Date Nabîdh — the Sweet Water of Dates
Dates infused in fresh water: the beverage becomes sweet and fruity, slightly tangy. Refreshing and mild, it is served fresh the same day.
Dates infused in fresh water: the beverage becomes sweet and fruity, slightly tangy. Refreshing and mild, it is served fresh the same day.
Wine is forbidden to us, and I regret it not: God has given us better for the heat of the Nile. Throw a handful of good dates into a pitcher of water in the morning; by evening, the water has become sweet and fragrant, and you drink without transgression. But drink it the same day, my friend — after a night or two, it sours and changes nature, and then the wise man turns away from it.
- •Ripe dates — a handful (sugar and flavor)
- •Fresh water — a pitcher (base)
Date Nabîdh — the Sweet Water of Dates
Dates infused in fresh water: the beverage becomes sweet and fruity, slightly tangy. Refreshing and mild, it is served fresh the same day.
Why this dish? Wine was forbidden for the Prophet's companions, and Amr was one. At his table, they drank water, milk, and nabîdh: dates left to soak in water, which sweetens and flavors it. It was drunk fresh, within the day, before it turned — the drink of home and desert.
Wine is forbidden to us, and I regret it not: God has given us better for the heat of the Nile. Throw a handful of good dates into a pitcher of water in the morning; by evening, the water has become sweet and fragrant, and you drink without transgression. But drink it the same day, my friend — after a night or two, it sours and changes nature, and then the wise man turns away from it.
Ingredients (period version)
- Ripe dates — a handful (sugar and flavor)
- Fresh water — a pitcher (base)
Ingredients
- Soft pitted dates — 8 to 10 (sugar and flavor)
- Fresh water — 1 L (base)
- Lemon zest or orange blossom water (optional) — 1 pinch / 1 dash (flavor)
Method
- Open the dates and place them in a pitcher of fresh water.
- Let infuse for 6 to 12 hours in a cool place (refrigerator today).
- Gently squeeze the dates with fingertips to release the sugar, then strain if a clear drink is preferred.
- Serve fresh, the same day. Optionally flavor with a zest or a dash of orange blossom water.
- Do not keep beyond 24-48 hours: the drink ferments and becomes alcoholic — which contemporary usage disapproved.
How it was made : Nabîdh originally meant a simple infusion of dates (or raisins) in water, consumed fresh and non-fermented — a common and licit drink. Sources insisted on rapid consumption precisely because fermentation eventually produced alcohol; beyond a certain stage, the beverage became forbidden. It is the refreshing ancestor of date drinks still served during Ramadan.
The contemporary twist : Serve over ice in a tall glass, with a sliver of date and a mint leaf on the rim: a non-alcoholic 'date cordial,' perfect for breaking the fast or for summer heat.
Amr ibn al-As · Charactorium
