Rob

Ingredients

• 1 kgsoft dates, stoned
• 1.5 litreswater
• 1 tbsplemon juice (optional)

Directions

1. Put the stoned dates in a wide pan with the water and bring to a simmer. Press them against the side of the pan with a spoon as they soften.
2. Simmer 45 minutes, uncovered, until the dates have collapsed completely and the water is dark brown.
3. Tip the lot into a sieve set over a bowl and press hard with the back of a ladle to force through everything but the skins. For a cleaner syrup, pass it again through muslin.
4. Return the strained liquid to the clean pan and simmer gently, uncovered, for 30 to 45 minutes until it has reduced by about half and coats the back of a spoon. Stir often once it begins to thicken — the sugars catch quickly at this stage.
5. Take it off the heat while it is still slightly looser than you want; date syrup thickens considerably as it cools. Stir in the lemon juice if using, which keeps it from crystallising.
6. Pour hot into a clean jar and seal.

Technique

• The test is a cold plate: a drop should hold its shape and move slowly when tilted. If it runs thin, keep reducing; if it sets hard, whisk a splash of hot water back in.
• Soft dates give more syrup than dry ones. Very dry dates want an hour’s soak in the water before they go on the heat.
• Do not let it boil hard at the end. Date sugars scorch into bitterness within a minute of catching.

Substitutions

• Any soft date works — Deglet Noor is cheap and fine here, and the prized Medjool is wasted on it.
• The pressed pulp left in the sieve is not waste: it keeps a week in the fridge and sweetens porridge or a cake batter.

Variations

• Poured over asida or fresh bread, or stirred into bsisa, which is how it is most often eaten in Libya.
• The Iraqi and Gulf dibs is the same syrup; served with tahini stirred through it, it becomes the breakfast dish dibis wa rashi.

History

Boiled down from the surplus dates of the oasis harvest as a way of keeping the sugar; it is the traditional sweetener before cane sugar reached Libya.

Frequently asked questions

What is Rob?

Rob is a sauce & condiment from Libya: thick dark date syrup poured over asida, bsisa and fresh bread. Boiled down from the surplus dates of the oasis harvest as a way of keeping the sugar; it is the traditional sweetener before cane sugar reached Libya.

How long does Rob take to make?

Rob takes 15 min of preparation and 1 hour 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 500 ml. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Rob?

Yes, within limits. Any soft date works — Deglet Noor is cheap and fine here, and the prized Medjool is wasted on it. The pressed pulp left in the sieve is not waste: it keeps a week in the fridge and sweetens porridge or a cake batter.

What is the most important thing to get right in Rob?

Do not let it boil hard at the end. Date sugars scorch into bitterness within a minute of catching.