Coffee and Hospitality in Saudi Arabia

 

 

Please mind the comment specifications! [1]

My initial interest in oriental coffee preparation methods stems from reading Heimito von Doderer's "The Strudlhof Steps" [2]; I read the book around 2004. I later traveled to Vienna to see the Strudlhof Steps (see picture) for myself. In the novel, Turkish coffee is often served, and I remember frequently drinking coffee prepared this way at this time; that is, placing the coffee on the stove and letting it boil several times. Three years ago, I traveled to Jordan and encountered coffee and cardamom there [3]. Cardamom isn't for everyone, but I love this spice [4]. The coffee in Jordan is just as black as we drink it as a café americano, espresso, or simply as drip coffee. Now, in Saudi Arabia, I encountered a completely different kind of coffee, and this blog post will be about that.

There are various theories about the origin of the name "coffee." One traces it back to a former province, or rather, Kingdom of Ethiopia, called Kaffa [5]. More important, however, is the ancient Arabic term qahwah (َهْوَة). The Semitic root means "dark color"—and that's precisely the color that modern Saudi Arabian coffee lacks. Through the Turkish word kahve and then the Dutch koffie, it evolved into the English "coffee" and the German "Kaffee"; coffee/caffeine in English and Kaffee/Koffein in German.

Coffee conquered the world via Yemen in the mid-15th century, then Mecca and Medina, and finally Cairo, Damascus, Baghdad, and Constantinople. Europe and the rest of the world followed later. As early as 1511, coffee was banned in Mecca because of its stimulating effects.

Is there such a thing as "Arabic coffee"? No! Boiling is typical, but that applies to cowboy coffee brewed over a campfire on the prairie just as much. The roasting varies greatly, from very, very light (Saudi Arabian coffee) to very dark. It is unfiltered and spiced. I had wondered whether the roast level affects the caffeine content, and yes, there is an inverse correlation between the two, but it's negligible. To put it more simply: caffeine is lost during roasting. It could also have been that the roasting process releases caffeine from its formation. It's good that we've cleared it up.

How is Saudi Arabian coffee prepared? First, the purist will insist on Khawlani beans (البن الخولاني) [6]. This is a coffee from the Khawlan Mountains, which stretch from the southwestern part of Saudi Arabia to the northwestern part of Yemen. It's nice if you have coffee like that, but it's irrelevant to the final result, as the coffee will be spiced. It should, however, be Coffea arabica. First, the coffee beans are only lightly roasted; sometimes cardamom is added during the roasting process. Then the coffee is ground. Water is brought to a boil in the traditional pot called a dallah (دَلَّة), and then the coffee is added and simmered for 10 minutes. Next, the spices are added. I've already mentioned cardamom, but cloves, saffron, ginger, and others are also used. Currently, I'm using cardamom and ginger. The coffee is served unfiltered in a small bowl called a finjan (فنجان). It's accompanied by a date.

Etiquette dictates that one holds the dallah in the left hand and pours from it in a high arc into the finjan in the right hand. One stands while doing this. Perhaps "pours" is too strong a word, as the cup is only filled to about a quarter full.

I have witnessed this form of hospitality in many places. Perhaps most impressively in the old city of Al Ula.

Links and Annotations:
[1] Unfortunately, Saudi Arabia and Islam have become sensitive topics, so I must communicate the conditions for comments more specifically. This travelogue is not the appropriate place for a discussion of human rights. This is something for Amnesty International [1a]. Such comments, including Islamophobic ones, will be moved to the spam folder.
[1a] https://www.amnesty.de/informieren/laender/saudi-arabien
[2] Heimito von Doderer: Die Strudlhofstiege: oder Melzer und die Tiefe der Jahre. Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, München 2003. ISBN: 9783423012546.  The novel was published in 1951 and is set in 1910 (1911 and 1923-25). Thank you for your patience with this digression.
[3] This is the report on it:
Drinking Coffee and Tea in Jordan
https://rheumatologe.blogspot.com/2021/11/drinking-coffee-and-tea-in-jordan.html
[4] Cardamom is very expensive because it is difficult to cultivate. I learned about it in Sikkim: the plant likes it nice and warm, but no direct sunlight, moist, but not waterlogged, and tall, but not too tall. Do you see the principle?
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_coffee and:
Ulrike Lowis: Everything about Coffee. Komet Verlag, Cologne 2017. ISBN: 978-3-86941-793-6.
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khawlani_Coffee_Beans 

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