Condiment
Pomegranate molasses
دبس الرمان
Also called dibs rumman, pomegranate syrup
Pomegranate juice boiled until it turns sour, dark and sticky — dibs rumman, not grenadine and not a dessert syrup. A teaspoon seasons a salad or a grill; a pour turns a dressing into treacle. Good bottles taste of fruit and tannin, not sugar-water dyed red.
Origin
A Levantine pantry reducing, especially in Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian kitchens, where pomegranates are abundant and the molasses keeps through winter. Similar reductions exist in Iranian and Turkish cooking.
Flavour
Tart first, then fruity, with a faint bitter edge from the seeds and pith. It should make your mouth water, not remind you of cordial. Cheap versions taste burnt or purely sweet.
How it is made
Fresh juice — sometimes with a little sugar, often without — is simmered until it coats a spoon and darkens to mahogany. No spices belong in the classic jar. Concentration, not caramel, is the point.
How to use it
Whisk a teaspoon into fattoush dressing with olive oil, lemon and garlic; it should sharpen, not dominate. Brush a little over grilled lamb or chicken in the last minute, or stir into ezme. Too much and the plate tastes like cough syrup. It is not a stand-in for balsamic, and grenadine will not impersonate it. If a bottle has crystallised, warm the jar in a pan of water and shake.
Storage
Pantry, cap wiped clean. Fridge after opening if you use it slowly; cold makes it thicker, so loosen a spoon under a warm tap. It keeps for months.
Recipes using it
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