Served Arabic coffee is usually served just a few centiliters at a time. The guest drinks it and if he wishes, he will gesture to the waiter not to pour any more. Otherwise, the host/waiter will continue to serve another few centilitres at a time until the guest indicates he has had enough. The most common practice is to drink only one cup since serving coffee serves as a ceremonial act of kindness and hospitality. Sometimes people also drink larger volumes during conversations. Customs The cups are normally only filled partway, and the custom is to drink three cups. Arabic coffee has a prominent place in traditional Arab holidays and special events such as Ramadan and Eid. Fortune-telling Arabic coffee reading (), is similar to tea-leaf reading; the client is asked to consume strong fresh Arabic coffee leaving approximately a teaspoon of liquid in the cup. The cup is then inverted onto a saucer to allowing the residual liquid to drain away and dry up. The reader will then interpret the patterns formed by the thick residue on the inside of the cup looking for symbols and letters. Funeral Arabic funerals gather families and extended relatives, who drink bitter and unsweetened coffee and recount the life and characteristics of the deceased. The men and women gather separately, and it has become very fashionable to employ very presentable women whose only job is to serve coffee all day to the women. Male waiters serve the men. Arab Muslims and Christians share this tradition. Nutrition facts A small cup of Arabic coffee has almost no calories or fat. It contains a small amount of protein. See also Arabic tea Arab cuisine Coffee In the Islamicate Empires Home roasting coffee Green coffee Turkish coffee References Further reading Arabic drinks Arab culture Yemeni cuisine Saudi Arabian cuisine Omani cuisine Levantine cuisine Palestinian cuisine Lebanese cuisine Syrian cuisine Jordanian cuisine Iraqi cuisine Qatari cuisine Coffee preparation Arab inventions