Sherbet is a term that is used to refer to an Asian drink, the western sorbet (which is a frozen dessert) and also a fizzy British drink or sweet powder. Here all the three different contexts will be discussed.
The Middle Eastern/ Asian beverage – Also popular as sharbat, Serbet, or Sharba amongst the locals, this flavorful and fragrant sweet drink made of fruits or flower nectars is a traditional natural summer cooler. It is served chilled as refreshment preferably with some ice cubes in transparent glasses to guests. A number of sherbet recipes were invented over the ages in these countries as the drink was a favorite with the royals of these regions. All time favorite sherbet recipes include those of lemon, orange and pineapple juices. Sherbet made from flowers such as rose(gulab) are also consumed as soothing summer coolers during the hot summer months. The sharbat is also prepared from nuts like almonds. Khus khus is also used for making soothing sherbet. They are not only consumed for their flavor and soothing effect, but also because of their medicinal properties.
Sherbets are mainly the creation of the cuisines of India, Afghanistan and Israel. The northern English and Scottish Powder- This is a colorful, sweet and fizzy powder. It is commonly available as a commercial preparation. A number of candies like the lollipop and licorice are coated with this sweet powder with a tang for more strong flavors. The powder can also be eaten as it is. This powdered sherbet is known as kali in the northern English cuisine and as Keli, in the Scottish cuisine Sorbet – this is frozen dessert from the European cuisines. This is made of frozen fruit juices mixed with water, sugar and flavoring agents. This is served in-between meal courses as a digestive aid. In the American context sherbet and sorbet are used for referring to two different varieties of desserts. The American sherbet also spelt as the sherbert consists of quite a significant proportion of dairy ingredients in it. The sorbet on the other hand does not mandatorily contain any dairy ingredients. If at all, it may contain in small amounts. It is made of frozen fruit juices or pureed fruit. The American sorbet is often considered similar to the Italian ice, but both are distinct.
Preparation of Sherbet Recipes
All the three varieties of sherbet are prepared in three different ways :
Preparation of Sharbat: Sharbet is prepared using a number of ingredients like Gulab(rose), Khus(vetiver grass), kesar( saffron), Gurhal( hibiscus) and kewra(screw pine). In the simplest form, the drink is prepared by first making flavored sugar syrup by boiling sugar with water and adding the extract of the desired flavoring ingredient to the syrup. Water is added to a tablespoonful( more or less according to individual choice) of the flavored syrup and the drink is chilled before serving.
Preparation of the Fizzy Sherbet: Powder Sherbet powder is prepared by combining edible acids with edible carbonates, powdered sugar and flavoring agents. The carbonate imparts the fizzy characteristic to the tart powder.
Preparation of Sorbet: The sorbet, believed to be derived from the Middle Eastern sherbet drink, is prepared by gradual freezing of pureed fruit with constant churning, in a manner similar to the preparation of ice cream for a smooth texture.
