Palestinian Coffee: Cardamom, Hospitality and Tradition

Visit a Palestinian home and within minutes you will be offered coffee. It is poured into small cups, fragrant with cardamom, and it carries a clear message: you are welcome here. Refusing it without a good reason is almost unthinkable.

Coffee in Palestine is less about caffeine and more about hospitality, family and respect.

Cardamom coffee

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Everyday Palestinian coffee is finely ground and boiled in a small long-handled pot, often with ground cardamom. It is served unfiltered in small cups, and the grounds are left to settle at the bottom. Some families add sugar while it brews; others prefer it plain.

Bitter coffee for big moments

For weddings, funerals and important gatherings there is qahwa sada, a strong, unsweetened coffee poured from a tall brass pot into tiny handleless cups. Guests drink a small amount and shake the cup gently to show they have had enough.

Brew it at home

Add one heaped teaspoon of finely ground coffee and a pinch of ground cardamom per small cup of water, bring it slowly to the boil, let it foam, take it off the heat and repeat once. Leave it to settle for a minute before pouring.

Serve it with dates or a simple sweet and share it with friends. It pairs perfectly with the Palestinian dishes in our autumn cooking guide.