Arabic qahwa

The golden brew of Arabian hospitality

Origin: Arabian Peninsula

From the journey of Cinnamon.

Arabic qahwa is the ceremonial coffee of the Gulf states, Saudi Arabia and Yemen: a lightly roasted, unsweetened coffee scented primarily with cardamom, saffron and cinnamon, served in small handleless cups (finjan) as the centrepiece of Arab hospitality. Unlike Turkish or European coffee, qahwa is made with very lightly roasted green-yellow coffee beans, giving it a golden colour and herbal character. The cinnamon in qahwa traces directly to the ancient Arab control of the cinnamon trade routes: for centuries, Arab traders knew the spice's source and used it freely in their own cooking while keeping the origin secret from European buyers. The coffee is peninsular rather than national. The same cardamom-scented pot is carried round in the same long-spouted dallah in the Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman, and the etiquette travels with it: the cup is filled a third at most, it is refilled until the guest shakes it, and to refuse the first cup is a discourtesy. UNESCO inscribed Arabic coffee in 2015 on a joint nomination from Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Qatar, and Oman, which is as clear a statement as one could want that no single country holds it.

Ingredients

Base

  • 500 ml water

Coffee

  • 3 tbsp lightly roasted coffee beans, coarsely ground (or light roast ground coffee)

Spices

  • 6 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 pinch saffron threads
  • 2 whole cloves

Finishing

  • 0.5 tsp rosewater, optional

Method

  1. Combine the water, cinnamon stick, crushed cardamom pods, cloves and saffron threads in a dallah (Arabian coffee pot) or small saucepan. Bring to the boil over medium heat.
  2. Reduce the heat to low and add the ground coffee. Stir once to combine.
  3. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes, allowing the coffee and spices to infuse together.
  4. If using rosewater, add it now and stir gently.
  5. Remove from heat and allow to settle for 2 minutes so the coffee grounds sink.
  6. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve or muslin cloth into a serving vessel. Pour immediately into small handleless cups.
  7. Serve with Medjool dates on the side. Qahwa is never served with milk or sugar.

Notes

Serve with Medjool dates. Qahwa should be golden-yellow to light amber in colour, never dark brown. Refilling a guest's cup is a sign of hospitality; holding the cup and gently shaking it from side to side signals you have had enough.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route
Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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