The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1901-01-17
COFFEE. ARAB STYLE.
Very Different From the Way
We Prepare Ii.

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This account Of coffee drinking as prac-
ticed by Arabs who have not been ex-
posed to foreign influence Is told by a
British naval officer OF high rank. The
place was the town of Semail. in the ter
Fitory of the sultan Of Oman, at the ex-
IRENE southeastern corner OF the Arabian
peninsula. Semail lies 120 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 Eu-
ropeans In Semail In all It's history.
AN Arab town." said the naval officer,
as scarcely what Is suggested by the
English meaning of the word. II is more
q collection of detached houses, each sur
rounded by its own grounds of from 30
to 100 acres. AS my travels in Oman
were conducted under the immediate pro-
lection OF the sultan, and as he had pro-
vided for my special use his own particu-
lar riding camel, ] was received every
where with great respect. Ny reception
In the house of one OF the principal
sheiks of Semail took place on the sec
ond day of my visit to the town, when
paid a call upon Mohammed bin Naser
ell Hinawy.
ain 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 rs saiaam aleikum,'
the salutation OF peace TO the assembled
company. A beautiful carpet OF Persian
work and a pillow covered with embroid-
cred 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 pillow at my back for
comfortable support.
CLOSE to the seat of the host and a
little to his left was a small raised plat
form OF stone on which were placed the
requisite utensils for preparing coffee.
A small charcoal fire, urged to a 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 well as several
smaller ones. On a shelf near by were
several zarfs and fngans. The zarf Is
the holder for the coffee cup, and these
on the shelf were of various metals, some
of gold beautifully worked, some OF sill
yer, and some even of copper. The fingan
is coffee cup without handle and hold
ing about as much as a liqueur glass:
these were OF china and porcelain of diff
ferent designs and value.
"I'he coffee maker was n black slave
said TO have come from the frontiers OF
Abyssinia. He seemed to be about %, of
slight and graceful form, with finely cut
features and well nodded limbs, quite
black and with hair almost woolly. His
costume consisted of a waist cloth OF
colored cotton supported around his waist
by piece of cord tucked up on one side,
and a sort of embroidered wnistcoat but
toned in front but leaving arms and legs
bare.
at Is not in accordance with desert
ptiqaette TO introduce for discussion any
serious matter until after coffee has been
served, 60 that the conversation consists
almost entirely of general topics and the
interchange of compliments. While this
very small talk Is gravely going on the
slave, having first let down his waist
cloth so that 1t hangs down below his
knees, passes around among the company
with a small straw mat in one hand,
mat made of various eolored grasses and
about the size of dessert plate. In the
other hand he carries cylindrical grass
box from which he pours coffee berries
upon the grass mat. All berries which
are not of the right color he picks out
and throws away or returns to the box.
Without any ostentation he manages to
call the attention OF all the guests to the
fact that the berries he has selected are
all of the best tint.
"Then, pouring the berries from the
mat into an iron ladle, he roasts them
over the charcoal fire. which he blows TO
white heat with the bellows. Coffee
berries In Oman are never roasted TO that
dark brown or black color which is com.
mon in Europe and America, but are con-
sidered at their best when they take on &
rich reddish brown color. Turning the
roasted berries out to cool on the grass
mat Abdullah, for that is the name of
the slave, sets one of the large metal
jugs on the fire to warm.
1.-THE coffee is not ground in a machine,
for that would waste all its fine essential
oil, but is pounded up in a mortar made
of dark and hard basalt having q deep
narrow well. into which the berries are
poured. Taking the mortar between his
knees, Abdullah forces the pestle into the
well and down upon the roasted berries,
which he slowly brushes into a fine grit
of which every particle is about the size
of small seed pearls or mustard seed.
"By this time the water in the large
jug on the fire is nearly boiling. Filling
one Of the smaller jugs with the almost
boiling water, he throws in the crushed
coffee and allows it to boil for a short
time, stirring it all the time with a sticl
Then, placing on brass tray the best
zarfs and fingans, the slave fills the cups
with the infusion, keeping the grounds i
the jug by means of piece of bark hel
over its spout. Handing the tray to tn
most honored guest. he says. 'Semmoo
which means Pronounce the name of
God
Taking the cup from the tray and
looking at his host, the honored guest
the great formula OF Moham-
mechanism in the words 'Bismillah ur
rahman ur-rahim, which mean In the
name of God the compassionate and
merciful.' Then the guest sips his coffee
without sugar or milk, but sometimes a
few aromatic seeds or ambergris may be
added. IL the guest is of very high rank,
the host takes his own cup Immediately
n flor the gueSf huf undar ordinary 81