Sharbat- e Rivas – Persian Rhubarb Lemonade is finest ice-cold lemonade made from rhubarb. Make a delicious rhubarb syrup from fresh rhubarb stalks and sugar first. Pour right before serving, rhubarb syrup over crushed ice in a glass and top it with non-carbonated water, add a little lemon juice and a tiny bit of rose water, and enjoy. In Iran, we have temperatures up to 26 degrees in the spring. When we returned from school in the afternoon, we were welcomed by my grandmother with this refreshing drink, as it is an excellent way to refresh yourself. The spoon clinking against the glass when she filled the syrup with water, rose water, and lemon juice is like music to my ears and brings back sweet childhood memories.

SHARBAT-E RIVAS – RHUBARB LEMONADE

Cool the syrup before mixing it. I couldn’t wait and prepared the Sharbat right away. The ice cubes cool the syrup down quickly, and the lemonade tastes delicious. The combination of the sweet syrup, the tangy sour lemon juice, and the floral rose water is a dream from 1000 and 1 night. TIP: The more red the rhubarb stalks, the more red and sweet the syrup.

One of the big advantages of syrup is that you decide yourself how fruity and sweet your lemonade will taste. Do you like it very sweet, then add more syrup. If you like it sweet and sour like I do, then add less syrup and more lemon juice. If you want it flowery, go ahead, and add more rose water, but please no more than a teaspoon per glass, or the lemonade is no longer enjoyable. If you like it fizzy, fill the lemonade with sparkling water or Prosecco.

WHAT IS SHARBAT?

Sharbat is a popular drink from Iran, and on hot days it revitalizes and refreshes our bodies. Depending on the time of year, we have sharbats made from seasonal fruits or herbs. For each season, I will present you my favorite sharbat. Since it’s rhubarb season in Iran, I have a sharbat-e Rivas recipe شربت ريواس on my blog today. Rivas is Farsi and means rhubarb, and sharbat شربت means a drink of sugar and water (syrup).

You can find more recipes on my blog, for example, Sharbat-e Ab Limo – An Easy Sugar-Free Lemonade; Sharbat-e Khakshir Nabat – a Persian Soft Drink; Sharbat-e Albaloo – Sour Cherry Lemonade; Sharbat-e Sekandjebin Khiyar – Mint Lemonade with grated Cucumber and Basil Seeds Drink. Many drinks and foods of Iranian traditional food culture have healing effects. Most traditional Iranian drinks are from natural substances such as fruits, dairy products, and herbs with healing properties.

NISHAPUR IN KHORASAN

Rhubarb is a sour vegetable and grows in Nishapur in Iran on the mountain slopes of Binalud in Khorasan, also called the roof of Khorasan. Sharbat-e Rivas and Khoshaabe Rivas (rhubarb dessert) are specialties of Nishapur and popular souvenirs. You can buy sharbat at every corner and I recommend you to give it a try. Other souvenirs are turquoise stones and jewelry since they are mines here in the area. We call the turquoise stone firouzeh. Most mosques in Iran have turquoise stones decorating them.

On the Silk Road, which passes by Nishapur, people used to be served this delicious drink as a refreshment in the caravanserais. A Caravanserai is a road side in and rest stop surrounded by walls (building with enclosed courts), where travelers (caravaners) could rest and recover from the day’s journey. In former times the Caravaners (merchandiser) rested in the Saray (Palace) with their animals and their goods, ate, drank, and slept. They stocked up their food for the far journey; sold their merchandise, and shared informations. The Ribat of Sharaf in Khorasan is a beautiful caravanserai.

INGREDIENTS RHUBARB SYRUP

Serves 250ml syrup

500g rhubarb stalks

120g sugar

3 cups of water

INGREDIENTS RHUBARB LEMONADE

1/2 Glass of noncarbonated water

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp rose water*

crushed ice

1  mint leave per Glass

PREPARATION SHARBAT-E RIVAS

Wash and dry the rhubarb and cut it into 2 cm slices. Place in a pot with 2-3 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes until rhubarb is tender.

Strain rhubarb, including water, through a fine sieve into a pot.

Place the pot on the stovetop and add sugar; bring everything to a boil once. Reduce heat and boil down slowly until you have a syrup (about 30 min.)

Fill the hot syrup into a bottle.

PREPARATION RHUBARB LEMONADE

Pour the syrup into a glass, and fill up with water.

Add crushed ice, a few drops of lemon juice, and rose water.

Decorate with mint leaves.

BEFARMAYID!

Susan

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