Bloom gets much of his conception of the Middle East from
romantic novels and Christmas pantomimes
like Turko the Terrible, and he acknowledges that the real
thing is "Probably not a bit like it really," but many of the
details of his reverie in Calypso would seem
familiar to a native of the region. Cold nonalcoholic drinks
with fruit and herbal flavors are indeed sold as "sherbet" in
Turkey, Iran, and Arab countries, as well as some lands
farther east.
Several different kinds of sherbet are mentioned in the
Persian medical encyclopedia Zakhirah-i
Khvarazm'Shahi, which dates to the 12th century. The
word itself is Arabic in origin: the root sh-r-b refers to
drinks, and drinks of this type are called sharba in
modern Arab countries (wine is sharaab, distilled
liquor mashroob). In Iran they are sharbat, and
in Turkey serbet. It is not clear what tongue Joyce
may be thinking of when he has Bloom mention "their
dark language," but Arabic, Persian, and Turkish
all share this word.
West Asian sherbets are made by dissolving a sweet condensed
nectar—made variously of fruits (cherry, lemon, strawberry,
pineapple), flower petals (orange, rose, hibiscus), and/or
seeds (basil, chia, anise)—in several parts of chilled water.
Sherbets "scented with fennel" seem to be
unheard of, though the similar-tasting anise is sometimes an
ingredient. (Like the Greek ouzo and the Swiss absinthe, Turkey also has an
alcoholic anise drink called raaki.)
In Iran sharbats are usually served elegantly in tall
glasses, with long spoons for guests to stir the ingredients
together, but in Turkey street sellers called serbetci
dispense the liquid already mixed from brass flasks strapped
to their backs. This may be the source of Bloom's fantasy of
drinking sherbet while wandering the streets of a Middle
Eastern city.
Thanks to Dr. Iman Fani for a personal communication of some
of the information in this note.
