How to make Ottoman sorbets at home

How to make Ottoman Empire sorbets at home?

Sherbets were one of the most beloved drinks in the Ottoman Empire. Anyone could taste them at the famous street fountains for free. Unlike the current favorite carbonated drinks, sorbets are healthy. We present for you several sorbets recipes that you can prepare at home.

1. Sherbet occupied a special place in the food culture of the Ottoman Empire. In the palace museums you can see the crystal glasses in which this drink was served, as well as collections of crystal, gold, silver and clay jugs created for sherbet. Since the 15th century. in the palaces, sherbet was prepared in a separate part of the kitchen, called helvahane. The drinks prepared here were placed in famous fountains, from which anyone could drink.

Sherbets were prepared from plants, fruits, and spices. They not only provided coolness on summer days, but were also very useful. It was recommended to drink certain sherbets to restore blood (the internal environment of the human and animal body) and in case of loss of strength.

2. Pink stockrose is known to us as an ornamental plant. It is colloquially referred to as "mallow". It was an integral attribute of the gardens of Istanbul. In addition, stockrose was used for healing purposes as an expectorant, and also in the form of a poultice for tumors and eye diseases. In cooking, sherbets and jam were prepared from it.

3. The recipe for stockrose sorbet is as follows:

4 teaspoons dried stockrose

6 teaspoons sugar

7 glasses of water

Juice of half a lemon

1 tbsp. tablespoon lightly toasted pistachios or sesame seeds for sprinkling

Pour water over the plant material, boil for 15 minutes, strain, add sugar and boil briefly again. Then add lemon juice and simmer for some more time. Close the lid and let cool. Pour into a jug and serve sprinkled with pistachios.

4. Mint and lemon sorbet was also widely popular in the Ottoman Empire. It is rich in vitamin C. This sherbet is pleasant to drink chilled in the summer heat.

5. To make this sherbet you need:

1.5 cups sugar

Half a bunch of mint, crushed in a mortar

7-8 glasses of water

Squeeze the juice from the lemons into water, throw in the peels, mix with sugar in a glass bowl, close with a lid and leave in the refrigerator until the morning. After this, add more water, ground mint and, after waiting 15 minutes, strain. Serve garnished with fresh mint leaves.

6. The gardens of the palaces of the Ottoman Empire were certainly decorated with roses. In addition, jam and sherbet were made from this plant. This sherbet relieves migraines and is rich in vitamin C.

7. Rose sorbet recipe:

6 tbsp. tablespoons dried rose petals

Juice of half a lemon

6-7 tbsp. spoons of sugar

8 glasses of water

1 tbsp. spoon of toasted sesame seeds for sprinkling.

Pour water over the rose petals, boil for 10 minutes, strain, add lemon juice, sugar and boil for some time. Close the lid. Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Sherbet drink

Sherbet (or sherbet) is a common drink in Eastern countries, which is a sweet soft drink based on fruit puree, caramel and spices. Sherbet can be thick or watery: the first option is often frozen and served as a fruit sorbet, and the second is simply cooled or served with ice.

The Turkish drink sherbet is very easy to prepare, and the arsenal of available flavors numbers thousands and thousands, here for you are classic fruit and berry sorbets, and options from violet flowers, roses, rose hips, sorrel or even chopped nuts. You will learn how to prepare sherbet in this article. If the recipes presented seem sweet to you and do not quench your thirst, try drinking fresh juices - they do not contain anything unnecessary!

Strawberry sorbet drink - recipe

Ingredients:

strawberry syrup – 50 g;
berry juice – 100 ml;
strawberries – 3 -4 pcs.;
mint – 2 leaves;
ice.

Manufacturing

Whisk strawberries with berry juice and pour into a glass with crushed ice. Pour strawberry syrup over the drink and garnish with mint leaves.

The ice in the drink can be replaced with vanilla or strawberry ice cream, because traditional sorbet recipes allow the addition of milk or cream. If you think that there are no better recipes for milkshakes with ice cream, then do not add this delicacy, but simply eat it separately.

Ginger sherbet

Ginger sherbet is not a drink for everyone, as its harsh and spicy taste can simply scare off a “Western” person.

ginger root – 1 pc.;
orange – 2 pcs.;
water – 200 ml;
sugar – ½ tbsp.

Manufacturing

A piece of ginger as wide as your thumb and 3-5 cm long, peel and soak in 200 ml of water overnight (that is, in the dark) . The next day, pour ginger water into a saucepan and mix with sugar, cook a thin syrup from the purchased solution.

Squeeze the juice from 2 oranges and add it to the syrup. Cool the purchased drink and pour it into glasses with ice before serving. Garnish the sorbet with orange zest and grated soaked ginger.

For lovers of the sharpest taste, we recommend replacing orange juice with grapefruit juice and sprinkling the finished drink with a pinch of ground cinnamon.

Pomegranate sherbet

Pomegranate sherbet is a true oriental drink, as it is served in combination with rose syrup or water.

Ingredients:

pomegranate juice – 250 ml;
sugar – ½ tbsp;
rose petals - 1 tbsp.

Manufacturing

Place rose petals in layers in a small jar or enamel bowl. Sprinkle any layer of flower petals with sugar or sweet powder, and pour the syrup released as it steeps into a separate container, having previously strained it. As the syrup is released, the remaining rose petals can be additionally covered with sugar.

Mix pomegranate juice with ½ teaspoon of purchased syrup and set to cool. Serve the finished drink with ice, garnished with lemon seeds.

Instead of rose syrup, rose oil is often used to make pomegranate sorbet, but not more than 1 drop per liter of juice.

Fruit sherbet with tea

A good cool drink for the upcoming hot summer season, which, in addition to freshness, gives a boost of energy and unsurpassedly invigorates you in the morning.

Ingredients:

water – 1 ½ tbsp.;
orange – 1 pc.;
lemon – 1 pc.;
sugar – ½ tbsp.;
strong tea - 1 tbsp. spoon.

Manufacturing

Cut the citrus zest randomly and pour boiling water over it, leave to steep for 3-4 hours. Squeeze the juice out of the remaining fruits.

Strain the fragrant infusion on the peels and mix with ½ cup of orange juice and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Add additional sugar to the resulting mixture and add firmly brewed tea, mix the future sherbet well and set to cool.

Pour the finished drink into glasses and garnish with a mint leaf or grated citrus zest.

Sweets of the “Belle Century”: baklava, lokum and sherbet

Baklava

Glaze:
1 teaspoon saffron (can be replaced with turmeric)
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons water

Syrup:

How to cook:

For baklava, mince nuts and pumpkin seeds twice or grind them in a blender and mix with sugar, cinnamon and cloves.

Melt 100 g butter.

Roll out the puff pastry to the thickness of a cardboard sheet (no need to roll out phyllo dough) and cut into layers equal to the size of the baking dish.

Place the first layer of dough in the mold.

Spread nuts on top in a thin layer

Using a ruler and a knife, cut the workpiece into diamonds

To make the glaze, mix saffron or turmeric, sugar and water in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes.

Using a brush, brush the baklava with the resulting glaze, then place one nut on each piece.

Preheat the oven to 150°C and bake the baklava for 30 minutes. Then pour the remaining melted butter into the slits and bake for another 15 minutes at the same temperature.

To make syrup, mix sugar with water. Add honey and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes until thickened.

Locum

Starch paste:

Sprinkling:

How to cook:

Prepare the lokum mold: grease with vegetable oil, place cling film on top and grease with oil again.

For sweet syrup, mix sugar, water and citric acid in a saucepan or saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Then remove the lid and cook for about 45 minutes.

To make starch paste, combine starch, water and citric acid in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.

The mixture will quickly thicken.

Bring to a boil over low heat and cook for 20–25 minutes. The mixture will become smooth and transparent

Mix. Pour Lokum into the mold, cover with film and leave overnight (that is, in the dark) .

Cut the frozen locum into large cubes and roll in this consistency.

Raspberry sorbet

We present to your attention a good summer drink with ice milk, mint and raspberry syrup.

Ingredients:

0.5 kg raspberries
2 tbsp.
water 1 tbsp.
sugar 0.5 tbsp.
very cool milk raspberry ice cream (you can use vanilla)
fresh mint and ice - for serving

How to cook:

Place the raspberries in a saucepan and cover with cool water.

Strain. We won't need the berries. Add sugar to the raspberry water, place over medium heat, and bring to a boil.

Cook for 5–10 minutes, skimming off the foam.

Place ice cream in a bowl or glass and fill it with milk and syrup.

Sherbets in Ottoman culture

With the advent of the summer heat, a person begins to feel the need for soft drinks. Although the most popular and healthy drinks in Anatolia are ayran and lemonade, fruit juices and sorbets are also widespread here. Sherbets are a drink that was constantly found both in Ottoman palaces and on the tables of ordinary people. Although sherbet, which in Ottoman culture was always given to guests, began to be gradually forgotten, it still remains an integral part of the treats for those who try to preserve and continue the traditions of Ottoman cuisine.

The importance of drinks in world cuisine is also unconditional. In parallel to how people gradually, step by step, formed dietary patterns by researching goods that would be consumed as food, the same thing happened with drinks. Naturally, almost all the reasons that have existed for thousands of years played a huge role in the transformation of drinks from a means used to quench thirst into a means of delivering pleasure. It should be noted that religion played a major role in the formation of both food and beverage products. For example, due to the fact that there is a serious ban on alcohol in Islam, the drink culture in the Islamic world relies on fruit juices and sorbets. Fruit juices are widely consumed throughout the world, but sherbet was invented by Islamic peoples and is widespread in the Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East and Central Asia.

The fact that in the Ottoman Empire sorbets were held in such respect that they were served in golden cups testifies to the importance attached to the traditions of our cuisine. What other drink in the world is given so much respect? But now sherbet is only served symbolically during Ramadan celebrations, as part of the cultural heritage. We will not be mistaken if we use the word “culture” when speaking about sherbet, since it is a well-known fact that in the daily life of our ancestors classical patterns of behavior related to this drink were formed. The current state of sherbet culture, unfortunately, is impossible to assess on a cultural scale.

It is clear that the name sherbet comes from the verb “sherben”, which means “to drink” in Arabic. The syrup, which is the main technology for making sherbet, was taken as is, from Arabic. However, in ancient Arabic, sherbet and sweetened drinks were called syrup. Arab countries located near Anatolia still use the word sherbet in the meaning in which the Ottoman peoples previously used it.

Read also: Chocolate cakes

English travelers became familiar with this drink thanks to the Ottoman peoples, who contributed to the fact that it became universally suitable, and they adopted the word “sherbet” and brought it into their own native language in the same form. According to renowned historian Alan Davidson, in the early periods of the Ottoman Empire, sherbet entered Italian cuisine under the name sorbetto. The French and Italians, who mastered this technology, developed an ice sorbet, similar to sorbet with ice or snow, and called it “sorbet.” "Sorbet", under the influence of French cuisine, has reached the scale of tradition throughout the world. Offering sorbet before the main meal to relax and refresh, prepares the person for the next meal.

The main ingredients of sherbet are sugar and water.
The widespread introduction of sugar as one of the methods of preserving food products contributed to the emergence of preserves, jams, and, ultimately, sherbet. Syrup is the main component of sorbet. Fruits and berries are boiled together with sugar to a certain mixture, after which they are stored cooled in glass jars. To make sherbet from them, they are diluted with water in a ratio of one to three. Sherbet can be prepared from flowers, plants, fruits, roots and seeds. In addition, products such as marshmallows, dried fruits, pekmez syrup, fruit juices, honey and vinegar can be used as a supplement. Although syrups are usually consumed chilled in the summer, there are also hot sorbets that are enjoyed in the winter months. Thus, sherbet served to guests who come to congratulate the birth of a baby, depending on the time of year, can be served either cool or hot.

The kitchen for making halva, which was added to the Topkapi Palace later, can be compared to a laboratory for sweets, syrups and sorbets. The most popular sherbets of the palace were prepared from the flowers of rose, lily, violet, narcissus, jasmine, jida and lotus. In particular, sherbet made from the rare lotus flowers, which grow in fresh water, is a wonderful drink.

In the Ottoman palace, where such great attention was paid to the production of Sherbet, financially expensive tableware made by quality jewelers was naturally also used.

Although in general there was a huge difference between the palace and public kitchens, in the matter of sorbet there was practically no such difference. Since in any home, sherbet was a mandatory treat that was served to an unexpected guest.

There are a huge number of reasons behind the loss of popularity of this tradition over time. But in essence, we are losing the unity of human relationships created over centuries by the sherbet culture. How many problems can be solved and how many hearts can be captured over a cup of sherbet.

When we talk about sherbet, we cannot help but give you the recipe for making it. So, we want to offer you a recipe for sherbet made from dark mulberry, which in Anatolia is also called pharmaceutical mulberry.

To make it you will need: 500 g of dark mulberries, 130 g of sugar and 1 liter of water. It's very easy to prepare. After cleaning, the dark mulberry must be sprinkled with sugar in the evening and placed in the refrigerator until the morning. Then, after adding water, you need to bring it to a boil over low heat. After boiling for 5 minutes, the syrup must be removed from the heat and allowed to cool. After cooling, straining it through cheesecloth, you can serve it. Dark mulberry is very useful. Firstly, it helps to overcome weakness and excessive lethargy. Cleanses the blood (the internal environment of the body, formed by liquid connective tissue. Consists of plasma and formed elements: leukocyte cells and postcellular structures: erythrocytes and platelets) , lowers blood pressure. Restores the activity of the digestive system, improves gastric secretion. It is also recommended for infections of the oral cavity and larynx, as well as for anemia. Helps strengthen hair and teeth, and also helps those who suffer from insomnia.

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