[Sca-cooks] jalabs (was Sekanjabin Origins)

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Stefan scripsit:
>I think "jalab" is a post-1600 word. But it seemed to be the best word
>to use in classifying these drinks, so that is what I've chosen to use.
>jalabs-msg        (71K)  7/ 3/04    Drinks with a sugar or honey-syrup base
>                                         such as Sekanjabin (Persian 
>Mint Drink).
>
>There are a number of original period recipes for these drinks given by
>Master Cariadoc in messages in this file and probably more on his site
>or in the Miscellany. I would love to see more redactions for these.
>Sekanjabin is not the only one we could be making. Unfortunately, some
>of them also have unusual ingredients. I'd also like to know what some
>of these are and where folks could find them these days.

After a fair bit of discussion on that other SCA Middle Eastern list, 
i am now of the opinion that "jalab" is not the best word. I have now 
shifted to "sharab" which really does mean "syrup" and which word is 
used in both the past and in current times for flavored syrups used 
to make beverages.

In our current times, jalab is a specific type of drink syrup made of 
date syrup flavored with rose water. I did find "jullab" in 
SCA-period, but not used separately. In the book "The Description of 
Familiar Foods", translated by Charles Perry, on p. 343 of "Medieval 
Arab Cookery", is a recipe for a meat and nut dish called Jullabiyya. 
Next to the name in brackets, Perry has "jullab, syrup". But there 
are no recipes for jullab as a syrup.

There is, however, in the same book ("The Description of Familiar 
Foods") a recipe for "sharab jalil al-qadr", translated as "syrup of 
sublime power", p. 441. It is made with soaked raisins, rainwater, 
honey, and spices, and drunk mixed with water. So here is an example 
of "sharab" actually used for a syrup.

Of course, if i knew the names of the recipes in the Andalusian 
cookbook in their actual Arabic i could better tell if "sharab" was 
what they any of them were called.

Also, i don't know if Sekanjabin qualified as a "sharab". I am not 
saying it is not a sharab, i just don't know if it is a sharab. As an 
oxymel, it could be considered to be in a different category. Or 
maybe not.

Finally, Stefan, you can include my Laimun Safarjali recipe in that 
section. It is a beverage syrup of lemon and quince juice flavored 
with rosewater which i made from scratch for my Persian course in the 
Principality of the Mists Fall Investiture Iron Chef Feast. I will 
send it to you directly. Folks can also find it on my website:
http://home.earthlink.net/~lilinah/2001_Feasts/persianrecipes.html#quince

The original is also in the Book of the Description of Familiar 
Foods, on pp. 442-443 of "Medieval Arab Cookery".

Turns out this is still made and i bought a bottle of the Sadaf 
brand. It was tasty, but i was spoiled by my homemade kind, so i 
doctored the commercial syrup with fresh lemon juice and rose water.

Anahita