Category: Beverages

This is a recreation of a rubb (ربّ), or inspissated fruit juice, made with pressed and strained citron pulp, sweetened with sugar (though honey can also be used), and boiled down with a spice sachet of saffron and nutmeg. When it is ready, wait for it to cool down to drink. Though primarily a medicinal drink which, so the author assures us, is beneficial for all kinds of stomach ailments, it really can be enjoyed even for those who are spared those!

The 11th-century pharmacologist Ibn Jazla has a similar recipe, adding that it is even better if made with the peel, with the spice sachet containing ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves and long pepper.

In Muslim culture, the citron is endorsed by a famous Hadith, according to which “the example of a believer who recites the Qur’an and acts on it, is like a citron which tastes nice and smells nice.”

It was praised in pre-Islamic times as well and in his book on ‘Prophetic medicine’, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (d. 1350)reported that one of the Persian Sassanid rulers was displeased with his physicians and ordered they be jailed, but he gave them a choice of food. They chose the citron and when queried by the monarch, they replied: “Because it quickly becomes a perfume, its appearance gladdens the heart, its peel is fragrant, the flesh is a fruit, the pith a food, and its seeds an antidote.

This recipe for a malted barley drink (ماء الشعير, mā’ al-sha’īr) from 14th-century Egypt requires a bit of preparation and timing, but it is very much worth it. The first stage involves sprouting barley after soaking it (this will take several days). Once the barley is dry, it is ground into flour, to which wheat flour is added. After pouring on hot water, it is left overnight, after which cold water is poured before leaving it for a further two days. At the end of that period, it is time to add the leaves of citron, sour orange, rue and mint, together with lemons cut in half and a bit of salt for seasoning. Then leave it aside until the evening, when it is ready.

Before serving, the liquid is strained, and lemon juice, sugar, musk and rose water are added. Then, you’re good to go! Feel free to add some crushed ice for that mocktail effect! It’s truly amazing. This is one of the few ‘Ramadan’ drinks mentioned in the medieval Arabic culinary literature.

This is a recipe for a medieval Egyptian medicinal drink which was prescribed against nausea (قرف, qaraf). It is packed with vitamins due to the large number of fruits (the juice thereof) required to make it: sour orange, pomegranate, unripe grapes, and tamarind (steeped in wine vinegar before being expressed).

The method is straightforward as it is mainly a question of boiling the various juices at different stages of the process. Naturally, it needs spicing, which comes courtesy of the amazing atraf al-tib spice blend, whereas bunches of mint are used to stir the mixture. And since one can never have enough fruits, some chopped-up quince and limes (scored and the slits stuffed with black pepper and more atraf al-tib) are thrown in for good measure at the end. The result should have a syrupy consistency, and should be diluted with water before drinking. But feel free to add some crushed ice to give it that festive mocktail touch!

This is a recreation of a 13th-century Aleppine recipe for a drink made with pomegranate seeds, fresh mint leaves, sugar and a dash of rose water. For that real medieval experience you might wish to consider fumigating the goblet from which you drink with that most aromatic of spices, ambergis! It is best drunk chilled with some crushed ice — a delightful mocktail to suit all occasions!

This is a medicinal syrup (شراب, sharab) included as an appendix to an anonymous 13th-century Andalusian cookery book. The ingredients include borage, mint, and citron leaves, which are infused with a range of pungent aromatics (aloe, Chinese rhubarb, cassia, cinnamon and clove blossoms) tied in a pouch. It is sweetened with sugar.

It is purportedly beneficial for weak stomachs, while strengthening the liver and assisting digestion. More importantly, it also gladdens the heart, hence its name. Honestly, I didn’t notice any differences in my stomach or liver, but I can attest to the fact that drinking this syrup lifted my spirits!

This is a recipe from a 13th-century Aleppine collection, and is a variation on a drink made with citron (أترجّ, utrujj). The Arabic word for the fruit used is kubbād (كبّاد), which in the western Mediterranean was known as zanbū‘ (زنبوع). The re-creation was made with the pulp, sugar, sour orange (نارنج, nāranj) juice, borage water, rose water, willow water, rue and the atraf al-tib spice blend. To really make it come into its own, add crushed ice and turn it into a refreshing mocktail — ideal for hot summer days!

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Very simple to make, this refreshing citron drink from 13th-century Aleppo is a real winner on warm balmy days in the garden or by the pool! It is made with citron pulp, sugar, sour orange juice, borage water, lily water, rose water, and willow water. The author includes a variation which adds rue and the aṭrāf al-ṭīb spice mix. It is absolutely delicious refrigerated or with crushed ice for that mojito feel! You could, of course, make it with the juice of any citrus fruit, whereas today we can use normal oranges, which are already sweet enough and so one can reduce the sugar content somewhat.

A fourteenth-century Egyptian recipe for a refreshing quince and lemon drink (شراب ليمون سفرجلي, sharāb laymūn safarjalī). It is made by boiling rose-water syrup mixed with quince juice and then lemon juice, to give it that wonderful sweet-and-sour flavour. If you have musk to hand, add that too before serving. If not, it tastes just great without it! This re-creation comes with a twist in that some quince slices were also added to the mix, as these are prescribed in a similar recipe in the same book, for a quince oxymel (سكنجبين, sakanjabīn).

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A 13th-century Andalusian recipe requiring fresh tamarind soaked in water and sugar, which are cooked down to a syrup. It is drunk watered down and can be further enhanced with lashings of ice for a great beverage. It is another recipe that is primarily — but by no means exclusively — medicinal in that it was said to be useful against jaundice and thirst, as well as arousing appetite and removing the bitterness of food in the mouth.