Sorbet (, ) is a

frozen dessert Frozen dessert is a dessert made by freezing liquids, semi-solids, and sometimes solids. They may be based on flavored water ( shave ice, ice pops, sorbet, snow cones), on fruit purées (such as sorbet), on milk and cream (most ice creams, ...

made using ice combined with fruit juice, fruit

purée A purée (or mash) is cooked food, usually vegetables, fruits or legumes, that has been ground, pressed, blended or sieved to the consistency of a creamy paste or liquid. Purées of specific foods are often known by specific names, e.g., appl ...

, or other ingredients, such as wine, liqueur, or honey.

Etymology

The word ''sorbet'' entered English from French, derived from Italian ''sorbetto'', which in turn came from the

Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

word '' şerbet'', originally referring to a type of beverage. The word ''şerbet'' was itself borrowed into Turkish from the Arabic verb ''shariba'', which means "to drink". Sherbet in Europe still refers to a type of flavored drink, while North American sherbet is similar to sorbet but with dairy.

August Escoffier Georges Auguste Escoffier (; 28 October 1846 – 12 February 1935) was a French chef, restaurateur, and culinary writer who popularised and updated traditional French cooking methods. Much of Escoffier's technique was based on that of Marie-An ...

describes 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".August Escoffier, ''The Escoffier Cook Book'', 1976, , translation of ''

Le Guide Culinaire ''Le Guide Culinaire'' () is Georges Auguste Escoffier's 1903 French restaurant cuisine cookbook, his first. It is regarded as a classic and still in print. Escoffier developed the recipes while working at the Savoy, Ritz and Carlton hotels fro ...

'', 1903, p. 853 Sorbet is sometimes referred to as "water ice".

Definition

Sorbets can be made from several ingredients including potable water, sugar, fruits, vegetables, and alcohol. In France, fruit sorbets must compose of 25% fruit, unless the fruit is savory or acidic, in which the requirement in 15%.

History

It is believed that sorbets originated in

ancient Persia The history of Iran (also known as Persia) is intertwined with Greater Iran, which is a socio-cultural region encompassing all of the areas that have witnessed significant settlement or influence exerted by the Iranian peoples and the Iranian ...

as far back as 550–530 BC. There are a number of European legendary origin myths, unsupported by any known evidence, that attribute the origins of sorbet to historical figures like the Roman Emperor

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...

Marco Polo Marco Polo (; ; ; 8 January 1324) was a Republic of Venice, Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known a ...

, and the Italian duchess and French queen

Catherine de' Medici Catherine de' Medici (, ; , ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Italian Republic of Florence, Florentine noblewoman of the Medici family and Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to Henry II of France, King Henry II. Sh ...

. 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. Iced drinks were believed to cause convulsions,

colic Colic or cholic () is a form of pain that starts and stops abruptly. It occurs due to muscular contractions of a hollow tube (small and large intestine, gall bladder, ureter, etc.) in an attempt to relieve an obstruction by forcing content ou ...

and a host of other ailments.

Hippocrates Hippocrates of Kos (; ; ), also known as Hippocrates II, was a Greek physician and philosopher of the Classical Greece, classical period who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine. He is traditionally referr ...

was known to have criticized chilled drinks for causing "fluxes of the stomach", while Seneca lambasted the extravagant costs associated with iced desserts. Despite this, ice and snow were prized ingredients in ancient cuisines including

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

, and

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

cuisines. The first Western mention of ''sherbet'' is an Italian reference to something that

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Turkey * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic lang ...

drink. The word ''sherbet'' entered the Italian language as ''sorbetto'', which later became ''sorbet'' in French.

describes 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". He recommends that they register 15° on the

saccharometer A hydrometer or lactometer is an instrument used for measuring density or relative density of liquids based on the concept of buoyancy. They are typically calibrated and graduated with one or more scales such as specific gravity. A hydrometer ...

and be of drinkable consistency. The first recipe in

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

for flavored ices appears in 1674, in Nicholas Lemery's ''Recueil de curiositéz rares et nouvelles de plus admirables effets de la nature''. Recipes for ''sorbetti'' saw publication in the 1694 edition of Antonio Latini's ''Lo Scalco alla Moderna'' (The Modern Steward). Recipes for flavored ices begin to appear in François Massialot's ''Nouvelle 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. When Europeans figured out how to freeze sherbet they began making ''sorbetto'' by adding fruit juices and flavorings to a frozen

simple syrup In cooking, syrup (less commonly sirup; from ; , beverage, wine and ) is a condiment that is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a Solution (chemistry), solution of sugar in water, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars but ...

base. In the US, sherbet generally meant an ice milk, but recipes from early

soda fountain A soda fountain is a device that dispenses carbonated soft drinks, called fountain drinks. They can be found in restaurants, concession stands and other locations such as convenience stores. The machine combines flavored syrup or syrup concentrat ...

manuals included ingredients such as gelatin, beaten egg whites, cream, or milk.

Preparation

granita Granita () or () is a semi-frozen dessert made with sugar, water, and various flavorings. Originally from Sicily, it is available throughout Italy in varying forms. It is related to sorbet and Italian ice; however, throughout Sicily its cons ...

s and 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. Sorbet is usually made with fresh fruit and simple syrup, but other types of preparations exist. Tart sorbets are served as

palate cleanser A palate cleanser is a serving of food or drink that removes food residue from the tongue, allowing one to more accurately assess a new flavor. Palate cleansers are often used between tasting wines, cheeses, or other strong flavors. Gari (ginger) ...

s between savory courses of a meal.

Mulled wine Mulled wine, also known as spiced wine, is an alcoholic drink usually made with red wine, along with various mulling spices and sometimes raisins, served hot or warm. It is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas. It is ...

sorbet can be made with red wine, orange, lemons, mulling spices,

ruby port Port wine (, ; ), or simply port, is a Portuguese fortified wine produced in the Douro Valley of northern Portugal. It is typically a sweet red wine, often served with dessert, although it also comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties. ...

, and egg whites. Muscat sorbet is made with

dessert wine Dessert wines, sometimes called pudding wines in the United Kingdom, are sweet wines typically served with dessert. There is no simple definition of a dessert wine. In the UK, a dessert wine is considered to be any sweet wine drunk with a mea ...

, lemon juice, and egg whites.

Coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

sorbets are

shaved ice Shaved ice is a large family of ice-based desserts made of fine shavings of ice and sweet condiments or syrups. Usually, the syrup is added after the ice has been frozen and shaved—typically at the point of sale; however, flavoring can also be ...

and a combination of coconut water, coconut milk, coconut cream, coconut flakes and

muscovado Muscovado is a type of partially refined to unrefined sugar with a strong molasses content and flavour, and dark brown in colour. It is technically considered either a non-centrifugal cane sugar or a centrifuged, partially refined sugar accord ...

. Givré (French for "frosted") is the term for a sorbet served in a frozen

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

shell or hollowed-out fruit, such as a lemon. Agraz is a type of sorbet with an acidic flavor attributed by '' Larousse Gastronomique'' to the

Maghreb The Maghreb (; ), also known as the Arab Maghreb () and Northwest Africa, is the western part of the Arab world. The region comprises western and central North Africa, including Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. The Maghreb al ...

region of North Africa. It is made from

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera ...

verjuice Verjuice is a highly acidic juice made by pressing unripe grapes, crab-apples or other sour fruit. Sometimes lemon or sorrel juice, herbs or spices are added to change the flavor. It also goes by the name verjus. Etymology The word ''verjui ...

, and sugar.

References

Bibliography