Traditional Gahwa Ceremony |
Coffee is integral to Arab hospitality, and the traditions associated with it are essential to the region’s heritage. Serving Arabic coffee to guests is an important element of hospitality in Arab and Emirati societies and a symbolic act of generosity. Arabic coffee (pronounced “gahwa” in the Emirati Arabic dialect) has been a central part of Arab culture for centuries and its preparation and serving is marked by elaborate traditions and rituals. So deeply is coffee connected to Emirati daily life that every day starts with coffee. It’s part of the political, economic and cultural aspects of daily life. In the UAE, this love and enthusiasm for serving and drinking coffee remains even though modern and mainstream coffee chains can be found all over the country, many cafes, just like people’s homes, also serve gahwa. Arabic life starts with Arabic coffee. When welcoming guests, even poor households can always afford to serve coffee and dates. | Coffee-making tools are collectively called the Ma`ameel (brew basket), and include specialized equipment, chiefly al tawa (a wide circular pan for roasting coffee beans), al mihmas (a spoon for stirring beans), and an iron clamp to place and spread embers inside the stove. The dallah pot is specially designed and decorated, three types of dallahs are used in preparing and serving Arabic coffee: dallat al khamrah (a large pot for boiling coffee and cardamom), dallat al talgeemah (a medium-sized pot for filtering the coffee) and dallat al mazalah (a small pot from which the coffee is served). Usually made of brass, the dallah is a unique pot made of sheets of metal bent together with heat, and often engraved with patterns. There are four basic motifs: a swirl, a diamond, a flower and a design based on the cardamom pod. The dallah has also become a strong symbol for the UAE as a country. Giant versions of the elaborate pot can be seen in roundabouts across the cities, there is also a dallah proudly decorating the one dirham coin. |