Date Nabidh
A sweet, slightly fizzy drink made by macerating dates in water for a few days, allowing natural fermentation to enliven it. Inspired by period nabidh, here presented in a short, barely fermented version, sweet and fragrant — a family-friendly nod to the poet's cup.
A sweet, slightly fizzy drink made by macerating dates in water for a few days, allowing natural fermentation to enliven it. Inspired by period nabidh, here presented in a short, barely fermented version, sweet and fragrant — a family-friendly nod to the poet's cup.
They reproach me the cup? Let them! I throw a handful of dates into the jar, pour clear water, and let time do its work in the cool shade. After a few days, the brew trembles, wears a fine foam, and becomes that nabidh I love to pass to a friend under moonlight. Drink it slowly, listen to the lute, and leave the devout to their sermons.
- •Ripe dates — a good handful (sucre fermentescible)
- •Spring water — a jar (base)
Date Nabidh
A sweet, slightly fizzy drink made by macerating dates in water for a few days, allowing natural fermentation to enliven it. Inspired by period nabidh, here presented in a short, barely fermented version, sweet and fragrant — a family-friendly nod to the poet's cup.
Why this dish? Abu Nuwas is the great poet of khamriyyat, bacchic poetry: he tirelessly celebrates the cup. Nabidh — a fermented maceration of dates or raisins, tolerated by some legal schools when wine was forbidden — was the ordinary drink of Baghdad nights that he sang of.
They reproach me the cup? Let them! I throw a handful of dates into the jar, pour clear water, and let time do its work in the cool shade. After a few days, the brew trembles, wears a fine foam, and becomes that nabidh I love to pass to a friend under moonlight. Drink it slowly, listen to the lute, and leave the devout to their sermons.
Ingredients (period version)
- Ripe dates — a good handful (sucre fermentescible)
- Spring water — a jar (base)
Ingredients
- Soft pitted dates — 200 g (sucre fermentescible)
- Water — 1 liter (base)
- Orange blossom water (optional) — 1 tsp (parfum)
Method
- Roughly crush the dates and place them in a clean jar with the water.
- Cover with a cloth and leave at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, stirring daily.
- Strain as soon as the drink becomes fizzy and fragrant (very low-alcohol version).
- Add a drop of orange blossom water and serve chilled.
- For a family version, stop at 24 hours: you get a simple sweet date water, non-fermented.
How it was made : Nabidh referred in Abbasid times to various fruit macerations (dates, raisins, honey) whose degree of fermentation was debated among legal schools. Prepared short, it remained low or non-alcoholic; left longer, it became an intoxicating drink. It was stored in clay jars, sometimes flavored with spices.
The contemporary twist : Serve as a mocktail over crushed ice with a lemon slice: the poet's sparkling date water, alcohol-free.
Sources : Peter Heine, Food Culture in the Near East, Middle East and North Africa (2004)
Abu Nuwas · Charactorium
