Pomegranate and date refreshment
Pressed pomegranate juice, sweetened with date syrup and diluted with cool water, perfumed with a hint of mint. A ruby-red drink, both tart and sweet, thirst-quenching under the Mesopotamian sun.
Pressed pomegranate juice, sweetened with date syrup and diluted with cool water, perfumed with a hint of mint. A ruby-red drink, both tart and sweet, thirst-quenching under the Mesopotamian sun.
In the gardens I had planted at Nineveh, the pomegranate tree bends under its scarlet fruits. Split the pomegranate, press out its ruby seeds, sweeten the juice with a little date syrup and water from the well, throw in mint — and you hold a cup worthy of a king on a hot day. May its blood colour remind of the vigour of Ashur, and its sweetness, the peace of my reign over the gardens in bloom.
- •Pomegranates — several (tart juice)
- •Date syrup — a drizzle (sweetness)
- •Cool water — as desired (dilution)
- •Mint — a few leaves (freshness)
Pomegranate and date refreshment
Pressed pomegranate juice, sweetened with date syrup and diluted with cool water, perfumed with a hint of mint. A ruby-red drink, both tart and sweet, thirst-quenching under the Mesopotamian sun.
Why this dish? The pomegranate adorned the orchards and reliefs of Assyrian palaces — it is carved in the gardens of Nineveh and brandished in banquet scenes. Mixed with date syrup, it becomes a cool, tangy drink worthy of Ashurbanipal's table, far from the everyday beer alone.
In the gardens I had planted at Nineveh, the pomegranate tree bends under its scarlet fruits. Split the pomegranate, press out its ruby seeds, sweeten the juice with a little date syrup and water from the well, throw in mint — and you hold a cup worthy of a king on a hot day. May its blood colour remind of the vigour of Ashur, and its sweetness, the peace of my reign over the gardens in bloom.
Ingredients (period version)
- Pomegranates — several (tart juice)
- Date syrup — a drizzle (sweetness)
- Cool water — as desired (dilution)
- Mint — a few leaves (freshness)
Ingredients
- Fresh pomegranate juice (or pure juice) — 400 ml (tart juice)
- Date syrup — 2 to 3 tbsp, to taste (sweetness)
- Still or sparkling water — 300 ml (dilution)
- Fresh mint — a few leaves (freshness)
- Pomegranate seeds — 1 handful (decoration and crunch)
Method
- If starting from whole pomegranates, seed the fruit and press the seeds to extract the juice (strain through a sieve).
- Dissolve the date syrup in the pomegranate juice.
- Dilute with still or sparkling water to the desired strength.
- Crush a few mint leaves and add them.
- Serve well chilled in cups, garnished with floating pomegranate seeds.
How it was made : The pomegranate is one of the emblematic fruits of Mesopotamia, present in irrigated orchards and depicted on Assyrian reliefs and banquet objects. Without ice or sugar, drinks were cooled with well or cistern water and sweetened with honey or date syrup. The exact form of such a drink is not documented in recipes: it is an evocation based on attested ingredients.
The contemporary twist : Serve in a pitcher with ice cubes trapping pomegranate seeds and a mint leaf: a non-alcoholic 'spritz' in the colours of the gardens of Nineveh.
Ashurbanipal · Charactorium