Doodh Ka Sherbet: Oud-Perfumed Milk To Commemorate Muharram
The delicately perfumed doodh ka sherbet plays a poetic role in the symbolism of Muharram, in Hyderabad.
Throughout history, caravans laden with aromatic herbs, spices and plant resins were traded as commodities along the Silk Road, and Indian Ocean trade routes. During the Islamic month of Muharram, homes across Hyderabad prepare a special drink, doodh ka sherbet, using milk perfumed with the smoke of oud, (or Gum Benzoin, a plant resin sourced from Indonesia). Many homes in the city also use oud-agarwood, bakhoor, loban (Arabic for frankincense) or Dhuno (gum dammar) to perfume hair, clothes, homes and congregations, throughout the year.
Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, represents varied historical narratives. The 9th and 10th day of Muharram, Tasu'a and Ashura, symbolise gratitude, loss and melancholy. It is marked by ritual performances of the martyrdom of Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Hazrat Imam Hussain, and his companions, in the Battle of Karbala. Similarly, devotees fast to commemorate the passover of the Children of Israel, and the deliverance of Prophet Moses into safety from Egypt, and the landing of Prophet Noah's famed ark.
At home, some members of my family fast on Tasu'a and Ashura, and participate in Majlis gatherings at the invitation of Shia friends, neighbours and relatives. Majlis are commemorative ceremonies that mnemonically re-live the martyrdom and sacrifice in Karbala. My family prepares doodh ka sherbet to share with our relatives and neighbours. It is savoured after a long, sombre day of worship and remembrance, and served with a generous topping of slivered almonds and pistachio. Another popular variant is paani ka sherbet, made by replacing milk with water. The foodscape of the city is further transformed with the sweet fragrance of dum ki roat, cookies baked with ghee and dried fruits, a Muharram specialty.
To commemorate the hardships of the Battle of Karbala, followers take it upon themselves to sweeten the city with generosity and love. The city comes alive with young volunteers and roadside sabeels (food and water stalls) offering zarda, saffron-flavoured sweet rice along with fragrant doodh and paani ka sherbet, to the poor and passerbys — a gesture that embodies shared grief and solidarity with those who were deprived of food and water in the battle at the historic city of Karbala. The city is infused with the fragrant smoke of oud, which has come to symbolise Muharram in Hyderabad, in many ways.
Recipe: Doodh ka Sherbet
Ingredients
1 litre milk
6 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
20 g slivered blanched almonds
10 g slivered blanched pistachio (optional)
2 tbsp coarsely powdered Oud-Gum Benzoin
2 earthen/steel pots with a heavy lid
2 pieces of charcoal
1 charcoal/incense burner (such as izband soz or dhunuchi)
Method
Boil the milk, add sugar and cardamom powder. Let it cool.
{Meanwhile, bring together the pot, incense burner and milk. The trick is to work fast in collecting all the smoke. It is important to have pots (earthen/steel/aluminium) with a tight and heavy lid to ensure smoke does not escape and the aroma settles in the milk}
Burn the charcoal, and sprinkle the powdered oud, be quick to cover the burner with the pot.
As the smoke starts to escape the pot, it means it is full. Cover the pot with the lid.
Open the lid, slightly, just enough to pour the milk. Add milk. Cover the lid and let it rest for a minute.
Repeat this process with the second pot, a few more times. Do not worry about the extra smoke, it will only infuse your house and the neighbourhood.
Follow the same method, replacing milk with water to make paani ka sherbet.
Ayesha Mualla is a research scholar at the Department of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics with interest in the food cultures of Deccan.
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