If you have ever travelled to Turkey or anywhere in the Middle East you will learn that hospitality centers around a small but strong cup of coffee. A sign of Arabian hospitality is sitting guests down with a special coffee pot called a dallah, where dark coffee is boiled, sometimes with cardamon pods and then poured into tiny finjal cups from which you sip the sweet black magic.
Saudi Arabia is wanting to show the world a taste of Saudi Arabia culture by showcasing five collectable coffee cups called finjals that include signs that reflect a certain region in Saudi Arabia. Ceramic vessels and pottery are having a moment as more people yearn for the local and the handmade. Hamada, a Japanese potter and Bernard Leech, a British one, explored this need more than a 100 years ago – as a means to get away from the mechanical and industrial soulless items we bring into our lives.
Karin Kloosterman, Green Prophet founder, has also done a lot of work in pottery and ceramics and recently developed AI prompts to create pottery glazes that could be made using materials on Mars. Eventually as people settle the Red Planet, they will seek out handmade, local items that will need to be made from scratch on Mars. Spaceships can only carry so much.
So sit back and enjoy a finjal that reflects Saudi history and culture.
Saudia, the national carrier of Saudi based in Jeddah, created the Saudia Saudi Coffee Finjal collab with the Saudi Culinary Arts Commission.
Want to make some Arabian coffee? We have an expert-level recipe here. More expert advice? Never say no when you are offered coffee in the Middle East.
