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Unani medicine →

Sekanjabin, mint vinegar syrup

An Iranian summer drink: a syrup of honey or sugar and vinegar, with mint, topped up with ice-cold water.

Traditional use

Time
30 minutes
Makes
Syrup for about 12 glasses
Image of Sekanjabin, mint vinegar syrup
MRG90 · CC BY-SA 4.0

The name joins the Persian words for vinegar and honey. Sekanjabin belongs to the same family as the oxymel of the Greek physicians, and in Greco-Arabic (Unani) medicine such sweet-sour drinks are considered cooling and thirst-quenching. In Iran the syrup is drunk in summer with water and grated cucumber, or used as a dip for lettuce leaves.

Ingredients

  • 400 g sugar or honey
  • 250 ml water
  • 125 ml white wine vinegar
  • A large bunch of fresh mint
  • Per glass: ice-cold water and optionally grated cucumber

Step by step

  1. Bring the water and sugar to the boil until the sugar has dissolved.
  2. Add the vinegar and simmer gently for 15–20 minutes into a light syrup.
  3. Remove from the heat, put the mint in and leave to cool. Then remove the mint.
  4. Per glass, mix 1 part syrup with 4–5 parts ice-cold water and some grated cucumber.

Tips

  • If you use honey instead of sugar, only add it once the syrup has cooled a little.

Registry

Herbs in this recipe

Read more about effects and safety on each herb’s page.

  • Caution

    Europe · Herb · № 3

    Mint

    Mentha × piperita

    Peppermint oil has been studied in irritable bowel syndrome and may reduce abdominal pain. The tea is used for a full stomach and nausea. With heartburn peppermint can make complaints worse.

    Greco-Roman medicine+4Folklore

Cultures and traditions

Where the herbs come from

The herbs in this recipe also appear in these traditions.