Scherbet

Sherbet, he is sherbet, he is sorbet. This delicacy not only has many names, it may well claim the title of the most “many-sided”. For most of us, sherbet is a sweet, milk-based fudge infused with crushed nuts and dried fruit. Often this dessert is also called cream sausage.

However, sherbet is also an incredibly healthy and aromatic drink made from rose petals, rose hips and fruit juices, to which a variety of spices are added. It is he who is drunk by the heroes of oriental tales, often causing bewilderment among young readers who are accustomed to hard sherbet.

But that’s not all. Sherbet is found not only in liquid and solid, but also in soft form. Soft sherbet is a juice prepared according to a special recipe, reminiscent of popsicles.

In other words, you can’t figure it out right away. However, all types of this wonderful delicacy are not only tasty, but also healthy.

Historical information

How did so many different delicacies manage to “hide” under one name? In order to answer this question, we need to make a short digression into history.

First of all, the right of seniority belongs precisely to the liquid form of sherbet. The drink, the main ingredients of which were fruits and spices, was considered the favorite delicacy of the legendary Scheherazade. In the Arab world, he enjoyed incredible popularity, and soon migrated to Europe. Some time later, the inventive French “improved” the delicacy in their own way: they began to freeze it, turning it into a cold dessert. So the sherbet drink turned into ice cream sherbet. At the same time, in France and Italy, champagne was often added to it to emphasize the unusual taste.

Finally, sherbet fudge, the same sweet to cloying, was also born in the East. Initially, it was a delicacy of crushed cookies, to which dried fruits, nuts, vanilla and other spices were added.

The legend about the origin of the delicacy

There is a rather interesting legend that connects sherbet with the legendary Venetian traveler Marco Polo. According to legend, in the thirteenth century, two merchants from Venice arrived in the city of Khanbalik, (the territory of modern Beijing), who asked to be introduced to the son of Genghis Khan, the Great Khan Kublai. These were the brothers Maffeo and Nicolo Polo. The latter took his son, fifteen-year-old Marco, on the journey. During their stay in the Khan’s palace, guests were treated to a soft drink based on fruits and spices, which went well with spicy Chinese cuisine. It was Marco who persuaded the chef Kublai Khan to share with him the secret of making this dessert.

The young man was so interested in the exotics of distant lands that his journey dragged on for twenty years. When Marco Polo returned home, he brought with him not only a huge number of boxes of jewelry and hitherto unseen objects, but also an incredible variety of recipes for ancient potions and dishes, including sherbet.

Types of sherbet

As noted above, under the same name lies a lot of delicacies that are radically different from each other, so let’s take a closer look at each of the varieties of sherbet.

liquid sherbet

Sweetness in liquid form claims to be the ancestor of all other types of sherbet. The main ingredients were rose petals, rose hips, dogwood and various spices. Also, ice or ice chips, extracts of flowers and herbs, as well as seasonal fruits were added to the drink without fail. Citrus fruits were often used.

Liquid violet sherbet is very popular in Turkey. It is prepared from fresh flowers, which are first crushed until they turn into a pulp, after which they are boiled in water with a lot of sugar and cooled.

Among Europeans, among all varieties of liquid sherbet, lemon has won the greatest popularity, perhaps due to the fact that this drink partly resembles the lemonade we are used to.

Today, in the East, sherbet is valued primarily for its refreshing properties, which make this drink indispensable in a hot climate. Here they sincerely believe that sherbet also has healing properties. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the once cold fruity treat was only available to members of the upper class.

An interesting fact: in Turkey, sherbet is considered a drink associated with courtship and love play. It is mandatory served during the matchmaking ceremony and at the wedding. ^[1]. There is also a special sherbet for young mothers, which is called “loğusa şerbet”, that is, “sherbet for a woman in labor”. It is believed that it enhances lactation. It is prepared on rose water with the addition of cloves and medicinal herbs.

Soft sherbet

Soft sherbet is a cold treat that resembles melted ice cream in texture. ^[2]. France is considered the birthplace of this sweet. D’Artagnan’s resourceful compatriots got the hang of mixing the traditional liquid oriental sherbet with ice cream and chilling it. The end result is a whole new dessert.

The composition of soft sherbet is almost the same as that of a sherbet drink. The only difference is the fact that not only fresh fruits and berries, but also dried fruits and nuts are often put into the French version of the oriental delicacy. The most common option is soft sherbet with dried apricots.

Sherbet in the form of fudge

Sherbet fudge is most common in Europe, and especially in the post-Soviet space. It is as a sweet fudge with a dense and silky structure that most of us perceive sherbet. ^[3]. The ingredients that are used to make hard sherbet are sour cream or cream, condensed milk, butter, sugar, vanilla, as well as nuts and dried fruits. A thick mixture is prepared from condensed milk, cream and butter, to which dried fruits and nuts are added. The workpiece is laid out in a special form, where it freezes. Serve a delicacy, after cutting it into small pieces.

To many, this version of dessert seems too sugary. Given the fact that its main ingredient is condensed milk, to which, among other things, sugar is added, this is not surprising. In addition, due to the presence of nuts and dried fruits in the composition, the calorie content of such sherbet is very high.

The composition and useful properties of treats

If we talk about the beneficial properties of sherbet, then in different types of this dessert they are radically different.

Composition and useful properties of liquid sherbet

As noted above, the main components of liquid sherbet are fresh fruits or berries. They are crushed and added to the still hot sugar syrup, in which spices are first placed. After that, the drink cools down and infuses for a long time. Liquid sherbet is served with ice.

The main advantage in the technology of preparing this dessert is the fact that the fruits and berries that make up it are not exposed to prolonged heat exposure.

This allows you to save not only their taste and aroma, but also useful substances in their composition.

So, the traditional sherbet, which includes rose hips and rose petals, boasts a high content of carotenoids, natural pigments, which are powerful antioxidants, help slow down the aging process of the body, and also normalize the functions of the endocrine system. ^[4].

The drink prepared according to an old recipe contains vitamin A, which improves the “disperse” metabolism and increases the body’s resistance, vitamin C, which normalizes blood cholesterol levels and has anti-inflammatory properties, vitamin E, which accelerates wound healing and prevents excessive blood clotting, as well as B vitamins ^[5].

Also in the composition there are essential oils, organic acids, macro- and microelements.

All this allows us to say that liquid sherbet increases the body’s ability to resist adverse external influences, has a positive effect on metabolism, and helps to get rid of dysbacteriosis.

The energy value of a product depends on its composition. For traditional rosehip sherbet, rose petals, dogwood and spices, it is approximately 100 kcal per 100 g. In the event that very sweet fruits and berries are used, the calorie content of the product increases.

Composition and useful properties of soft sherbet

Soft sherbet, often referred to as sorbet, is a treat that is great for people who follow a healthy lifestyle. ^[6]. Its main ingredients are puree and juices from berries and fruits. The absence of natural fats in the composition makes this delicacy low in calories. Unlike liquid sherbet, less sugar is used during the preparation of soft treats.

Due to the fact that the fruits and berries that make up the delicacy are subjected to minimal heat treatment, they retain almost all of their beneficial substances. Therefore, sorbet is a real storehouse of vitamins and minerals, antioxidants and organic acids. This delicacy normalizes the activity of the gastrointestinal tract due to the pectin present in its composition. This is a dietary fiber that is converted in the intestines into a gel-like mass that binds toxins and toxic substances, after which they are naturally removed from the body. ^[7]. This allows not only to normalize the intestinal microflora, but also helps to speed up the metabolism and maintain the bacteriological balance of the body. ^[8].

At the same time, the calorie content of sorbet is quite low – from 60 to 100 kcal per 100 g of product. ^[9].

Composition and useful properties of solid sherbet

The value of sherbet fudge is due to the components.

The main ingredient of this delicacy is milk, due to which the most important disaccharide lactose and the complex protein casein are present in sherbet. Lactose is one of the main sources of energy and helps to normalize digestion. As for casein, it gives a feeling of satiety for a long time, preventing overeating.

The vitamin composition of the product is also impressive. So, vitamin A has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin and organs of vision, B vitamins are able to normalize the functioning of the human immune system, vitamin C is involved in the process of hematopoiesis and collagen synthesis, which is necessary in order to maintain normal hair and skin ^[10].

Dietary fiber in the composition of the treat works as a natural “scrub” for the intestines, helping to bind and remove the toxic substances accumulated in it. ^[11]. In combination with unsaturated fatty acids, they can reduce the level of “bad” cholesterol in the blood.

Dried fruits and nuts are an important component of hard sherbet. Most often, peanuts are used to prepare this delicacy, which contains vegetable fats, polyunsaturated fatty acids, as well as biotin, which plays a leading role in the processes of carbohydrate metabolism and promotes the absorption of protein that enters the body along with food. Often added to fudge, dried apricots are useful for hypertension and anemia. Prunes are an excellent remedy for beriberi, which helps with a tendency to constipation and a “lazy” intestine, and also has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

It should be taken into account the fact that fudge sherbet is quite a nutritious confectionery product. On average, there are about 100 kcal per 417 g of product. ^[12].

Harm and contraindications

As for contraindications to the use of any type of sherbet, they are quite predictable and are also determined by the composition of the product.

First of all, due to the high sugar content, liquid and especially hard sherbet is not recommended for people with diabetes, as well as for those who want to lose weight and watch their figure. ^[13]. Caution should be taken when using fudge for those who suffer from diseases of the pancreas and liver, as these organs do not like foods high in sugar.

Nutritionists note that in terms of composition, sherbet in any of the variations is a rather allergenic delicacy. Both fruits and peanuts, dried fruits, honey can provoke an individual intolerance reaction. Also, the body of some people cannot absorb lactose, because they do not have the enzyme necessary for its breakdown in the intestines. The use of sherbet should be approached with caution and you should not get too carried away with it.

Cooking sherbet with peanuts

To prepare Sherbet-Fudge with Peanuts, the following ingredients are needed: 2 cups of milk, 3 cups of sugar, 200 g of peanuts, 50 g of butter.

Pour milk into a saucepan, add two and a half cups of sugar to it, mix. Then put on low heat and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved. Please note that the contents of the pan must be constantly stirred so that the milk does not burn. Reduce the heat to low and wait until the milk begins to thicken and become creamy.

Pour the remaining sugar into the pan and melt it over very low heat. Carefully pour the melted sugar into the saucepan with the milk. Add pre-melted butter there and mix thoroughly.

Peel the roasted peanuts, chop and pour into the sweet mass, mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture into a baking dish and refrigerate for several hours. Before serving, cut the dessert into pieces.

Preparing Lemon Sorbet

To prepare fragrant lemon sherbet you will need: 1,2 kg of sugar, 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped mint, 1 liter of water, and vanilla to taste.

Pour 1,5 cups of water into a saucepan, add mint there and put on fire. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes. After that, let the broth brew for 30 minutes under a closed lid.

Prepare sweet syrup. To do this, put the remaining water on low heat and begin to gradually add sugar to it, stirring. When the sugar is completely dissolved, make the fire stronger. Don’t forget to skim off the foam.

After the syrup begins to thicken, pour the pre-filtered mint broth into it, add vanilla and remove from heat. When it cools down a bit, pour in the lemon juice and add the grated zest. When the drink has completely cooled, send it to the refrigerator.

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