Think You Know UAE Gahwa? Sheikh Zayed’s Recipe Has A Few Rules You’ll Want To Know

There’s a particular smell that announces itself before anything else in an Emirati majlis, cloves, freshly roasted beans, something warm just about to be poured. It’s the same scent that once filled the majlis of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Founding Father, where cup after cup of gahwa was poured for statesmen and neighbours alike as a quiet, wordless gesture of welcome. This week, that very recipe, documented, verified and preserved, has travelled to Hall 5 at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, where The Founder’s Office is sharing it with visitors at its pavilion during ADIHEX 2026.

The Dallah, The Finjan And A Language Spoken Without Words

Gahwa is older than any single recipe, and it comes with its own quiet rules. The coffee is always poured and received with the right hand, a custom so deeply followed that even left-handed guests observe it. Whoever is serving holds the dallah (the traditional brass or copper coffee pot) steady in one hand and the finjan, a small handleless cup, in the other, moving first to the eldest or most honoured guest in the room.

The cup is never filled to the top, only partway; a full cup signals the visit is over, while a partly-filled one is really an invitation to stay a little longer. It’s the guest who decides when they’ve had enough, not by speaking but with a small tilt or shake of the cup before handing it back. Miss that gesture, and the host will simply keep pouring, because in this tradition, offering more gahwa is just another way of saying you’re welcome.

The dallah itself remains one of the clearest symbols of Emirati identity, familiar enough that its outline is stamped on the UAE’s one-dirham coin. In 2015, Arabic coffee, put forward jointly by the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar, was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

A Recipe Preserved By Memory, Not A Notebook

The Founder’s Office didn’t piece this recipe together from a single old document. It drew on verified historical sources, specialised research and first-hand testimonies from people who once stood over the dallah and prepared coffee for Sheikh Zayed himself, including his personal coffee makers, who served in his majlis from 1966 until 2004.

Mahra Al Shamsi, Head of the Strategic Communication Section at The Founder’s Office, explains why a coffee recipe warrants this level of care: preserving these details with accuracy ensures they aren’t lost to time, allowing future generations to understand Sheikh Zayed not just through the milestones of his leadership, but through the human moments and everyday traditions that reveal who he was, generosity, hospitality, respect and open dialogue, lived rather than just spoken about.

Sheikh Zayed himself preferred to take his gahwa together with dates, always in odd numbers, three or more, in keeping with the Sunnah.

Also Read: From Recipe To Significance, Here’s All You Need To Know About Qahwa, The Traditional Saudi Brew

How To Brew It At Home

Curious enough to try it yourself? Here’s the actual recipe, per litre of water:

• 2 finjan (small cups) of ground coffee, made from cleaned, dried Ceylon beans
• 2 to 4 cloves
• A pinch of saffron
• 1 capful of rose water

Clean and wash the beans, then dry them (traditionally under the sun for at least two days) before roasting over charcoal, not gas, since charcoal gives a depth of flavour gas can’t match, for at least thirty minutes until deep reddish in colour. Grind to a fine, even texture, then boil in the dallah with the cloves and saffron for about ten minutes. Strain into a smaller serving pot that already holds the rose water, so the coffee takes on a light, lasting fragrance as it’s poured. Let it settle, and it’s ready to serve.

The Founder’s Office’s pavilion runs at ADIHEX until 6 September, worth the detour if you’re already headed to ADNEC this week.

Cover Image Courtesy: CanvaPro/Oneinchpunch