Arabic coffee is a gesture before it is a drink. In 2015 it was inscribed by UNESCO on its list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, nominated jointly by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar, as a symbol of generosity.
The coffee
The beans are lightly roasted, often far paler than any espresso, and boiled with cardamom. Some households add saffron, cloves or rosewater. The result is golden rather than black, fragrant and slightly bitter.
The pour
It is served from a dallah, the long-spouted pot, into small handleless cups called finjan. The host pours with the left hand and offers the cup with the right, filling it only a little at a time.
How to stop
Your cup will be refilled until you signal you have had enough. Gently shake the cup from side to side as you hand it back. It is polite to accept at least one cup, and usual to take three.
Dates on the side
Coffee almost always comes with dates, whose sweetness balances the bitterness. Eat one, sip, and settle in. Nobody is in a hurry.