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How To Make Arabic Coffee

A lady serving Arabic coffee

Smiles, rituals, home, entertainment, festivity, food and drink is what the smell of Arabic coffee signifies!

Arabic coffee is a traditional beverage in the Arab culture, that every coffee lover must try at least once in their lives. It’s made from roasted coffee beans and cardamom which gives it that famous robust and slightly bitter taste. Many prefer to serve it alongside dates or other sweets to counter the bitterness.

Traditionally, the whole process of roasting, grounding, brewing, and serving the coffee is done in front of the guests. Also, the coffee is often served in small cups without handles. 

A tip I have for you when you’re serving coffee to your guests is to only fill up a third of the cup. There are two main reasons for this: firstly, you will refill the cup several times, and secondly, filling up your guests’ cup right to the top is considered rude. It’s like you’re telling your guests that it’s time for them to leave.

Offering someone a cup of coffee is considered a symbol of generosity in our culture. There’s even a saying in Arabic that goes you can give your guests a 5-star dinner, but if they leave your home without the offering of a coffee, they will walk away saying ‘we didn’t even get a cup of coffee’.

There are many variations on how to make Arabic coffee, but I prefer to keep it simple. All you need is:

  • 2 tablespoons of finely ground Arabica coffee beans (roasted)
  • ½ tablespoon of ground cardamon.
  • 2 cups of water
  • sugar (optional)

arabic coffee served on a wooden tray

Here’s how you can make Arabic coffee in just 5 easy steps:

  1. Combine ground coffee with cardamom and mix well.
  2. Using a traditional Arabic coffee pot or a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil over medium heat.
  3. Add the coffee mixture to the boiling water.
  4. Stir the coffee through and continue to brew for approx. 7-10 minutes. The foam will rise to the top so you may need to remove the coffee pot off the heat for a few seconds to keep it from overflowing.
  5. Remove the coffee from the stove and let it stand for 2-3 minutes to allow the sediments to settle at the bottom of the pot.

Finally, as I mentioned at the beginning of this journal, Arabic coffee is usually served with something sweet to tone down its bitter taste. There’s nothing that can help you do just that better than a homemade Middle Eastern dessert, especially when the recipe is quick and simple to make.

If you’re rather a tea enthusiast or maybe you have a family member/friend who is, check out my latest journal on aromatic herbal teas – there’s a tea flavour in there for everybody!

 

With Love  

 

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Creating magic and happy memories with food are my gift for you!
xx Rouba

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That’s me at the age of 32 with Merlin, who worked closely with Palestinian families. Together, we were so excited about the project. After that unforgettable visit with Auntie Suad, I was filled with excitement about the project. The women I met were inspiring, and together we had even come up with a name for the cookbook: Taste of Palestine. 🥰🇵🇸 It was a name that captured the heart of what we wanted to share—stories, recipes, and traditions tied to the land and its people.

But for many reasons, the project didn’t go ahead. At the time, I wasn’t prepared for the reality that not everyone would understand or support what I was doing. There were people who gossiped, joked, and made me question myself. Looking back now, I see that they were the minority, but their words had a way of making me doubt myself 🥺

if this happened now—I would not have let anything stop me. This was for a good cause, but I also believe that everything happens for a reason. The project was meant to be set aside, and I needed to focus on my boys, who were still young.
A couple of years later, we received the heartbreaking news of Auntie Suad’s passing 🥲🙏🏽It felt as though a part of the story had been left unfinished. A few weeks later, something arrived in the mail that would bring me to tears 😭 There’s more 🤗

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