and lifestyle. Pioneers of medicine like Ibn Sina and Al-Razi have mentioned it in their books, as far back as the tenth and eleventh centuries.

However, it was not until the thirteenth century that coffee gained acceptance as a beverage.

Different lands cultivate coffee for different reasons – as a source of energy, a stimulant for socialization or a ritual of tradition.

Coffee culture can be discerned in the way it is made, served and consumed. In the United Arab Emirates, coffee is a symbol of hospitality and generosity.

Arabic coffee is prepared using traditional utensils. They include the coffee pot (Dallah), the roasting pan (Tawa) and the stirrer (Mehmas) as well as mortar and pestle (Al-Menhas and Al-Medaq) for grinding the coffee beans.

As for coffee pots, there are several types including the Emirati Dallah which is featured on the UAE dirham.

The preparation starts by roasting the beans on low heat in the pan. 

 There are three types of roasting: the blonde roast, which is popular in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait; the black roast, in which coffee is let to be slightly burnt; and the Emirati coffee, which is neither blonde nor black but medium.

After roasting, the coffee beans are left to cool before pounding them to a fine powder using the mortar and pestle.

Additional flavors like cardamom, saffron or cloves are added to the coffee while it is in the pot. It is poured out through a lining of palm tree fiber which acts as a strainer.

Serving coffee to guests also has its decorum. The attendant always holds the Dallah in the left hand and the cups in the right, ready to serve. 

There are five standard cups for coffee, out of which Al Daif (the guest), Al Kaif (the mood) and Al Saif (the sword) are a part of the ancient history of coffee.