Coffee in Jordan-The Art and Culture

Jordanians would rather drink water than revert to such methods as preparing instant coffee or using tea bags

A Guide to Coffee Culture in Jordan

Coffee is more than merely a drink; in Jordan it is surrounded with custom and treated with reverence. It is not only a symbol of hospitality and trust, it is a traditional sign of respect and a way to bring people together. The enjoyment and preparation of these national drinks follow centuries of traditions and form a cornerstone of Jordan’s culture.

Black, cardamom flavored Arabic coffee, also know as “qahwa sadad” , is deeply ingrained in the Jordanian culture. Serving coffee to guests is a large part of the Hashemite Kingdom’s warm hospitality

Definition & Meaning

Arabic coffee “Al-Qahwa” is a general name that refers to the two main ways coffee is prepared in many Arab countries: Turkish style, and Saudi coffee. It originates from the Arabian peninsula.
The Bedouin’s coffee is ground and boiled, then placed on the fire’s coals to keep hot.

Turkish Coffee

The Turkish coffee brewing method is common in the Levant, but brewed without the addition of sugar. Sugar should be added after brewing , before cooking, otherwise if you stir in sugar after serving you’ll stir up the grounds which should remain at the bottom. Sugar levels are as follows: sadah– no sugar, wasat– medium sugar, Helwah– sweet enough to give you cavities. – Cardamom is often added.

Is made from coffee beans roasted very lightly or heavily from 165°C to 210°C and cardamom, and is a traditional beverage in Arabian culture. Traditionally, it is roasted on the premises (at home or for special occasions), ground, brewed and served in front of guests. It is often served with dates or candied fruit.

This brewing method is common in middle east, and sometimes other spices like saffron (to give it a golden color), cloves, and cinnamon. Some people add a little evaporated milk to slightly alter its color; however, this is rare. It is served from a special coffee pot called “dallah” and the coffee cups are small with no handle called “fenjan”. The portions are small, covering just the bottom of the cup.

It is served in homes, and in good restaurants by specially clad waiters called “gahwaji”, and it is almost always accompanied with dates. It is always offered with the compliments of the house. It is also offered at most social events like weddings and funerals.

Coffee in the Middle East is virtually never drunk with milk

What makes Arabic coffee unique

What is the difference between Arabic coffee and Turkish coffee?

Arabic and Turkish coffee are very similar. Both Arabic and Turkish coffee are served black, made with finely ground coffee, with the grounds served with the coffee. The main difference is that Turkish coffee usually does not contain cardamom.
Arabic coffee usually contains cardamom, and/or other spices.

Is Arabic Coffee made of Arabica Beans?

Arabic coffee is not necessarily made entirely of Arabica beans, but it usually is. This is partly just geography (unsurprisingly, Arabica beans originally are from the area), and partly market supply (most of the beans traded on open markets are Arabica).

How do you make Jordanian coffee?

In the roasting process of coffee in Jordan, Arabic coffee beans, along with finely ground and often added cardamom seeds, are used. A special pot is used to simmer coffee and water until foam foam forms on the stove’s surface. It is poured into cups made of small beads, often presented in beautiful silver holders.

What is special about Arabic coffee?

FLAVORFUL ROASTS
Arabic coffee beans are roasted to varying degrees from very light to very dark. The lightest roasts are a light golden tone, resembling tea. Sometimes, the brewer combines differently roasted beans. Usually, spices like cardamom, saffron, cloves, and ginger are added to the brew, giving Arabic coffee its distinctive flavor and aroma.

SERVING STYLE
Though the addition of milk or cream is customary in Italian-style coffees, like the cappuccino, Arabic coffee is never mixed with milk. It is served from a small traditional pot (dallah) and poured into tiny cups (finja’n), which are usually half-full at most; it is meant to be sipped and savored.
Arabic “gahwa” with dates is the tradition of Arabs, and it is the symbol of their hospitality.

Together, these variables make for a very different coffee experience to that enjoyed in the rest of the world.

Why Is Arabic Coffee So Good?

The oil content in Arabica is almost 60 percent higher than that of sunflower oil, and its sugar content is nearly twice as high as that of e contains almost 60% more lipids and almost twice the amount of sugar. Heavily dependent on these three elements, not only does the coffee taste different, but that its aroma and flavor as well. increased in sugar that give its taste, mouthfeel, and bitterness some improvement over arabica coffee.

Merely starting to make coffee is a signal to families in neighboring tents that something is afoot: by pounding freshly roasted beans in a “mehbash” – a form of pestle and mortar, sometimes wood, sometimes metal – using a distinctive rattling or jangling sound, a man (it’s always a man) can send out a wordless invitation from his tent for all within earshot to gather round.

Arabian Coffee in Jordan currently offers four blends – Dimashq, Ramallah, Riyadh and Amman. The choice of cities depends on the very different types of coffee that each city traditional serves.

Coffee is offered to attendees in two cycles. In the first session, coffee is offered to distinguished guests, the second, starting exceptionally from the right, with no preference.

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In tribal bedouin culture, where the mark of a man is how he treats his guests, and where what is unsaid has as much (or more) resonance than what is said, coffee plays a hugely significant symbolic role.

He brews the coffee with cardamom in a dalleh, a long-spouted pot set in the embers, after drinking the first cup:
1 – “Al-Haif” cup:
That coffee maker drinks “Al-Haif” before it is poured to the guests, so that the guest can be reassured that the coffee is not cold, as in Bedouin custom this is considered a disdain to coffee and to let audience know that the coffee drinkable and not poisoned.

Only after that serves the second “The guest’s cup”:
2- “Al-Dheif” cup: that is poured for the guest, and it is all about hospitality, culture, respect and greetings to everyone present in tiny thimble-sized cups, always beginning with the guest of honour and proceeding clockwise around the circle.

3-“The third” one is “Al-keif” (for the mood), to indicate a relaxed atmosphere.

4- The fourth is “Al-sseif” (for the sword) to show that any animosity has evaporated. Then, and only then, can the social interaction or discussion begin.

Ramallah blend is mainly made of medium roast beans with cardamom, Damascus is pure dark roast coffee, Amman is mainly dark roast with cardamom, and Riyadh is a golden roasted coffee with cardamom as well. Each of the recipes we sell, and also the ones we test behind closed doors, derive from traditional Arabic recipes.”

A guest’s refusal to drink coffee may mean some tense or a need that he seeks to fulfill. once the guest drinks his coffee- he is satisfied .

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If the guest of honour places their first cup in front of them without drinking, this is a signal that they have a request to make of the host – or that there is some underlying problem between them.
Only when the request has been met, or the problem solved, will the guest drink. For a guest to leave without drinking even the first cup is a serious snub – such a dispute may require independent arbitration.

A traditional Bedouin coffee ceremony involves three cups of coffee. Although it is polite to drink the first, it is acceptable to refuse the others. If you don’t want a refill, simply tilt your cup from side to side two or three times as you hand it back. If you do want a top-up, just hold your cup out for more.

A guest could, if they wish, spark a feud by commenting “gahwahtak saydeh” (“your coffee is hunted” – that is, tainted or bad). If, in the opinion of those present, the beans are indeed off, there is no problem. If, however, the coffee is good, the guest is then deemed to be deliberately insulting the host. The consequences could be serious.

Coffee, too, can serve as a symbol of revenge. A man could gather his neighbors and declare one cup of coffee to be a “blood cup”, meaning whoever drinks it accepts the task of cleansing family honour by taking revenge on a named enemy. But then if the person who drinks fails to exact revenge, they themselves face dishonour and exile. Coffee, in this instance, is life or death.

Definitions

1- Al Saidah: Coffee in case if something fall into the coffee pot, which affects its taste.
2- Al Ghurraq: When the coffee beans are not roasted well, and that affects taste.
3- Al-H’raq: When the coffee beans have been roasted to burn, too much roast bean affects taste.
4- Kthiret Mai: Coffee in case if a lot of water: when ratio water is much more than coffee.
5- Al Msarbah: The case when the coffee that remains at the end of dallah at the end (coffee sediments are more than the coffee itself).
6- Al Dafiyah: Warm coffee that is not palatable to the drinker.
7- Al-Shaishah: Coffee that is poured immediately after boiling, so that the solids are spread over its surface in the pot and have not settled yet.

Nutrition Facts

A small cup of brewed Arabic coffee is almost free of any calories or fat. However, its protein content is very minimal amount adds up to its calorie. Likewise, though Arabic coffee does not contain carbohydrates, the consumption of coffee with sugar or cream will certainly reflect its carbohydrate levels.

Health Benefits

Major studies reveal that Arabic coffee’s intake can minimize the onset of such devastating ailments as Type II diabetes, dementia, heart diseases, and even certain types of cancer. That said, make it a point to take coffee in moderate quantity due to the presence of caffeine, which in turn can be causative for the narrowing of blood vessels.

A guest could, if they wish, spark a feud by commenting gahwahtak saydeh (“your coffee is hunted” – that is, tainted or bad, check definitions ). If, in the opinion of those present, the beans are indeed off, there is no problem. If, however, the coffee is good, the guest is then deemed to be deliberately insulting the host. The consequences could be serious.

Coffee, too, can serve as a symbol of revenge. A man could gather his neighbours and declare one cup of coffee to be a “blood cup”, meaning whoever drinks it accepts the task of cleansing family honour by taking revenge on a named enemy. But then if the person who drinks fails to exact revenge, they themselves face dishonour and exile. Coffee, in this instance, is life or death.

Host - Rules of Etiquette

1- When serving coffee, you should hold the Dallah (coffee pot ) in your left hand, cups in the right.
2- Pour a small amount, just few centilitres no more than a tablespoon.
3- Knock the tip of the Dallah at the edge of the cup to prevent leaking or flowing, and to alert to the guest that the cup of coffee is ready.
4- Do not turn far away from the guest after serving coffee, wait until he has finished drinking as he might ask for more.
5- Make sure the cups are fine, it is not permissible to pour coffee into a cup with a broken edge or a broken tip.

Guest - Rules of Etiquette

1- If you are sitting on the floor or cushions of someone’s reception room, be sure never to show the soles of your feet.
2- The guest should take the coffee with his right hand.
3- It is not permissible to blow on the cup if the coffee is hot. The coffee can be circled inside the cup to cool it down.
4- If you don’t want a refill, simply tilt your cup from side to side two or three times as you hand it back. If you do want a top-up, just hold your cup out for more.
5- It is not permissible to be distracted by talking to others leaving the one who is pouring coffee standing for a long time.

A Guide to Coffee Culture in Jordan

What makes Arabic coffee unique

What is the difference between Arabic coffee and Turkish coffee?