Sherbet is a Middle Eastern drink made from fruit juice, sugar, and water or ice. It is often served as a refreshing non-alcoholic drink, and is associated with hospitality and important events. The drink has been enjoyed for centuries and is made from distilled fruit juice with common flavors including oranges, lemons, and pomegranates. Sherbet is often garnished with rose petals or mint and is served in a variety of glasses.
Sherbet is a Turkish drink made from fruit juices, sugar, and water or ice. In some parts of the world, the word is used for a frozen dessert similar to ice cream, and is sometimes spelled “sherbert.” In much of the Arab world, however, the term means only one thing: a refreshing drink often served in a culture that frowns on alcohol consumption. In fact, the root of the word is sharbat, the Arabic word for “to drink.”
The base of sherbet is distilled fruit juice, made by pressing fresh fruit to create juice and then cooking it into a syrup. This makes fruit flavorings easily accessible year-round and also affordable for members of the lower classes who otherwise could not purchase fresh fruit out of season. Common flavors used in syrup include oranges, lemons, pomegranates, tamarinds, cherries, and sometimes flowers such as roses. The syrup is blended with sugar or honey and water to form a basic sherbet or blended with fresh ice.
Sherbet has been drunk in the Middle East for centuries. Originally, only members of the elite could afford to make it through ice or snow. Others drank it as a blended water drink. Advances in refrigeration technology have made ice-cooled sherbet available to more of the population in the modern era. Besides being served in the home, the drink is also associated with hospitality and important events. When signing a marriage contract, for example, many families use it to seal the deal. It is also served to Ramadan guests who arrive after breaking their daily fast.
Sherbet often includes garnishes such as rose petals or mint and is served in a variety of glasses. Many early visitors to the Middle East commented on the refreshingly light drink, some even suggesting that it must be a crucial component of heaven. In the often extremely dry heat of the Middle East, it’s no surprise that the drink was popular with visitors. These guests later brought the concept to Europe, where it was incorporated into drinks such as Italian soda, the Western drink that probably comes very close to sherbet.
In some Middle Eastern countries, the word also means “sweet,” due to the sugar mixed with fruit juices to make this drink. Well-behaved children are sometimes said to be full of sherbet, and asking for a sharbaat drink will result in a heavily sugared drink in some countries.
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