Sharbat-i anâr (Pomegranate Sorbet)
Cool drink made from pressed pomegranate juice, rose water, honey, and mountain snow or crushed ice. Sharbat is the ancestor of European sorbet — the word itself comes from Persian. Served in chased metal cups, it was the prestige drink of the Timurid court.
Cool drink made from pressed pomegranate juice, rose water, honey, and mountain snow or crushed ice. Sharbat is the ancestor of European sorbet — the word itself comes from Persian. Served in chased metal cups, it was the prestige drink of the Timurid court.
When the summer heat oppresses Samarkand and the dust of the Registan burns the eyes, I have snow brought from the Pamir mountains, preserved in our underground icehouses. We press the pomegranates from our gardens, mix the juice with honey from Bukhara and rose water, and pour it all over that snow. Here is a drink worthy of a king — and of an astronomer who has spent the night observing the firmament. The pomegranate is like the sky: beneath a rough shell, it hides a thousand jewels.
- •Ripe pomegranates — several fruits (Main juice)
- •Honey — to taste (Natural sweetener)
- •Rose water — a few drops (Floral perfume)
- •Mountain snow or ice — as needed (Cooling)
- •Fresh water — to dilute (Dilution)
Sharbat-i anâr (Pomegranate Sorbet)
Cool drink made from pressed pomegranate juice, rose water, honey, and mountain snow or crushed ice. Sharbat is the ancestor of European sorbet — the word itself comes from Persian. Served in chased metal cups, it was the prestige drink of the Timurid court.
Why this dish? Chronicles mention that Timurid courts served chilled perfumed drinks at feasts. The pomegranate, abundant in the gardens of Samarkand, was the favorite fruit of the nobility. Ulugh Beg, who received scholars and ambassadors in the gardens of his madrasa, certainly offered these refreshing sharbats.
When the summer heat oppresses Samarkand and the dust of the Registan burns the eyes, I have snow brought from the Pamir mountains, preserved in our underground icehouses. We press the pomegranates from our gardens, mix the juice with honey from Bukhara and rose water, and pour it all over that snow. Here is a drink worthy of a king — and of an astronomer who has spent the night observing the firmament. The pomegranate is like the sky: beneath a rough shell, it hides a thousand jewels.
Ingredients (period version)
- Ripe pomegranates — several fruits (Main juice)
- Honey — to taste (Natural sweetener)
- Rose water — a few drops (Floral perfume)
- Mountain snow or ice — as needed (Cooling)
- Fresh water — to dilute (Dilution)
Ingredients
- Pure pomegranate juice (or 4 pomegranates to press) — 500 ml (Fruity base)
- Liquid honey — 3 tbsp (Sweetener)
- Rose water — 1 tbsp (Perfume)
- Cold water — 250 ml (Dilution)
- Crushed ice — to taste (Freshness)
- Fresh pomegranate seeds — for garnish (Garnish)
Method
- If using fresh pomegranates: cut them in half, extract the seeds, press through a fine sieve or juicer to obtain the juice. Strain.
- In a pitcher, mix the pomegranate juice with cold water and honey. Stir until the honey is completely dissolved.
- Add the rose water and mix.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Serve in glasses over crushed ice, sprinkle with a few fresh pomegranate seeds.
How it was made : The word "sorbet" derives from Persian sharbat, itself from Arabic sharba (drink). Timurid and Persian courts stored compacted snow in yakhchâl (underground icehouses) to cool drinks in summer. Clavijo notes the abundance of fruits and perfumed drinks during his stay in Samarkand in 1404.
The contemporary twist : Freeze part of the mixture into a granita and scrape it with a fork to serve in a frozen cup, garnished with a few mint leaves and crushed pistachios.
Sources : Ruy González de Clavijo, « Embajada a Tamorlán » (1406) — description of banquets and drinks in Samarkand · Ehsan Yarshater (ed.), « Encyclopaedia Iranica », entry "Drinks"
Ulugh Beg · Charactorium
