Arabic coffee aka Qahwa (قهوة)

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The Dallah (coffee pot) is a traditional Arabic coffee pot used for centuries to brew and serve Qahwa, a bitter, spiced coffee, during holidays.

In the Arabian Peninsula and Bedouin coffee traditions, the Dallah represents hospitality, generosity, and wealth. In the Middle East, the ritual of preparing, serving, and drinking coffee is associated with socializing and important ceremonies like births, marriages, and funerals.

The Dallah has a characteristic shape with a bulbous body, a “waist,” a turret-shaped lid, a winding handle, and a long, beak-like spout. To make Arabic coffee, boil water, roasted coffee, and cardamom in a Dallah, then serve it unfiltered in small cups. You can add saffron and other spices, or serve it plain or with sugar.

The Arab States’ Arabic coffee tradition is now a UNESCO-recognized Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Legend says that around 850 AD, an Abyssinian goatherd found coffee when he saw his goats acting unusually energetic after eating red berries; he told monks, who then used the berries to make a drink that helped them stay awake during prayers.

So, when should you not drink black coffee?

Who wouldn’t enjoy a cup of coffee or an excellent wine today? In ancient China, these drinks were a luxury only during celebrations. Drinks should be rare, otherwise, they lose their charm. The greatest joy is in looking forward to an exclusive experience. Coffee is a drink that not only affects our taste buds but also our overall health. Traditional Chinese medicine draws attention to the connection between coffee consumption and the condition of our kidneys. The caffeine contained in coffee stimulates the function of the adrenal glands and can lead to long-term exhaustion of these glands. Excessive coffee consumption can cause overproduction of the hormone cortisol, which has negative effects on our body, such as weakening metabolism and increasing body fat.

Western medicine emphasizes that the adrenal glands are small glands on the kidneys, and their main function is to produce hormones that respond to stress. Coffee consumption can cause the adrenal glands to produce hormones inadequately, leading to their exhaustion. In addition, coffee has negative effects on the digestive system, such as increasing stomach acidity and inflammation in the intestines. Traditional Chinese medicine considers coffee to be a powerful drug that can deplete the essence and energy in the body. Coffee consumption can lead to emptiness and loss of Jing essence, which can hurt overall health. People with different body types should consume coffee with caution to minimize possible harmful effects.

Also very useful for our health is seasoning with a little spice called cardamom, as it makes black coffee less aggressive to our stomach. By the way, anyone who has ever drunk coffee in Asian or Indian countries knows that they rarely prepare coffee for you without it.

To minimize withdrawal symptoms like headaches and drowsiness, gradually reduce your coffee consumption if you decide to cut back. Decaffeinated coffee provides a suitable alternative, offering the taste of regular coffee without the negative effects of caffeine. It is important to listen to your body and pay attention to a balanced coffee consumption to maintain health and vitality.

You will need:

2 brown sugar cubes
2 cardamom seeds
1½ tbsp. Arabic coffee
1½ dl water

Procedure:

Add all ingredients to a Dallah (coffee pot). Bring to a boil. Once the coffee has bubbled, please remove it from the heat. Let the coffee settle. Return the Dallah to the heat, bring to a boil when the coffee has bubbled, and let it settle. Repeat once more. Serve in Arabic coffee cups.

Brown sugar – Property – Sweet, warm; liver, spleen, and stomach meridians entered.
Actions – Tonify the spleen and stomach, soothe the liver, activate blood.
Indications – Dry mouth, vomiting, weakness with dysentery with bloody stool, postpartum lochiometra.
Cautions – It is contraindicated in case of phlegm-damp.

Cardamom – Property – Pungent, warm; spleen, stomach and lung meridians entered.
Actions – Resolve dampness and move qi, warm middle energizer and arrest vomiting.
Indications – Syndrome of qi stagnation and dampness obstruction of spleen and stomach; the early stage of damp-warm disease; vomiting.
In China, Amomum was an important part of the economy during the Song Dynasty (960–1279). In 1150, the Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi noted that cardamom was being imported to Aden, in Yemen, from India and China.

Coffee bean – Property – Slightly bitter, astringent, neutral.
Actions – Strengthen the stomach, induce diuresis, and refresh oneself.
Indications – Fatigue, poor appetite.

Herbal Tea Recipes can be found here