Sorbet
![]() Strawberrysorbet | |
Course | Dessert |
---|---|
Place of origin | Iran |
Invented | c. 550–530 BCE |
Serving temperature | Frozen |
Main ingredients | Water,sugar,fruit |
Sorbet(/ˈsɔːrbeɪ,ˈsɔːrbət/,USalso/sɔːrˈbeɪ/)[1]is afrozen dessertmade using ice combined with fruit juice, fruitpurée,or other ingredients, such as wine, liqueur, or honey. Generally, sorbets do not contain dairy products.
Etymology
[edit]The wordsorbetentered English from French, derived from Italiansorbetto,which in turn came from theOttoman Turkishor Iraniansharbat,originally referring to a type of beverage.[2]The wordsharbatis derived from the Arabic verbshariba,which means "to drink".[3]
Sherbetin Europe still refers to a type of flavored drink, while North Americansherbetis similar to sorbet.August Escoffierdescribes sorbet as "very light and barely-congealed ices, served after the Entrées. They serve in freshening the stomach; preparing it to properly receive the roast. They are appetizers and help to aid digestion".[4]Sorbet is sometimes referred to as "water ice".[3][page needed]
History
[edit]It is believed that sorbets originated in ancient Persia as far back as 550–530 BC.[5][6][7][8] There are a number of legendary origin myths, unsupported by any known evidence, that attribute the origins of sorbet to historical figures like the Roman EmperorNero,Marco Polo,and the Italian duchessCatherine de' Medici.[9][10][11]
Romans did not add ice to their drinks because easily accessible ice along the lower slopes of mountains was not sanitary for use in food preparation.[8]Iced drinks were believed to cause convulsions,colicand a host of other ailments.[9]Hippocrateswas known to have criticized chilled drinks for causing "fluxes of the stomach", whileSenecalambasted the extravagant costs associated with iced desserts.[10]Despite this, ice and snow were prized ingredients in ancient cuisines includingJapanese,Chinese,GreekandRomancuisines.[9]
The first Western mention ofsherbetis an Italian reference to something thatTurksdrink.[12]The wordsherbetentered the Italian language assorbetto,which later becamesorbetin French.[12]August Escoffierdescribes sorbet as "very light and barely-congealed ices, served after the Entrées. They serve in freshening the stomach; preparing it to properly receive the roast. They are appetizers and help to aid digestion".[4]He recommends that they register 15° on thesaccharometerand be of drinkable consistency.[4]
The first recipe inFrenchfor flavored ices appears in 1674, inNicholas Lemery'sRecueil de curiositéz rares et nouvelles de plus admirables effets de la nature.[13]Recipes forsorbettisaw publication in the 1694 edition of Antonio Latini'sLo Scalco alla Moderna(The Modern Steward).[13]Recipes for flavored ices begin to appear in François Massialot'sNouvelle Instruction pour les Confitures, les Liqueurs, et les Fruits,starting with the 1692 edition. Massialot's recipes result in a coarse, pebbly texture. Latini claims that the results of his recipes should have the fine consistency of sugar and snow.[13]When Europeans figured out how tofreeze sherbetthey began makingsorbettoby adding fruit juices and flavorings to a frozensimple syrupbase. In the US, sherbet generally meant an ice milk, but recipes from earlysoda fountainmanuals included ingredients such as gelatin, beaten egg whites, cream, or milk.[8]
Preparation
[edit]Likegranitasand other ices, sorbet can be made without an ice cream maker. Alcohol, honey or corn syrup can be added to lower the freezing point and make softer sorbets.[14]
Sorbet is usually made with fresh fruit and simple syrup, but other types of preparations exist. Tart sorbets are served aspalate cleansersbetween savory courses of a meal.[11]Mulled winesorbet can be made with red wine, orange, lemons, mulling spices,ruby port,and egg whites. Muscat sorbet is made withdessert wine,lemon juice, and egg whites.[15]Coconutsorbets isshaved iceand a combination of coconut water, coconut milk, coconut cream, coconut flakes andmuscovado.[16]
Givré (French for "frosted" ) is the term for a sorbet served in a frozencoconutshell or hollowed-out fruit, such as a lemon.[17]Agraz is a type of sorbet with an acidic flavor attributed byLarousse Gastronomiqueto theMaghrebregion of North Africa. It is made fromalmonds,verjuice,and sugar.[18]
See also
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
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References
[edit]- ^Wells, John C.(2008).Longman Pronunciation Dictionary(3rd ed.). Longman.ISBN978-1-4058-8118-0.
- ^Oxford English Dictionary
- ^abDavidson, Alan.The Oxford Companion to Food.
- ^abcAugust Escoffier,The Escoffier Cook Book,1976,ISBN0517506629,translation ofLe Guide Culinaire,1903, p. 853
- ^Book of Firsts.RW Press.ISBN978-1-909284-29-6.
c. 550-530 BC, First mention of flavoured snow or ice: during the Persian Empire
- ^Marks, Gil (2010-11-17).Encyclopedia of Jewish Food.HMH.ISBN978-0-544-18631-6.
A yakhchal (ice storage) was an ancient Persian freezer. By at least 400 BC, Persians had developed techniques for storing ice, which was gathered during the winter or carried from the tops of mountains, in large insulated underground chambers topped by domed structures. This innovation allowed ice to be available throughout the summer, even in the desert. A favorite use of this stored ice was in one of the earliest frozen desserts; the forerunner of all ice creams and sorbets, this ancient Persian mixture included ice, honey, and various flavors, notably saffron and fruits.
- ^Nutt, Frederick (25 July 2022).The Complete Confectioner or The Whole Art of Confectionary Made Easy: Also Receipts for Home-made Wines, Cordials, French and Italian Liqueurs &c.S. Leigh and Baldwin Cradock, and Joy (published 1819).
- ^abcWeir, Robin; Quinzio, Jeri (2015-07-23)."Sherbet".The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets.Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-931339-6.Retrieved2018-07-20– viaOxford Reference.
- ^abcGoldstein, Darra, ed. (2015).The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets.
- ^abToussaint-Samat, Maguelonne (2009).A History of Food.Wiley. p. 675.
- ^abWeir, Caroline; Weir, Robin (2010).Ice Creams, Sorbets & Gelati:The Definitive Guide.Grub Street Cookery. p. 9.ISBN978-1909808935.
- ^abCousineau, Phil (2012-09-11).The Painted Word: A Treasure Chest of Remarkable Words and Their Origins.Simon and Schuster.ISBN9781936740253.
By the time it left the deserts of Persia for the cities of Europe it had been transformed into an "Orientalized" dessert called sorbetto in Italian and sorbet in French.
- ^abcPowell, Marilyn (2005).Cool: The Story of Ice Cream.Toronto:Penguin Canada.ISBN978-0-14-305258-6.OCLC59136553.
- ^Pappas, Lou Seibert (April 1997).Sorbets and Ice Creams: And Other Frozen Confections.Chronicle Books. pp. 11–15.ISBN978-0-8118-1573-4.
- ^Liddell, Caroline; Weir, Robin (1996-07-15).Frozen Desserts: The Definitive Guide to Making Ice Creams, Ices, Sorbets, Gelati, and Other Frozen Delights.Macmillan.ISBN978-0-312-14343-5.
- ^"10 types of sorbet to beat the heat".May 4, 2024.RetrievedAugust 22,2024.
- ^"What does givré mean?".definitions.net.Retrieved2022-03-11.
- ^Hamlyn (2 August 2018).The New Larousse Gastronomique.Octopus Books.ISBN9780600635871.
Bibliography
[edit]- Lang, Jenifer Harvey, ed. (1988). "Agraz".Larousse Gastronomique: The New American Edition of the World's Greatest Culinary Encyclopedia.New York: Crown Publishers.ISBN0517570327.OCLC777810992.