After more than a century, Café Abu Salem is not only operating but also still run by the same family three generations later. There’s a whiff of woody cinnamon as you enter Café Abu Salem in Nazareth’s Old Market quarter. The source of this spicy aroma is an orange-tinted tea being prepared in a large silver kettle over a gas flame.
Exactly as it has been done since Andraos Abu Salem opened his coffee shop in 1914 when the country was still under Ottoman rule.
The name of this baladi (local) drink, as it is listed on the menu, is Aynar, and it’s served in traditional tulip-shaped Turkish teacups with a sprinkling of chopped walnuts on top.
“This is where people come and relax away the hours with friends, drink coffee or tea, talk, laugh, and play sheshbesh [backgammon] or cards,” he explains.
One tradition that Abu Salem did change immediately after he took over the business was to allow female customers.