Arabic Coffee and Dates

Coffee drinking began in Yemen in the 15th century and spread through Makkah, Cairo and Istanbul to the rest of the world. In Arabia it became the ritual of hospitality. Gulf coffee is very different from espresso or Turkish coffee: the beans are lightly roasted to a pale gold, ground with cardamom and sometimes saffron, clove or rosewater, and brewed in a brass dallah. It is served in tiny handleless cups, finjan, filled only a third full so it never cools. UNESCO recognized Arabic coffee as a symbol of generosity in 2015.

The pourer holds the dallah in the left hand and serves with the right, starting with the most honored guest. Take the cup with your right hand. Etiquette suggests at least one cup and usually no more than three; to decline more, gently shake the cup. Saudi Arabia, which has named coffee a pillar of its culture, is reviving its own Khawlani beans from the Jazan mountains.

Every luxury hotel in the Gulf greets guests with coffee and dates, but for the best, visit a specialist chocolatier or date boutique in Riyadh, Dubai or Doha, where dates are stuffed with nuts, orange peel or gold leaf and beautifully boxed. Date festivals in Liwa, Buraydah and Unaizah each summer are a feast. In Dubai's Al Seef and Al Fahidi districts, traditional cafes serve gahwa with luqaimat dumplings. Explore our finest restaurants and the majlis tradition for more, and see customs and etiquette before your first majlis visit.

Few plants matter more in Arabian culture than the date palm. Its fruit fed travelers, its fronds roofed houses and made baskets, its trunk built boats and its shade sheltered oasis gardens of citrus and pomegranate. In 2019 UNESCO recognized the traditions of the date palm as heritage shared by 14 Arab countries. Walking the palm groves of Al Ain or Al-Ahsa, with their ancient falaj water channels, is one of the region's most peaceful experiences, and dates break the fast at sunset every evening of Ramadan.