"I didn't even know there were coffee beans in there. It doesn't taste like the coffee we know," says amazed Lanka Perera, a 29-year-old Sri Lankan who has been living in the country for three years. small Gulf emirate.

This yellowish drink with a strong taste of spices, "we drink it almost every day, our Qatari colleagues bring it and let us taste it, but I didn't know what was in it or what its origins were" , she confides after a session devoted to the famous “gahwa” at Embrace Doha, an independent cultural centre.

From the introduction of Ethiopian coffee to the region 600 years ago (legend has it that the properties of the beans were discovered by a shepherd in Yemen), through the composition of the drink (clear coffee beans roasted then boiled , cardamom and saffron) or even the etiquette surrounding its preparation and its service, everything is evoked as a gateway to Qatari culture.

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"Italian coffee is very famous but did you know that it comes from here in the Arab world? We are very proud of it, maybe that's why a lot of people use it, but it's also a great way to start a conversation," says Shaima Sherif, general manager of Embrace Doha, located in the heart of Souq Al Wakrah, south of the Qatari capital.

"Symbol of generosity"

In the majlis (reception rooms of dwellings and central places of sociability, mainly male), it is the head of the family who prepares the "gahwa" in front of his guests and the youngest of his sons do the service.

It is served with the left hand with a traditional coffee pot called "dallah", which must be poured up to cool the drink.

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You drink with your right hand in small cups called "finjans", which you only fill a quarter of so as not to burn your fingers, and you taste your coffee accompanied by dates.

When you've had enough, after two or three cups, you wave your "finjan" sideways rather than saying "no, thank you" -- a holdover from a time when deaf people served in majlis to prevent leaks the sensitive subjects, political and warlike, which were discussed there.

"The symbol of coffee itself is part of our history. For hundreds of years, the country has changed but not the coffee", remarks Shaima Sherif.

In 2015, at the initiative of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar, the "gahwa" entered the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

"Serving Arabic coffee is an important aspect of hospitality in Arab societies that is considered a symbol of generosity," says Unesco.

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A "warm hospitality" that the organizers of the Mondial-2022, which begins on November 20, constantly praise, in particular in response to concerns about the reception of LGBTQ + spectators.

© 2022 AFP