Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-12-29
COFFEE TN ARAB STYLE.

COFFEE IN ARAB STYLE.
A Function at the House Of . Sheikh Not Ex-
posed to Foreign Influences.
This account of coffee drinking as
practiced by Arabs who have not been
exposed to foreign influence Is told by
a British naval officer Of high rank.
The place was the town of Semail, In
the territory of the Sultan Of Oman, at
the extreme southeastern corner Of the
Arabian pensinsular. Semail lies 12O
miles from Muscat, the capital OF
Oman, and 80 miles from the sea. At
the time of this visit there had been
but two other Europeans in Semail in
all it's history.
IAN Arab town." said the naval off,
Ger, "is scarcely what is suggested by
the English meaning Of the word. 1t Is
more a collection Of detached houses,
each surrounded by its own grounds OF
from 30 to 100 acres. AS my travels IN
Oman were conducted under the i'm
mediate protection Of the sultan, and
as he had provided for my special use
his own particular riding camel, was
received everywhere with great respect.
My reception at the house of one OF
the principal sheikhs Of Semail took
place on the second day Of my visit to
the town, when paid call upon Mo-
hamed bin Naser ell Hinawy.
ARRIVING at large archway In
long dead wall, forming one side of the
house, found the arch sufficiently
high to admit us on camelback. AT
the outer arch I found Mohamed bin
Naser waiting to receive me. Riding
through the large gateway through a
smaller portal beyond, we found our
selves in a large quadrangle shaded
with acacia trees and with a fountain
in the centre. Crossing the quadrangle
we scaled q flight Of steps to the door
of a large room, 40 feet long, 30 feet
wide and Is feet high. At the end OF
the room, on the right hand Of the door,
was the principal seat or divan of hon
or.
"In accordance with Moslem custom
I pronounced the name Of God on cross
ing the threshold, and while being con-
Quoted to the divan by my courteous
host, gave the salutation 'Es salaam
aleikum,' the salutation Of peace to the
assembled company. A beautiful car
pet Of Persian work and pillow COW
cred with embroidered silk were ready
for my reception. Putting off my shoes
at the edge Of the carpet, and after a
short but ceremonious dispute with my
host as to who should sit down first, !
was established on the carpet with the
support.
"Close to the seat Of the host and q
little to the left, was small raised
platform Of stone, on which were plac-
ed the requisite utensils for preparing
coffee. A small charcoal fire, urged to
white heat by means Of a pair of
bellows, provided the boiling water.
On either side Of the fire were two
large jugs Of some white metal as we'll
as several smaller ones. On a shelf
near by were several zarfs and f1ngans.
The zarf is the holder for the coffee
cup, and those on the shelf were Of va
rious metals, some Of gold, beautifully
worked, some Of silver and some even
of copper. The fingan is a coffee cup
without a handle and holding about as
much as a Nquer glass; these were Of
china and porcelain of different de-
sign and value.
1.-THE coffee maker was a black slave
said to have come from the frontier of
Abyssinia:>~He seemed to be about %,
Of slight and graceful form, with fine
ly cut features and welr>aoulded limbs,
quite black and with hair almost-Yool-
ly. His costume consisted Of colorea
cotton supported around the waist by
a piece Of cord tucked up on one side.
and a sort of embroidered waistcoat
buttoned in front. but leaving arms
and legs bare.
'It Is not in accordance with desert
etiquette to introduce for discussion
any serious matter until after coffee
has been served, so that the conversa-
ton consists almost entirely of gene
raj topics and the interchange Of COM
pliments. While this very small talk
is gravely going on the slave, having
first let down his waistcoat so that it
hangs down below his knees, passes
around among the company with a
small straw mat in one hand, a mat
made Of various colored grasses and
about the size Of desert plate. In the
other hand he carries a cylindrical
grass box, from which he pours coffee
berries upon the grass mat. All ber-
ries which are not Of the right color
he picks out and throws away or re-
turns to the box. Without any osten-
tation he manages to call to your at
tention the fact that the berries he has
selected are all of the best.
"Then pouring the berries from the
mat into an iron ladle, he roasts them
over the charcoal fire, which he blows
to a white heat with the bellows. Cof-
fee berries in Oman are never roasted
to that dark brown Of black color which
is common in Europe and America;
but are considered at their best when
they take on a rich reddish brown COL
or. Turning the roasted berries out
on the grass mat to cool, Abdullah, for
+bot &C. Tho mama of Tho cIo,,a ,ote ona