Qamar al-din

Ingredients

Base

• 300 gqamar al-din, apricot leather sheets
• 1.2 litreswater

To sweeten

• 80 gsugar, or to taste
• 1 tbsporange blossom water

To finish

• 2 tbsppine nuts, soaked
• 2 tbspblanched almonds, soaked
• a few soaked raisins

To serve

• chilled, at iftar

Directions

1. Tear the apricot leather into small pieces. Left in large sheets it takes far longer and leaves lumps. Put the pieces in a bowl and pour warm water over them. Now soak it overnight, or for at least 6 hours.
2. Stir it once or twice during the soak to break the pieces up. By morning it should have collapsed into a thick pulp with no solid pieces left. Pour it into a pan and add the sugar.
3. Warm it gently, stirring, for 5 to 10 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and it has thickened slightly. Do not boil it hard, which dulls the fresh apricot flavour.
4. Taste it before adding much sugar, because the sheets vary considerably in sweetness. Take it off the heat and stir in the orange blossom water.
5. Add the flower water off the heat, because it is volatile and boiling drives the scent straight off. Too much orange blossom and the drink tastes of soap, which is the line every Levantine sweet walks.
6. Chill the drink thoroughly, for at least 4 hours. It thickens further as it cools, so let it down with a little water if it becomes too thick to drink.
7. Serve it very cold in glasses with a spoonful of the soaked nuts and raisins in each.

Technique

• The sheets are sold in Middle Eastern shops all year and appear everywhere in the weeks before Ramadan.
• It keeps three or four days refrigerated and thickens as it stands.
• Home-made apricot leather is dried in the sun over several days.

Substitutions

• Dried apricots, blended and sieved, which gives a similar though less concentrated drink.
• Rose water in place of orange blossom.

Variations

• Set as a pudding with cornflour.
• Made thinner, as a light juice.
• The Egyptian version, blended thick and served ice cold.

History

Sheets of dried apricot paste are soaked overnight; the name means moon of the faith and it is tied to Ramadan.

Frequently asked questions

What is Qamar al-din?

Qamar al-din is a drink from Jordan: apricot leather dissolved into a thick sweet juice, drunk to break the fast. Sheets of dried apricot paste are soaked overnight; the name means moon of the faith and it is tied to Ramadan.

How long does Qamar al-din take to make?

Qamar al-din takes 10 min plus overnight soaking of preparation and 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 glasses. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Qamar al-din?

Yes, within limits. Dried apricots, blended and sieved, which gives a similar though less concentrated drink. Rose water in place of orange blossom.

What is the most important thing to get right in Qamar al-din?

Warm it gently, stirring, for 5 to 10 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and it has thickened slightly. Do not boil it hard, which dulls the fresh apricot flavour.