jalabs-msg - 4/22/08
Jalabs are period drinks based on a honey and water or sugar and water syrup base. The often mentioned Sekanjabin drink is a jalab using mint and vinegar as flavorings.
NOTE: See also the files: herbs-msg, root-veg-msg, sugar-msg, beverages-msg, beer-msg, wine-msg, brewing-msg, cider-msg, mead-msg.
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From: rhe6 at tank.uchicago.edu (mindy miriam rheingold)
Date: 17 Feb 90 04:17:00 GMT
Organization: University of Chicago
In a recent posting, Cariodoc mentions several Islamic drink recipes
made by boiling fruit juice with sugar or honey and mixing the
resulting syrup with water.
One of these recipes uses lemon juice and sugar and is the closest
thing to a "modern" tasting drink that we have, though it does not
taste exactly like modern lemonade. It is a good recipe to use if
you want to be in period but are feeding folk who are hesitant
about trying new (or in this case, old) or different foods. It is
quite refreshing, especially when served cold, though some people
prefer it hot.
Madeleine des MillesRoses
Grey Gargoyles
(Mindy M. Rheingold)
From: justin at INMET.INMET.COM (Justin du Coeur MKA Mark Waks)
Date: 22 Aug 90 22:08:43 GMT
Re: Drinks to try
Those interested in something a little different (debatably period -- someone
who knows the sources better than I might be able to give a better opinion of
how much so) should try experimenting with some relatively normal spices in
sekanjabin. One local favorite (introduced by Mussttafa) is to make Cariadoc's
standard recipe, but substitute a large handful of minced or crushed ginger
for the mint. Very tangy, and quite tasty. My personal favorite is to toss in
one or two dozen cinnamon sticks, and let it steep overnight. The sweetness of
the sekanjabin goes very well with the cinnamon flavor...
-- Justin du Coeur
From: ddfr at quads.uchicago.edu (david director friedman)
Date: 23 Aug 90 03:37:26 GMT
Organization: University of Chicago
Sekanjabin is not a generic term for flavored syrups diluted in water
to be used as drinks--it is the name of one such. The Manuscrito
Anonimo translated into Spanish by Ambrosio Huici-Miranda (13th
century Andalusian) contains a whole chapter of such drinks, with a
wide range of flavoring.
David Friedman
DDFR at Midway.UChicago.Edu
From: bloch at thor.ucsd.edu (Steve Bloch)
Date: 4 Jan 91 01:53:52 GMT
sinister at ac.dal.ca (Corman) writes:
> At the last event which I had the opertunity to attend, I was treated to a
>delightful drink called sekanjabin (sp?)....
>I was hoping someone could post here-on how its recipe.
Several recipes appear in Cariadoc's _Miscellany_, which I have not
before me. One is taken from Claudia Roden's book of Middle-Eastern
cookery (in print, not too hard to find), and calls for water,
vinegar, sugar, and mint. There are also one or two 13th-century
Andalusian recipes quoted there, omitting the mint (which is so
essential to the flavor as most of us are accustomed to it that
leaving it out borders on heresy. And the mint IS documentable to the
10th century or so, just not with enough specificity to make a
recipe.)
I have tried these recipes, fiddled with them, and much prefer the
following, which uses honey rather than sugar:
Dissolve 1-1/2 cups of honey in 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then
add 1/2 cup of vinegar and simmer for half an hour or more. After
removing from the heat, add a good-sized handful of mint leaves. Let
stand until you want to drink it (I have no idea how long it takes for
the mint to express!), at which time the mint should be strained out
and the syrup diluted by about 7 times as much water (10 is for
wimps). Delicious either hot (while shivering around a campfire) or
cool (at a feast, or coming off the battlefield). And the syrup
keeps unrefrigerated for months, because of the vinegar.
The honey should have some flavor (clover is for wimps) but not too
much (desert sage honey completely overwhelms the mint, and the
drinker). Likewise the vinegar: white vinegar will simply be sour,
balsamic would be weird, and either cider or wine is ideal. You can
use dried mint, but fresh is much better, and you probably have some
growing as a weed in your back yard.
Note: I used to add the mint at the same time as the vinegar, before
simmering, and was chastised for this insensitivity by an Iraqi
gentleman to whom I served it ("Very good, but the spices aren't
right. He burned the mint.")
Note also: various people of this Barony have discovered sekanjabin
syrup (a sugar version) for sale in 24-ounce bottles in Middle-
Eastern grocery stores.
As Cariadoc will no doubt point out, sekanjabin is merely the most
popular (in the SCA) of dozens or hundreds of similar drinks from al-Andalus. Others call for lemon, or pomegranate, or a variety of
roots and herbs, and I have made an excellent drink syrup from
rhubarb (but cannot document it).
--
Stephen Bloch
Joshua ibn-Eleazar ha-Shalib
>sca>Caid>Calafia>St.Artemas
bloch at cs.ucsd.edu
Date: 14 May 92
From: ddfr at quads.uchicago.edu (david director friedman)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Organization: University of Chicago Computing Organizations
Sekanjabin
Dissolve 4 cups sugar in 2 1/2 cups of water; when it comes to a boil
add 1 cup wine vinegar. Simmer 1/2 hour. Add a handful of mint,
remove from fire, let cool. Dilute the resulting syrup to taste with
ice water (5 to 10 parts water to 1 part syrup). The syrup stores
without refrigeration.
This recipe is based on a modern source: A Book of Middle Eastern
Food, by Claudia Roden. Sekanjabin is a period drink; it is mentioned
in the Fihrist of al-Nadim, which was written in the tenth century.
The only period recipe I have found for it (in the Andalusian
cookbook) is called "Sekanjabin Simple" and omits the mint. It is one
of a large variety of similar drinks described in that
cookbook of flavored syrups intended to be diluted in either hot or cold
water before drinking.
This is the period recipe--it appears to be two recipes with some
bits missing:
Syrup of Simple Sakanyabin
Take a pound of strong vinegar and mix it with two pounds of sugar,
and cook all this until it takes the form of a syrup. Drink an ounce
of this with three of hot water when fasting: it is beneficial for
fevers of jaundice, and calms jaundice and cuts the thirst, since
sakanyabin syrup is beneficial in phlegmatic fevers: make it with six
ounce of sour vinegar for a pound of honey and it is admirable ...
and a pound of sugar; cook all this until it takes the form of a
drink. Its benefit is to relax the bowels and cut the thirst and
vomit, and it is beneficial in yellow fevers.
Cariadoc/David
From: jtn at nutter.cs.vt.edu (Terry Nutter)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Sekanjabin
Date: 5 Dec 1993 22:48:20 GMT
Greetings, all, from Angharad ver' Rhuawn.
Cara asks,
>Could someone please either post or e-mail me a recipe using
>fresh mint leaves? I have been planting mint in various corners
>of my garden and expect to have enough to harvest next summer.
4 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup vinegar
handfull of fresh mint
Dissolve the sugar in the water. (Yes, four cups of sugar _will_
dissolve in two and a half cups of water.) Bring to a boil. Add
vinegar. Turn down to a simmer; let simmer for about twenty to
thirty minutes. Remover from heat. Toss in mint leaves. Let
cool. When it is completely cool, remove the mint leaves and bottle
the syrup. To drink, mix syrup with water to taste (for most people,
one part of syrup to anywhere between five and ten parts of water).
You can use either white or red wine vinegar or cider vinegar; I
prefer red wine, but that's purely personal. I've never seen much
success with flavored vinegars. _Don't_ use distilled (white)
vinegar; it's nasty.
The amount of mint does not greatly matter. I usually go out to
the mint patch and cut off sprigs until I'm bored, which happens
quickly B^}.
This recipe originated in Claudia Rodin's Middle Eastern cookbook,
and appears in Cariadoc's miscellany.
Cheers,
-- Angharad/Terry
From: jtn at nutter.cs.vt.edu (Terry Nutter)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Mint/vinegar tea?
Date: 8 Jan 1994 21:07:10 GMT
Organization: The Rialto
Greetings, all, from Angharad ver' Rhuawn.
Godfrey asks,
>A friend of mine encountered a mint and vinegar tea at one of the taverns
>at Pennsic one year. Does anyone know where I could find the recipe for
>such a tea? (She's throwing a party at the end of January and would like
>to serve this tea there.)
What you are referring to is probably sekanjabin. The recipe in general
use is from Claudia Rodin's Middle Eastern cookbook (and can be found in
Cariadoc's Miscellany). Directions follow.
4 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup vinegar
handfull of fresh mint
Dissolve sugar in water (yes, four cups of sugar _will_ dissolve in 2.5
cups of water). Bring to a boil. Add vinegar. Reduce heat and simmer
about 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat. Add mint and let stand. When
cool, discard mint and bottle. The resulting syrup keeps pretty much
indefinitely at room temperature. To serve, dilute with water to taste.
Most people like between five and ten parts of water to one part of syrup.
You can use just about any vinegar except white distilled vinegar; I prefer
red or white wine vinegar. You can use just about any fresh mint. If
fresh mint is not available, you can use mint tea bags, but be sure that
you use the 100% mint kind, not mint-flavored tea. When I use the tea
bags, I usually throw in a handful (anywhere up to a dozen). You can
also use loose dried mint, of course, but it's harder to filter out of the
syrup, and doesn't particularly improve with again.
Some people use honey instead of sugar. I'm less fond of that.
It's good hot as well as cold (hot sekanjabin is particularly wonderful for
people with head colds).
Enjoy!
-- Angharad/Terry
From: salley at niktow.canisius.edu (David Salley)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Mint/vinegar tea?
Date: 18 Jan 94 00:07:32 GMT
Organization: Canisius College, Buffalo NY. 14208
Just to give you an idea how long Sekanjaben "keeps", I was cleaning out the
cupboards and came across a bottle a quarter full of Sekanjaben that Cariadoc
had given me ... eight years ago! Naturally, I tried it out. Still delicious!
- Dagonell
SCA Persona : Lord Dagonell Collingwood of Emerald Lake, CSC, CK, CTr
Habitat : East Kingdom, AEthelmearc Principality, Rhydderich Hael Barony
Internet : salley at niktow.cs.canisius.edu
USnail-net : David P. Salley, 136 Shepard Street, Buffalo, New York 14212-2029
From: DEW at ECL.PSU.EDU (Durr ishJabal Bey alFarengi)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Frequent Complaint heard at Pennsic
Date: 1 Sep 1994 02:46:20 GMT
Organization: Orluk Oasis
Greetings to the Rialto (and all the viking ships in the Fjord)!
I serve sekanjabin frequently at Pennsic (just cause), and when someone
declines it (which occurrs), I explain what it is. Some still resist, saying
that they have tried it before and it "tastes funny" or "vinegary".
However, I can usually get them to sample mine, and their opinion is always
reversed (at least so far).
What may be the problem in many cases is the type or proportion of ingredients
that make the difference. May I offer my recipe for your consideration:
(This makes a syrup that I cut 1:8 or 1:15 with water, including Pennsic water
for those who are still scared by false rumors.)
4 cups sukkar (sugar) and 2.5 cups water
Bring these to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes.
Then add 1 cup RED WINE VINEGAR (and use the good stuff!). Remove from heat.
Crush FRESH LEMON BALM (a mint) and steep in the hot solution until the
mint is completely wilted. Remove and replace with more (I use as much as I
can, usually a bunch as big as my head).
Lemon Balm is a perrenial and may be obtained from most garden stores. It
grows like a weed.
Like most things, the better grade ingredients produce better results.
One other simple suggestion for hospitality: Peel and segment oranges.
Sprinkle lightly with ORANGE BLOSSOM WATER (or rose water) and cinnamon.
Makes a nice, light snack (and will keep without refrigeration if you just
cover it with cheesecloth). I know that dancers just devour these things
(loads of fructose, electrolytes, and other goodies).
Your Servant,
Durr ishJabal
Dale E. Walter |(Smokey) Baron Dur of Hidden Mountain
|Durr ishJabal min al-Maqfi Jabal abu Neefa Sultan ilorluk
dew at ecl.psu.edu |Orluk Oasis on the War Road (of Aethelmarc)
|Member # 02933
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: ddfr at quads.uchicago.edu (david director friedman)
Subject: Re: Pomegranate Wine?
Organization: University of Chicago
Date: Sat, 12 Nov 1994 20:16:10 GMT
I don't know about wine, but a 13th c. Andalusian cookbook has a
recipe for a pomegranate drink:
---
Syrup of Pomegranates
Take a ratl of sour pomegranates and another of sweet pomegranates,
and add their juice to two ratls of sugar, cook all this until it
takes the consistency of syrup, and keep until needed. Its benefits:
it is useful for fevers, and cuts the thirst, it benefits bilious
fevers and lightens the body gently.
---
I presume that this syrup, like others in the chapter, is intended to
be diluted with hot or cold water when needed. We dilute it with hot
water to make a nice sweet, hot drink.
David/Cariadoc
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: chris at aquasoft.com.au (Chris Robertson)
Subject: Re: Question about period food
Organization: Griffon Consulting (c/- Aquasoft P/L)
Date: Thu, 9 Feb 1995 09:16:53 GMT
Suze.Hammond at f56.n105.z1.fidonet.org (Suze Hammond) writes:
>BTW, could somebody please post a decent recipe for senkjabin?
>
>A friend in Meridies tells me it's practically unknown there, and he
>misses it.
>
>... Moreach
This is an article posted by Countess Arastorm the Golden several years ago,
which I carefully saved. The cordials are all good; I find I personally
don't like the switchel, but some of you well may. At the end I have added
a recipe for rose cordial which is from a modern cookbook (I can find out
which if anyone really wants to know), but is probably essentially unchanged
from medieval times, as it's very simple. (Rose cordial is great if you like
the rose taste. It's sweeter than sekanjabin.)
Both rose and sekanjabin are good hot as well as cold, and the concentrated
syrup keeps for months unrefrigerated. The rose cordial will get "fluffy bits"
in it which look as though it's growing mould -- this is just sugar
crystalising around the flecks of lemon flesh. Don't worry about it, it's
still good to use. Refrigerate diluted cordial, though, and use it within
a week or so.
> From: storm at hlafdig.stonemarche.ORG (Arastorm the Golden)
> Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
> Subject: Sekanjabin Recipes
> Date: 18 Jul 91 00:04:31 GMT
>
> SEKANJABIN -- (this is probably almost, if not exactly,
> what Cariadoc gives for a mint drink recipe)
> This first version is scaled for feasts, or for making a lot
> to take to the war. Once mixed it makes about 120 cups. I made
> this particular adaptation because the common brand of red wine
> vinegar near us comes in 40 oz bottles.
> Simmer: about 5 cups of red wine vinegar
> 10 pounds of sugar
> 3 quarts of water for 20 minutes
> Let cool and steep 1/2 oz of mint leaves in it while it cools.
> Strain and serve diluted with 12 parts water to one part syrup.
>
> It is a beautiful pale red and makes a pale pink drink. In some
> shires it is traditionally flecked with the ground mint leaves,
> in others they are careful that there is no hint of leaves in it.
> I have also tasted it with white wine vinegar, and cider vinegar.
> I prefer the original.
>
> (A more normal size batch requires 1/2 cup of red wine vinegar,
> 2 cups of sugar, 1 1/4 water, and a few sprigs of mint.)
>
> Now for the alternatives I told you about.
>
> My favorite: Lime Ginger
> Simmer 2 cups of water
> 2 cups of sugar