''Qishr'' ( ar,
قشر ''geshir'', ''gishr'', ''kishr'') is an
Southeastern Arabic traditional hot drink made of spiced
coffee
Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world.
Seeds of ...
husks,
[Dresch, Paul, "A history of modern Yemen"] ginger,
[Hestler, Anna, "Yemen"] and sometimes
cinnamon.
[Jacob, Jeanne, Ashkenazi, Michael "The World Cookbook for Students, Volume 1"] In
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
, it is usually drunk as an alternative to coffee because it doesn't need to be roasted.
History
Coffee arrived in Yemen from across the
Red Sea
The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...
into the
Arabian Peninsula into the region that is now
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
, where Muslim
dervish
Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from fa, درویش, ''Darvīsh'') in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity (''tariqah''), or more narrowly to a religious mendicant, who chose or accepted material poverty. The latter usage i ...
es began cultivating the shrub in their gardens. At first, Yemenis made wine from the pulp of the fermented coffee berries. This beverage was known as ''qishr'' and was used during religious ceremonies.
"Ginger coffee is the universal drink and the cup is always filled, a guest being given two cups at once... Qishr, an infusion made from the husks of coffee berries, is also drunk, particularly in the
Tihamat al
'Asir
The ʿAsir Region ( ar, عَسِيرٌ, ʿAsīr, lit=difficult) is a region of Saudi Arabia located in the southwest of the country that is named after the ʿAsīr tribe. It has an area of and an estimated population of 2,211,875 (2017). It is ...
."
Concerning qishr, "Great hospitality was shown to us on entering their houses; we were always pressed to stay, and never allowed to go without taking a cup of coffee or rather an infusion of coffee husk called 'keshr'; for, strange to say, though in the heart of the coffee country, coffee is never taken as a beverage."
[Frankl, P.J.L. "Robert Finlay's Description of San'a' in 1238-1239/1823." Bulletin (British Society for Middle Eastern Studies), Vol. 17, No. 1 (1990), page 27.]
See also
*
Coffea arabica
*
Coffee cherry tea
References
Bibliography
* Philby, H. St. J. B. (Harry St. John Bridger), 1885–1960. Arabian Highlands. Ithaca: Published for the Middle East Institute, Washington, D.C.
yCornell University Press,
952
Year 952 ( CMLII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place Europe
* Summer – At the Reichstag in Augsburg (assembled by King Otto I), joined by German nob ...
Subjects: Arabian Peninsula—Description and travel. 771 p. : illus., maps (part fold., 1 in pocket).
OCLC No.: 01083943. Page 687.
Arabic drinks
Yemeni cuisine
Coffee derivatives
Herbal tea
Entheogens
Ceremonial food and drink
Guest greeting food and drink
{{coffee-stub