Iranian Traditional Drinks (1)
The culture of a people includes its traditional drinks and the related aspects, such as extracting the ingredients for a drink, mixing them, preparing them and storing them.
The drinks, like other components of folklore, have come from one culture. The names of traditional folk drinks are often reminiscent of old customs.
In the history of Iranian food culture, we find very useful foods and drinks that promote good health and are sometimes used to treat physical ailments.
Iranian drinks are mostly made from natural ingredients such as fruits and dairy products.
The drinks used in Iranian culture have proven their worth over time.
Traditional and natural drinks are an important part of Iran's food culture. Not only do they quench your thirst and provide the body with the necessary vitamins and minerals, they are also often associated with national and religious customs and ceremonies and therefore have a cultural symbolic value for the Iranian ethnic groups.
These drinks are a good and healthy substitute for many carbonated drinks that have become commonplace.
The traditional natural drinks that are still widely used in Iran are called "sharbat (lemonade) Araqiat (hydrolases - distilled water of herbs or flowers)," dam nush "(infusions, mostly with herbs) and other teas In part, we introduce you to some healthy drinks that are obtained from grapes in different parts of Iran, and are drunk cold.
Fruits contain many minerals, such as iron. These mineral or mineral salts are easily digested and contribute to tissue building. Fruit or vegetable juices are obtained by soaking or pressing, without heating or solvents. They are the best drinks. Because of the vitamins and minerals they contain, they not only quench your thirst, but cover a significant portion of your physical needs and doctors recommend their daily intake.
Grapes contain plenty of vitamins A, B and C, as well as the sugars glucose and fructose in larger quantities. This precious fruit contains not only iron, but also calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iodine and manganese. The sugar of the grape is of great importance for the formation of the blood serum. This fruit is used in Iran from immature to dried state and has various effects. In Iran, grapes, juice, syrup and vinegar are used to make delicious drinks.
The first product of grape growing are the unripe grapes. They are called Ghureh in this country. Ghureh taste sour and their squeezed juice serves to taste dishes. Ghureh water is good for the slim line.
In some areas of Iran, such as the central arctic province of Yazd, it is common to serve a Sharbat-e Ghureh towards the end of spring and the beginning of summer. For the preparation of this beverage, the unripe grapes are separated from the vine, washed and juiced. The obtained so-called ab-ghureh - water from unripe grapes - is stored in glass jars in a cool, dark place and, if necessary, the lemonade called scharbat-e ghureh is prepared, with the addition of sugar and sometimes a little Gol-Ab, ie Rose water, or Araq-e Na'na - distilled peppermint water -. This tasty drink quenches the thirst and cools down. Therefore it is offered to the guests at the beginning of the warm season.
This Abghureh drink also has an effect medically, it lowers the blood pressure, helps with diabetes and high cholesterol levels.
The juice of the ripe grapes is probably the simplest and best product of this summer fruit. Grape juice is refreshing and provides energy. In western Iran, the grape water is used to make a slightly sour drink called the sharbat-e rob bagh (or garden extract lemonade). The grape juice is thickened to two-thirds and stored in the refrigerator. To make the Sherbat-e Rob Bagh, mix some of this syup with cold water. This drink is enough for eating.
With grape water in many places in Iran Schireh-e Angur is made. This is a different kind of grape syrup. Here, the juice is squeezed out of washed grapes. Then a mixture called chak-e sefid (white soil) containing many minerals is added. Leave the mixture of grape water and this Chake-Sefid overnight and then sift the liquid through a cloth. Then it is cooked in special containers and thickened and then stored in glass jars. Schirehe Angur is light to dark brown. It is also available in stores.
In traditional Iranian medicine, this grape syrup is recommended for gout and rheumatism, kidney stones and by-effects of high blood pressure and intestinal inflammation. This syrup tastes sweet and is therefore also used as an ingredient in traditional types of bread and in rice pudding and ferni (a dessert with milk and rice flour) as well as in halwa (sweet food made from edible fat, sugar, flour and rose water). In some mountainous areas of Iran yogurt is blended with this grape syrup. In addition, various traditional Araqiat (herbal and floral waters - hydrolases) are mixed with grape syrup to drink.
Vinegar is also made from grapes and this grape vinegar is used to flavor food and to make pickled vegetables and fruits and to prepare salads. The extraction takes place in two phases.
In the first phase, the grapes are placed in a suitable container and covered with clean water. In the traditional extraction method, the fermentation process is completed after 50 to 70 days. Then the liquid is separated from the grape remains and poured into a suitable container. After 10 to 20 days you have won vinegar. Overall, about two to three months are needed for the production of vinegar.
In Iran, a little vinegar is used to make a well-known Iranian drink called Sharbat-e Sekanjabin.
Mix any amount of sugar with water, for example, two glasses of sugar with a glass of water and let the mixture boil until it becomes thick. Then add a small amount of vinegar (for example, a tablespoon) and, depending on the quantity, a few peppermint leaves. The whole is given after a short boil through a sieve and bottled.
For the drink, a little of the syrup juice is mixed with cool water. Gladly you still do ice cubes. In some areas of Iran, this Sekanschabin lemonade is added to finely grated cucumber, serving the guests. In the hot summer days, Sharbat-e-Sekandschabin is a very refreshing and popular drink.
In the second part we introduce some other traditional Iranian drinks, including the national drink "Dugh".
