Weekly Food Challenge

Every iftar begins with a nice shorbot! Or sharbat. Or sherbet. Whatever you call it, it's cooling drink with a long, colorful history. Lord Byron was a fan. Mughal emperors used to cool their sharbats with snow from the Himalayas. It's the originator of the lighter frozen treat, sherbet, and also the word 'syrup'. Shorbot! Is there anything it can't do?

Anyway, shorbot is drunk all year round, of course, but it's especially relevant during Ramadan because it's the first thing most people consume when breaking their fast. The saying goes that at the moment when iftar starts, a sigh goes around the world when people take a sip of their shorbot. I believe it.


Shorbot can be made with various fruit juices and flower petals, spices, and even a splash of vinegar. Shorbot made with Rooh Afza is pretty traditional among South Asian families and the disapora I don't personally care for it, because it just tastes like rose water to me -- it can be found in most Indian/Middle-eastern groceries. It's the tall, bright red bottle. Can't miss it.

But the shorbot recipes I'll share with you today have little in the way of rose water...

( Two recipes )

It's tradition in my family -- and probably many others -- to have the youngest child to be the one to pour the shorbot. They get blessings and pats on the head for a job well done, and finally, finally, everyone gets to drink something sweet and cool, just the thing after a long, hot day of spiritual contemplation.