Jump to navigation Jump to search This article is about a sweet, syrupy beverage. A South Indian version commonly called sarbbath is popular in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, regions wherein a specially made syrup of Indian sarsaparilla and lemon is dissolved in milk or soda water. An Indonesian, especially Javanese, drink called serbat’ is commonly found during shrimp bhuna month of Ramadan. The most popular is made by mixing cold water, simple syrup, and shredded cantaloupe, popularly known as serbat blewah or cantaloupe sherbet.
Rooh Afza sharbat or shorbot drink made from fruits and herbs formulated in 1906 in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, and launched from Old Delhi, India. This in turn came from the Arabic word shariba, “to drink”. The first Western mention of sharbat is an Italian reference to something that Turks drink. The word enters Italian as sorbetto which becomes sorbet in French. In the 17th-century, England began importing “sherbet powders” made from dried fruit and flowers mixed with sugar. Sharbat was traditionally made with cane juice, but in modern times it is commonly made at home with sugar and water.
Lime is sometimes added to improve the texture and flavor of the sharbat. Honey is also commonly used as a sweetener. Sharbat was introduced to India by the Mughals in the 16th century. Tamarind sherbet is a popular non-alcoholic beverage in Muslim countries that is commonly prepared during Ramadan.
Almond sherbet is probably of Persian origin and can be spiced with cardamom and kewra. Wood apple sharbat can be flavored with salt, pepper and mentha or simply sugar and lemon juice. The khus essence itself is made from the roots of vetiver grass. Vetiver sherbet can be used as a flavoring for milkshakes, lassi and other yogurt drinks, ice cream, Shirley Temples and other mixed beverages. The most common sharbat flavor is probably rose. Rose sharbat can be used as a topping for the milk pudding muhallebi. One Turkish method of making rose sharbat involves kneading fresh rose petals with a little citric acid or sugar to release their fragrance.
Künefe dessert made from kadayif soaked in şerbet served with Maraş ice cream. Many Ottoman Muslims did not have a custom of consuming or serving alcoholic beverages, which contributed to the popularity of sherbet during the Middle Ages. Sherbet could take three forms: syrups called şurup, pastes called çevirme and tablets. Ottoman confectioners would create concentrated essences out of fresh ingredients that could be diluted to make sherbet. One of the dainties on the happy mixture of which Hadjy Mustafa prides himself is khoshâb. This beverage, though nearly related to, must not be confounded with, sherbet. When a woman in Anatolia gives birth it is still customary to offer a hot sherbet called lohusa şerbeti to guests.