Sherbet (powder)

Sherbet

Jars of colourful kali powder in a sweetshop
Alternative names	soda powder
Type	Confectionery
Main ingredients	Sugar, flavouring, edible acid and base

Sherbet is a fizzy powder sweet, usually eaten by dipping a lollipop or liquorice, or licking it on a finger.

The word "sherbet" is from Turkish şerbet, which is from Persian شربت, which in turn comes from "sharbat", Arabic شَرْبَة sharba, a drink, from "shariba" to drink. Also called "sorbet", which comes from French "sorbet", from Italian "sorbetto" and in turn from Turkish "şerbet". The word is cognate to syrup in English. Historically it was a cool effervescent or iced fruit soft drink. The meaning, spelling and pronunciation have fractured between different countries. It is usually spelled "sherbet", but a common pronunciation changes this to "sherbert".

It is not to be confused with the North American "sherbet", which is a variant of the iced dessert sorbet.

Beginning with the 19th century sherbet powder (soda powder) became popular. "Put a spoonful of the powder in a cup of water, mix it and drink it as soon as possible, during the time of sparkling. ... Because this way the most of acid of air is lost ... it is more practicable to put the powder into the mouth and flush it with some water." 2 g of sodium bicarbonate and 1.5 g of tartaric acid were separately packed in little coloured paper bags.

Sherbet in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries is a fizzy powder, containing sugar and flavouring, and an edible acid and base. The acid may be tartaric, citric or malic acid, and the base may be sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, or a mixture of these and/or other similar carbonates . To this is added a large amount of sugar to mask the unappetising flavour of the reactive powders, icing sugar, and fruit or cream soda flavouring.