flipSikanjabîn, Mint Vinegar and Honey Syrup
Sikanjabîn, Mint Vinegar and Honey Syrup
Why this dish? In the heat of Baghdad and Samarkand, this sweet-sour oxymel was the drink of scholars and physicians alike; it was thought to 'clarify the humors' — just the thing to refresh the mind before a long session of astronomical calculation.
A syrup of vinegar and honey cooked to a thick consistency, perfumed with mint, diluted in cool water for a thirst-quenching drink with a delicate sweet-sour balance.
Come, friend, the heat is harsh. Here is sikanjabîn, where sour and sweet unite in just proportion — as the two pans of a balance. Reduce the honey and vinegar over a measured fire until the drop holds, then throw in a handful of mint and remove from the fire. Keep a flask all summer. A spoonful in the water jar, and thirst flees; even physicians praise its benefit for the stomach.
- •Honey — two parts (sweetness)
- •Wine or grape vinegar — one part (sourness)
- •Fresh mint — a handful (fragrance)
- •Fresh water — for diluting (final drink)
Sikanjabîn, Mint Vinegar and Honey Syrup
A syrup of vinegar and honey cooked to a thick consistency, perfumed with mint, diluted in cool water for a thirst-quenching drink with a delicate sweet-sour balance.
Why this dish? In the heat of Baghdad and Samarkand, this sweet-sour oxymel was the drink of scholars and physicians alike; it was thought to 'clarify the humors' — just the thing to refresh the mind before a long session of astronomical calculation.
Come, friend, the heat is harsh. Here is sikanjabîn, where sour and sweet unite in just proportion — as the two pans of a balance. Reduce the honey and vinegar over a measured fire until the drop holds, then throw in a handful of mint and remove from the fire. Keep a flask all summer. A spoonful in the water jar, and thirst flees; even physicians praise its benefit for the stomach.
Ingredients (period version)
- Honey — two parts (sweetness)
- Wine or grape vinegar — one part (sourness)
- Fresh mint — a handful (fragrance)
- Fresh water — for diluting (final drink)
Ingredients
- Honey (or sugar) — 300 g (sweetness)
- White wine vinegar — 150 ml (sourness)
- Water — 150 ml (for syrup)
- Fresh mint — 1 large handful (fragrance)
- Fresh water or ice — as needed (dilution when serving)
Method
- In a saucepan, dissolve the honey in the water and vinegar, then bring to a simmer.
- Reduce over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes until a coating syrup forms.
- Off the heat, add the fresh mint and let infuse for 15 minutes, then strain.
- Store the syrup in a bottle in the fridge.
- To drink, dilute 1 to 2 spoonfuls of syrup in a large glass of cold water.
How it was made : Sikanjabîn (from Arabic-Persian 'sikanjabîn', vinegar-honey) is an oxymel inherited from Greek medicine and widely consumed in the Abbasid world, both as a drink and a remedy. The cookbooks give many perfumed variations (mint, rose, seeds).
The contemporary twist : Serve 'scholar's spritz' style: syrup, sparkling water, cucumber slice, and mint sprig over crushed ice.
Sources : Lilia Zaouali, L'Islam à table, La Découverte, 2004 · Nawal Nasrallah, Annals of the Caliphs' Kitchens, Brill, 2007
Al-Khwârizmî · Charactorium
