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Can there be a better symbol of Saudi culture and hospitality than the ubiquitous Arabic coffee pot, the dallah? I don’t think so. Dallahs made of brass are tinned inside and found throughout the Arab world and in every souq in Saudi Arabia. With their graceful lines and proportions, dallahs are artistic masterpieces and often the first souvenir that western expatriates or travelers buy after arriving in Kingdom. Images of dallahs are found on many coins and as a watermark feature on some Saudi banknotes. There is even a Dallah Hospital in Riyadh, which I think is a great name for a welcoming place of comfort and healing. And many readers will remember ‘Coffee Pot’ traffic circle in Riyadh which was often the starting point for directions to different parts of the city. The circle no longer exists, but it was famous in its day.
Riyadh's Coffee Pot Circle.
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When my husband and I first began collecting dallahs in the 1980s, I became fascinated with their shapes, and regional differences…the length of the spout, the shape of the handles and the belly of the pot which varied from region to region. From the Najd, to Hofuf, to the Asir, each region had their own. Yearly, tinsmiths traveled from household to household to re-tin and clean the coffee pots which would have become dark from use within, and to scour out any bitterness that would be left on the tin metal from the tar left by the coffee.
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Saudi dallahs can command a lot of money, particularly for the old ones. When purchasing one, you need to look out for a stamp, like a cartouche on the coffee pot which identifies the pot with the maker and place of origin. Syria and Oman, in particular, have their own style of dallahs, which are more elaborate than the Najdi style and are often heavily decorated and may be made of copper or silver, as well as brass.
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Few dallahs are handmade these days, but many of the machine-made versions are quite well done. There are even plastic thermos flasks rendered in the dallah shape. Not traditional, of course, but I must admit I’d like to have one.
The actual preparation of the coffee is a ritual in itself. Whenever a visitor comes to the home, coffee is served. Green coffee beans are lightly roasted over an open fire. In the west, coffee houses roast their own beans to varying levels which differentiates, for example, between a cappuccino or a latte.
The traditional cooking process involves using a mihmas which is a very large heavy iron curved spoon placed on the coals with the green coffee beans placed in the center. The attached metal stirrer on the mihmas is used to keep turning the beans so they roast evenly without allowing the beans to become burned. It is a time-honored skill, and the beans are then removed from the hot coals and placed in a wooden box called a mubarrad where the coffee cools.
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Traditionally, an old dallah or a kettle is used for boiling water on the coals. Once boiled, the lightly roasted coffee beans are placed in a brass or copper dallah and the boiling water is poured on top. Ground cardamon seeds are then added and the dallah is brought back to a boil. But, before serving and to avoid a mouthful of cardamon seeds and ground coffee, date palm fiber is used in the spout as a filter, so the poured coffee served in the traditional finjan (egg cup size) is clear. The Qahwa (coffee) ritual is no more than three finjan cups to be consumed with each cup sipped in four mouthfuls. Through this doorway, the aroma, color, and taste are an opportunity to appreciate the richness and culture of life in the Kingdom. All thanks to the dallah.Without it, coffee would never be the same.
The coffee tradition continues to be alive and well. Families and other groups can often be seen in the desert or by the roadside enjoying coffee served from a dallah-shaped thermos. In the souqs, shop owners will invite a visitor to join them in the coffee ritual, a sign of respect and friendship. Guests arriving at many of the Kingdom’s hotels or attending government meetings will be met with complementary coffee and dates.
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At a street auction in Jeddah, I encountered two beautiful dallahs that I simply had to have. They were Syrian with elaborate decoration. At the time, I was on an extended tour in the region, and I simply couldn’t carry them. The Saudi antique dealer shipped them on my behalf, and they were waiting for me at home when I returned, and along with my other collection of Saudi, Omani, Iranian Yemeni and Syrian dallahs, they take pride of place in my home recognizing the symbol of their hospitality.
About the Author: Brid Beeler first went to live in Saudi Arabia in 1989 and stayed for a decade. Her career then led her to live and work in Yemen and Oman and work for some of the world’s top travel companies. She currently heads Brid Beeler Travel (www.bridbeelertravel.com) and travels in and out of the Kingdom regularly on tour or collaborating on programs. She has traversed every corner of Arabia and is never happier than delving into the culture and treasures of the peninsula.
Brid began taking American travelers to Saudi Arabia in 1998 and, in addition to operating tours, she has trained guides, worked on award-winning documentaries, and written extensively on the region. In 2015, she was the Tour Director for the Smithsonian tour to Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar, which followed their internationally acclaimed Roads of Arabia exhibit.
She has presented papers on eco-tourism in the Middle East region and was one of only a handful of women invited by the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation & Development and the Supreme Commission for Tourism to speak at the first International Conference on Eco-Tourism in Saudi Arabia in 2002. She has written for Foreign Affairs and the Arab British Chamber of Commerce. In addition, she has published travel articles in Middle Eastern newspapers and spoken on Middle Eastern travel at embassy functions in Washington DC. A strong proponent of Middle Eastern art, culture and traditions, she has spoken on the ethnic silver jewelry of the Arabian Peninsula at the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin Castle.
Back home in Ireland, Brid enjoys walks on the beach with her latest saluki, Rishan.