Dallah (coffee pot) facts for kids

Dallahs are traditional Arabic coffee pots.

Arabic coffee is often served from a dallah.

A dallah (Arabic: دلة) is a special type of coffee pot. It has been used for hundreds of years in the Middle East. People use it to make and serve a traditional drink called Qahwa. This is a special Arabic or Gulf coffee. It is often served during feasts like Eid al-Fitr.

The Dallah: A Symbol of Hospitality

The dallah is very important in the Arabian Peninsula. It is also used by the Bedouin people. For a long time, Bedouins used coffee rituals to show hospitality. Serving coffee was a sign of being generous and welcoming. It also showed wealth.

Today, the dallah is still used when people get together. This includes friends, family, and even business partners. You might see a dallah at important life events. These can be births, weddings, or funerals. It is also used in some business meetings.

What Does a Dallah Look Like?

A dallah has a very unique shape. It has a round, wide bottom. Then it gets narrower in the middle, like a "waist." The top part flares out. It has a tall, pointed lid with a decorative top. A curvy handle makes it easy to hold.

The most special part is its long spout. This spout has a shape like a crescent moon. Sometimes, a metal flap covers this spout. This helps keep the coffee warm. But usually, it is open so you can see the coffee as it pours.

Materials and Decoration

Dallahs can be made from different materials. Common ones include brass and steel. For very special events or for kings and queens, they might be made of silver or even 24-karat gold.

Dallahs are often beautifully decorated. They might have patterns like geometric shapes. You can also see designs of plants and flowers. Some even show love scenes from old Arabic poems. Sometimes, they are decorated with shiny gemstones or ivory.

Today, you can find modern dallahs. Some are made for everyday use. There are even automatic dallahs and thermos dallahs. These help keep coffee hot for longer.

How is Arabic Coffee Made?

Making Arabic or Gulf coffee is usually simple. It uses only a few ingredients. These are water, lightly roasted coffee, and ground cardamom spice. All these ingredients are boiled together in the dallah. This takes about 10 to 20 minutes.

The coffee is then served without filtering it. It is poured into small cups called demitasse cups. Some traditional recipes add other spices. These might include saffron.

History of the Dallah

It is not fully clear when the dallah first appeared. But people started talking about a dallah as a coffee pot in its modern shape around the mid-1600s.

The dallah is so important that it is a symbol in many Arab states of the Persian Gulf. You can see it in public art. It is also shown on money coins. In Saudi Arabia, the dallah is even a security feature on some banknotes. This means it is part of the design to prevent fake money.