Exploring sherbet

Somebody one day way back looked at a glass of water and thought- "I can make this better." Thus, with a hint of fruit and a dash of sugar came the sherbet — the beginning of this liquid wonder is quite so easy to visualise!

The sherbet is the quintessential element in any iftar, or any special occasion (or even no occasion). You have to be a hard core sherbet avoider if the traditional 'lebur sherbet' does not appeal to you in this steamy summer. Put in some fruit powder and the water is now a fruit sherbet. And the ever favourite Ramadan special — a splash of RoohAfza to make a candy coloured delight!

For connoisseurs, nothing but the freshest fruit will do as they toil and argue over centrifugal versus cold press juicers, which may or may not need a degree in engineering to operate. Your ears will ring with how good the sherbet is sans water or sugar, and by heavens no — you are not allowed to call it juice!

But let's not forget the new elephant in the room — sugar. Audible gasps from health conscious individuals are entwined in this seemingly harmless word. Yet, even hard core fitness junkies have to succumb to the siren call of the sherbet once in a while — such a wondrous concoction it is.

Across the 'pond' when you go state side, it is a different food altogether as sherbet becomes a dessert similar to ice cream. Alas, no matter now you pronounce it, you will never be able to get a hold on the deshi version, unless it is explicitly mentioned as the 'Indian/Turkish Version' on the menu.

Starting from sophisticated delights to home-made simple recipes, and right down to the humble road side glasses of sparkling coloured liquids — whether it is to replenish electrolytes or just a different way to drink water, nothing can replace the sherbet as we know and have embraced as part of Ramadan.

Photo: LS Archive/Sazzad Ibne Sayed