All About Arabic Coffee: Traditions and Rituals From Around the Middle East
“But first, coffee”. Almost all of us agree that coffee is our favorite, and sometimes the only way, to start our day. While some drink it occasionally, and others serve it as a welcome drink, it is dubbed as the ‘magic potion’ for many.
The history of the coffee plant is quite fascinating, with origins that go back several hundred years and can be traced deep into the heart of Africa and South America. Some say that the word ‘coffee’ originated in the Ethiopian area Kaffa, where coffee was first discovered, while others say that the name comes from its Arabic form ‘qahwa’.
Here are different types of coffee for all our coffee-lovers!
Turkish Coffee
Turkish coffee is one of the most common types of coffee that you can find almost everywhere. Usually served with a glass of water next to it, good quality Turkish coffee is characterized by the foam on top. Fun fact: Turkish coffee is listed in the Intangible Cultural Heritage List of UNESCO.
Nous-Nous Moroccan Coffee
As the name suggests, ‘Nous Nous’ meaning half-half, is half milk-half coffee. This half-espresso, half-foamed milk combo is usually served in a glass and is shockingly good; when it comes to coffee Moroccans can easily compete with the Italians!
Arabic Coffee sweetened with dates
Arabic coffee or ‘Gahwa’ is served to welcome guests in several Gulf countries, symbolizing hospitality. The major difference between Turkish coffee and Arabic coffee is that the Arabic one usually contains cardamom along with other spices. Arabic coffee is often served with dates.
Lebanese White Coffee
Coming from the traditional Lebanese cuisine, ‘Ahweh Bayda’ or Lebanese White Coffee, is usually offered after meals. Surprisingly, White Coffee isn’t actually coffee, it’s a mixture of hot water, orange blossom water, with some sugar or honey as a sweetener.
Jabana
Named after the special pot it is brewed in (Jabana), Sudanese Jabana coffee is crushed by hand and served in small porcelain cups, spiced with cloves or cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and pepper.
Mazagran
Commonly-called the ‘original iced coffee’, Mazagran is cold coffee that originally came from Algeria. This iced coffee is made with freshly squeezed lemon.
