No Reservations In Saudi Arabia

if you are an american you might have seen this show on tv.. i've found this episode of no reservations show on youtube and just looooved it.. it shows the nice side of saudi which pretty much nobody knows or hears about.. and ta-da! it was filmed in jeddah where i live :) i also loved this danya girl, she's so sweet and bubbly mashAllah.. in a word, do watch!

It's Interesting To Know...

...that the kingdom of saudi arabia is one of the world’s largest producers of dates with 141,000 hectares and 21 million palms producing 884,000 tons of dates per year! the production and manufacturing of dates constitutes 13% of domestic product

the dates are eaten fresh, dried and in treats.. shops sell date-filled chocolates, date mustard, date syrup and date bars

visit any home or office in the kingdom and you will certainly find a small plate heaped with dates on a coffee table.. the sweetness of the fruit balances the bitter taste of cardamom-scented coffee served to guests in small cups.. date baskets, containing different varieties of the fruit, date cookies and date juice are often presented as gifts

dates are especially popular in ramadan as muslims are advised to break their fast with this delicious and healthy treat (more info about nutritional value of dates in this post by arab mania)

and here are some pictures

mmm... yammy!

date pie

date cookies

and some date chocolates

p.s.: sorry, i didn't mean to tease you :)

Arabic Coffee: Be All And End All Of Saudi Arabia

coffee is popular all around the world.. a much-needed mug of energy first thing in the morning and just the thing to combat both stress and fatigue at the same time.. in this part of the world too, coffee is often treated as a daily necessity, as well as an integral part of arabian hospitality

arabic coffee is a general name that refers to the way coffee is prepared in many arab countries throughout the middle east.. it can be prepared in various ways, but the saudi one (qahwa or gahwa as it is known) always contains more cardamom than coffee, and no sugar; it is made from green coffee beans and has a truly unique flavor

it is the traditional welcoming drink served on every occasion such as weddings, receptions, gatherings, meetings.. in a word, at any gathering of more than four people.. it is served to the guests almost immediately on their arrival, usually before the meal (parties start around 9 pm, the meal is offered around midnight).. stuffed dates, some with sesame seeds, some without, are passed around with the coffee

arabic coffee should be served from the traditional pot called dallah, which has a chunk of fiberous material stuck in the spout to serve as a filter, into very small arabic coffee cups filled only by half

the server then goes around with the pot to refill any cup that is empty, and continues to refill cups until the guest gently wobbles their cup to indicate they've had enough.. it is customary to take two or three cups.. more than three is greedy, less than two is not polite.. they say this is no joke - one way to upset your hostess real fast is to wobble after choking down the first cup.. this is why the dates are so important, without them to help kill the taste of the coffee, most of us would never have gotten to the meal part of the ritual

and now, ta-da! here's the recipe

arabic coffee

1 tbsp arabic coffee (green or lightly roasted coffee)

2 tbsp coarsely ground cardamom

2 cups water

put the coffee in a pot and warm it on a low heat for a few minutes, mixing with a spoon.. add the water, bring to a boil, and boil 3 or 4 minutes.. pour the boiled coffee through a filter into the dallah and add the cardamom.. return to heat, bring to a boil once more, then simmer 20 minutes