~16 cal · 0g protein · 4g carbs · 0g fat (estimated, per serving)
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Glass of dark foamy licorice drink
🇸🇾 Damascus
Sous is the licorice-root drink of Damascus, sold by vendors in embroidered vests who carry gleaming brass tanks on their backs and clink brass cups to announce themselves. Cold-steeped and naturally foamy, it is intensely earthy and bittersweet — a beloved Ramadan refresher believed to cool and soothe the body.
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🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
Ingredients
Serves 6 —
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1 cup dried licorice root, ground
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10 cups cold water
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1/4 tsp a pinch of baking soda (for foam)
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2 tbsp sugar, to taste (optional)
Instructions
1
Tie the ground licorice root in a muslin cloth and knead it in a little of the water to release the extract.
2
Suspend the cloth in the cold water with a pinch of baking soda and steep in the fridge for several hours.
3
Squeeze and lift the cloth repeatedly to build the characteristic foam and darken the liquid.
4
Sweeten very lightly if you like, and serve ice-cold; it is meant to be bracingly bittersweet.
Damascus street-vendor tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination
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Damascus. One of the oldest cities on Earth, still setting the mezze table.
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Syria. Aleppo and Damascus — pantries of the ancient world.
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Asia. From street-cart woks to slow monastery kitchens.
The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.
👩🍳
Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker
Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →
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