Middle Eastern flavors of shisha tobacco

July 11, 2005

This week in The Asian Journal, we’ll be taking an Arabian journey of sweet after tastes as we explore the shisha.

At first sight, smoking shisha, the Middle Eastern water pipe that uses flavored tobacco, might seem like a cross between blowing bubbles and making tea.

But the flavors produced are aromatic and much cleaner compared to cigarette or pipe smoking.

This can be attributed to the water in the device which the smoke passes through to be filtered.

The origins of the shisha are not clear. Historians argue that shisha smoking might have come from Persia, the Americas or India.

However, a clue into its origin could be derived from tobacco leaves.

Ms. Tan Huism, Senior Curator at the Asian Civilizations Museum in Singapore, tells us more about this ancient water-pipe.

HS: The water pipe was used in Iran and India as early as the 17th century. But of course the water pipe, considering it is a pipe, needed tobacco. So I think the water pipes only originated after the introduction of tobacco, introduced to West Asia by the European merchants from the Americas probably sometime mid - 16th century onwards.

If you were to do a bit of research on this Middle Eastern water pipe, you might be confused by the different names used to reference the smoking instrument

Thankfully, they all refer to the same water pipe.

HS: The ‘hookah’ is derived from Arabic which means small box. I believe this is the part of the instrument which the smoke was drawn through. Then you have another word, ‘narghile’ from Persia which means coconut as the coconut shell was perhaps used to create the water pipe then. And you have shisha which is derived from Persia as well, and it probably means ‘bottle.’ Then you have an English name called ‘hubble-bubble’ which I like to call the ‘hubbly-bubbly’ because of the bubbling sounds which come out from the water pipe. So these are the main names of the water pipe.

But smoking the shisha wasn’t the only manner in which tobacco was enjoyed in the Middle East. Other instruments proved popular as well.

HS: Tobacco was smoked in various forms in the Islamic world, not only through the water pipe but also using a very long pipe that was more popular in Turkey. It’s called a ‘choo-bok,’ easily over a metre long and from the mid -16th century onwards up to the 19th century, there were many stories about how they loved their pipes and how they would go for walks with their very long pipes or even be seen riding horses with their pipes.

However, the popularity of the shisha endured and soon it became an important status symbol in the Middle East.

Offering the shisha to a guest represented a sign of high standing and trust for the guest. While withholding it could be taken as a serious insult.

HS: They were mainly smoked for leisure or as a sign of hospitality. Perhaps if you had a guest coming to your home, you would offer your guest a hookah as if you were offering coffee. And if you were a guest at a wealthy home, you would be offered different pipes; just as a sign of wealth, the hosts wouldn’t offer you the same pipe after one smoke.

In Ottoman Turkey, shishas were used as a treaty device. Offering the shisha to diplomats signaled the gesture of peace between two countries.

This act reminds one of a similar tradition by the American Indians where the pipe might have originated.

The design of the shisha varied.

The earlier water pipes were mainly hand-crafted and wood-based.

By the time shishas entered Turkey, it was embraced by the upper class and intellectuals.

The design changed to suit its owners, moving away from wood into brass and glass. Intricate mosaics and paintings were added for elegance and beauty.

HS: There were actually a variety of designs even in the 17th century. You had the ones with a tear-drop shape and you also had the bell-shaped bottom versions. It also depends on which part of the world you go to. Different countries had different designs and of course, the decorations would reflect the motif of that country. They sometimes used metal, or they could have enamel or ceramic or glass. There also water pipe bases that made use of coconut.

Shisha smoking has been available to both men and women since its introduction into the Middle East.

But it is the men who dominate this social activity in cafes and restaurants in the region.

The combination of tobacco and the humble coffee bean probably proved too irresistible.

HS: Both the tobacco and the coffee bean were introduced into the Arabic world around the same time, from the mid – 16th century onwards. These took place in the coffee houses. The coffee houses were where the men could really hang out. Tobacco and coffee really changed the leisure activities of men in that part of the world. That for me is very interesting.

Now, if you were to take a look at the shisha water pipe, you might wish it came with an instruction manual.

With pipes, hoses, glass windows, coal holders and a host of other elaborate parts, it looks more like some medical apparatus.

No worries, Ms. Harasha Bafana, General Manager of Café Samar at Arab Street in Singapore, tells us how to navigate the intricacies of the water pipe.

HB: It’s really a hassle because it comes in several parts. First you’ve got the glass bottom which contains the water, then you’ve got the brass neck which sticks itself into the water. From the brass neck, two things stick out from it. One is the part which is attached to the leather hose where you smoke from, and the other part is the top part of the hookah which holds the shisha tobacco. It won’t work unless you put some form of insulation at the top, for example aluminum foil which you poke holes. Then you have to put hot coals on top. So it’s a very cumbersome way to smoke. There are about seven to eight parts to it.

So if it is such a cumbersome and complex piece of equipment, why do people enjoy using the shisha? Why not just use a pipe?

HB: Ahh, it’s a world of difference from cigarettes. For a start, it smells good. It’s 80 to 85 per cent made of fruits, such as strawberries and apples. And 10 to 15 per cent is tobacco. So it’s not heavy like cigarettes. It actually has got an aroma-therapic effect. So a lot of people enjoy that. Smoking a cigarette is only for a couple of minutes but smoking a shisha is actually more than an individual satisfaction. It’s all about this whole cultural thing where you get together, chit-chat and leisurely enjoy the ambiance and the scents. It take about 45 minutes to finish one shisha, that’s how long it takes.

And which flavors of the tobacco are most popular in Cafe Samar?

HB: The most popular flavor is apple. I think globally, apple seems to be the hot favorite among shisha smokers. The second top flavor is rose. It’s really fragrant and nice. A lot of our customers started to switch to rose after having been introduced to it. They usually automatically just order apple, apple, apple. So these are our top selling shisha flavors that we’ve got. We have to import them from the Middle East. It comes in a sealed packet of about 250 grams. Of course the tobacco taxes come with it as well … so it’s not cheap.

Just like coffee, the tobacco used in shisha smoking is blended with other flavors to create unique aromas and tastes.

HB: It’s like a blend thing. The blended flavors are very subtle. Let me tell you something else. Some of our customers are pretty adventurous. They would go for flavor enhancers. For example, they order apple shisha and they say “I want a bit of mint in it” or sometimes we’ll put milk inside so it kind of adds a bit of nuance to the taste otherwise but we haven’t had anyone request to put fish inside yet (laughs) but some of our customers have requested to put ice inside and what happens is that the smoke that comes out is cooler.

It might surprise you that most people who enjoy shisha aren’t cigarette smokers but they are actually non-smokers.

HB: A lot of shisha customers don’t smoke usually try shisha for fun. But the real smokers find shisha as just ‘kids play’; it’s just something they do as an add-on activity.

While the popularity of shisha smoking is rising faster than the aromas from the water pipe, the harmful effects of nicotine in it should not be ignored.

Tobacco used in shisha contain between 2 to 10 percent of nicotine.

In fact, some countries in the Middle East have tried to contain the sale of shisha. But will it stop them from enjoying this social past time?

HB: In Egypt (if they tried to restrict shisha smoking) it’ll result in a civil disobedience movement. You throw a stone and you’ll hit a shisha coffe shop. It’s every where, it is so much a part of their culture. So it’ll be real difficult to ban it. It’s like telling Singaporeans that they can no longer eat fish balls, something to that extent.

But with ingredients that range from dried fruit, to milk and even ice, the people who smoke shisha are looking for a different experience.

The appeal of shisha tobacco still lies in the social aspects of gathering friends, having some mint tea, listening to music and enjoying the conversations.

With the hundreds of years behind it, the shisha is one cultural icon of the Middle East that is unlikely to blow up into smoke any time soon.

- Justin Teo