The Origin of Coffee - Qatar's Traditional Arabic Peninsula Coffee: Flavor Profile, Taste Characteristics, Brewing Methods, and Tasting Techniques

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Although alcohol consumption is prohibited while watching the World Cup in Qatar, football fans have been deeply moved by the warm hospitality of Qataris after every match! Many fans have shared on social media platforms that locals prepare various traditional snacks, dates, and coffee for fans after each match, exclaiming: I absolutely love it!!!

In response to these fan shares, local netizens have expressed that this represents a beautiful culture - one of sharing, giving, and treating others with kindness. The warm hospitality of Qataris is a natural phenomenon in this region.

The Culture of Coffee in Gulf Countries

In Gulf countries like Qatar, people often describe hospitable hosts with the phrase "the pot never leaves the fire." In this region, coffee symbolizes generosity and hospitality, occupying an important position in traditional cultural heritage. Training centers have even emerged in these areas to teach the new generation how to prepare coffee and serve it to guests.

How to serve and drink coffee are not casual behaviors but rather cultural heritage passed down through generations. Among the most important points: the host holds the coffee pot with their left hand, then passes the coffee cup to the guest with their right hand, before gently pouring coffee into the guest's cup in a fine stream.

When visiting a Qatari home, the host will definitely serve coffee made from freshly roasted, ground, and brewed beans, and will continue refilling cup after cup until the guest gently shakes their finjan (the traditional Arabic coffee cup) to indicate they don't want more.

Traditional Qatari Coffee Preparation

Traditional coffee in the Qatar region emphasizes freshness! The host begins roasting raw beans until they turn yellow (when they start emitting a corn-like sweet aroma) after the guests arrive, then crushes the coffee beans into coarse particles using the most primitive methods.

Then the coffee grounds and water are poured into an Arabic coffee pot (these pots are made of metal, available in stainless steel, brass, gold-plated, and even pure gold... very Qatari... 😂), then crushed cardamom, saffron, cloves, rose water, and other spices are added for brewing together. Finally, a wooden fiber filter is inserted into the pot's spout to filter coffee grounds.

Coffee must be poured with the left hand, and when pouring, the pot must be lifted high to create a crisp sound as the coffee falls into the cup, signaling that the coffee is ready. Then the coffee cup is passed to the guest with the right hand.

Guests must hold the coffee cup with their right hand. If a guest doesn't drink the coffee in their hand, it's considered an insult to the host. Similarly, if they don't want another cup, they should shake their cup back and forth; otherwise, the host will continue pouring coffee into their cup.

From the Qataris' preparation of coffee, dates, and traditional sweets for football fans, we can see that locals truly welcome everyone's arrival! Although the preparation method may not be as refined as modern coffee, it represents the locals' most beautiful blessings for every visitor!

The History of Arabic Coffee

The word "coffee" originates from the Arabic word "Gahwa." In medieval Arabic, Gahwa referred to something addictive that would cause loss of appetite, generally referring to alcoholic beverages, as drinking too much alcohol would make one lose their appetite. After 1400 AD, this term was borrowed to refer to coffee, suggesting that drinking too much coffee would cause sleeplessness, just as drinking too much alcohol would cause loss of appetite - both undesirable outcomes, carrying somewhat of a cautionary meaning.

When coffee first spread from its origin in Ethiopia to the Arabian Peninsula (around the 9th-10th centuries AD), it was used as a medicinal treatment. The earliest documented literature about coffee is from the 9th century, in the "Comprehensive Book of Medicine" by the famous Persian physician Al-Razi. It mentioned a liquid "bunchum" brewed from "bunn" that had refreshing and brain-stimulating effects, treating headaches, and causing sleeplessness when consumed in excess. The word "bunn" referred specifically to coffee cherries.

Between 1400-1500 AD, a hot drink called "Qishr" became popular in the Yemeni ports of Mocha and Aden. It was made by sun-drying ripe coffee cherries and using only the fruit pulp (the seeds, or coffee beans, were discarded), then lightly roasting and crushing the pulp over gentle heat, adding spices like ginger and cinnamon, and brewing with hot water to be consumed while hot.

The fruit pulp still contains about 1% caffeine and has stimulating effects, with a flavor much sweeter and more palatable than directly chewing coffee cherries. This method quickly spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula. At that time, people chose to discard the seed portion, perhaps because coffee beans in their raw state were too hard and bitter, making them unappealing.

It wasn't until after 1450 AD that someone discovered that if the seed portion was roasted longer and brewed together with the fruit pulp, the hot drink would be more fragrant and rich, while also doubling the stimulating effect! To distinguish it from "Qishr," this hot drink made with roasted coffee seeds became known as "Gahwa."

This is the original version of coffee as we know it today. The word for coffee in various countries around the world comes from the term "Gahwa." The word "Coffee" was first included in English dictionaries in 1599.

Interestingly, the word "Gahwa" has a similar pronunciation to "Kaffa" in southern Ethiopia. The original Ethiopians would call the wine made from coffee cherries by a word similar in pronunciation to "Gahwa." On wine vessels excavated in Ethiopia dating back 2,000 years, characters with similar pronunciations are engraved. Religious followers in the Arabian region, prohibited from drinking alcohol, would drink "Gahwa" as a substitute for wine, satisfying their cravings.

Image source: Internet, YT-Mr.Q

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