Kahwa, also known as Omani coffee, refers to coffee served to guests in most Omani homes. Usually, Omani coffee is an important part of the Omani culture. Most Omani people love coffee and drink it more than once a day. Not to mention, the Omani people are popular for their hospitality, which involves offering refreshments such as Omani coffee.
When visiting an Omani home, the people will offer you Kahwa, a strong and bitter beverage that’s flavored using spices such as cinnamon or cardamom, and with halwa or dates to sweeten the coffee. Usually, the coffee is made by blending or grounding some freshly lightly roasted ground coffee with spices such as cinnamon or cardamom. Sometimes, Omani people add rose water to the mix. Spices in Omani coffee characterize the fantastic taste of the beverage.
There are specific traditions that need to be observed when serving Omani coffee. For status, the coffee is served in small cups with no handles, usually known as fenjans, and from a unique coffee pot known as a dallah. Moreover, the coffee cup shouldn’t be filled to the rim. While serving Omani coffee, you should only fill one-fourth of the coffee cup. Additionally, you’ll need to shake your coffee cup when you’ve had enough Omani coffee. This indicates that you’ve had enough coffee, and the one serving can stop pouring more coffee for you. Otherwise, the coffee is constantly refilled till you shake the cup.
If you love traveling worldwide and trying different types of coffee, try some traditional Omani coffee. Additionally, you can make some Omani coffee in the comfort of your home. Here’s a step-by-step guide to making Omani coffee. Read on!
How to Make Omani Coffee
- Cuisine – Omani
- Course – Drink or appetizer
- Preparation time – 5 minutes
- Cooking time – 10 minutes
- Yield – 4 cups
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup of lightly roasted, freshly ground coffee
- 4 cups of water
- Four tablespoons of ground cinnamon or cardamom
- Four whole cloves
- Freshly dried dates
Instructions
- Boil some water.
- Add cinnamon or cardamom, and ground coffee into the boiling water.
- Reduce the heat and continue boiling the water for three to four minutes.
- Remove the pot from the stove and cover it. Allow it to sit for three to four minutes.
- Add some whole cloves to the thermos.
- Strain the coffee into the thermos. Allow the coffee in the thermos to sit for ten minutes before you serve it.
- Ensure you don’t shake the thermos to allow the cloves to settle at the bottom. Shaking the thermos will result into a mixture of coffee and cloves into your cup, which can be unpleasant.
- After 10 minutes, serve the coffee with dates to sweeten it plus offset the bitter taste.
- For a whole Omani coffee experience, serve the coffee in small cups, and ensure that you don’t fill it to the rim. Otherwise, enjoy your cup of joe.
