Rhubarb Cordial
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| rhubarb stalks, fresh or frozen, chopped (leaves removed) | 300 g |
| water | 150 ml |
| white sugar | 150 g |
| fresh lemon juice (optional) | 10 ml |
Equipment: small saucepan with lid, fine sieve and cloth, kitchen scale and measuring jug, clean glass bottle with lid.
About this syrup
Every spring in Iran’s western mountains, people climb the slopes of Kurdistan’s Hawraman to gather rivas, wild rhubarb. The young stalks are peeled and eaten raw, often with a pinch of salt, as one of the season’s first fresh, sour treats, and they are sold by the bundle in town markets for a few short weeks. Wild rhubarb is foraged in Khorasan and the Alborz too, and sharbat-e rivas is a classic spring drink.
Iran’s wild rivas is a different species from the garden rhubarb sold in Western supermarkets, but both share the same bright, green, sour character. This cordial uses garden rhubarb, so in the book it should be described as an adaptation of the regional ingredient.
How to make it
- Use the stalks only. Cut off and discard every bit of leaf; rhubarb leaves are toxic.
- Chop the stalks into 2 cm pieces. (Frozen rhubarb can go in straight from the freezer.)
- Combine the rhubarb, water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes, until the rhubarb collapses.
- Pour into a cloth-lined sieve set over a bowl and let it drip for 20 minutes. Don’t press if you want a clear, pink cordial.
- Stir in the lemon juice if using; taste first, as rhubarb is often sour enough.
- Cool, bottle, label with the date, and refrigerate.
Yield and storage
- Makes about 250 ml.
- Keep refrigerated and use within 2 weeks (provisional).
- Keep the pulp: it’s a ready-made compote for yogurt or toast.
Tips and troubleshooting
- For pink color, choose red stalks; green stalks make a pale, greener cordial with the same flavor.
- Cloudy: the pulp was pressed. It still tastes good; strain again through clean cloth for a clearer result.
- Too sour: add 10–20% more sugar next time.
- Never use the leaves, and avoid aluminum pans with rhubarb.
Different concepts of this syrup
1. Classic rhubarb cordial
The recipe above. The house standard.
2. Rhubarb and mint — Hawraman spring
Steep a handful of fresh mint in the hot cordial for 10 minutes, then strain. Green and cooling, the flavors of the drink in one bottle.
3. Salted rhubarb — as it’s eaten in the mountains
Add a small pinch of salt per batch. It brightens the sourness, the way rivas is eaten fresh with salt.
4. Rhubarb and rose
Add a few drops of culinary rose water per 100 ml. Pink and floral.
5. Rhubarb and honey
Replace half the sugar with 75 g mild honey, stirred in after cooling slightly. Softer and wildflower-sweet.
6. Beyond cocktails
- Sharbat-e rivas: 30 ml cordial, soda water, ice and mint.
- Spoon over yogurt or ice cream.
Allergen note
No common allergens. Rhubarb leaves are toxic; use stalks only.
Development notes
- Status: draft recipe, not yet taste-tested.
- Label garden rhubarb as an adaptation of wild rivas.
- Test fresh versus frozen stalks, and with versus without lemon.