Written by adam on Aug 7, 2007
The Language of Food: Sherbet and Sorbet
For those of you that are playing along at home, please speak the following phrase:
"I could really go for some orange Sherbet right now."
If your pronunciation of the word Sherbet included an extra 'R,' you should probably slap yourself. Sherbet is pronounced [SHER-bitt] not [SHER - BERT]. Please stop doing that. SHERBERT is something that Ernie might say to his roommate. (all parents in the audience just got that one).
So what's the difference between Sherbet and Sorbet. My initial reaction to that question is "your location." High end restaurants sometimes serve sorbet in between courses as a palette cleanser. Sorbet is considered upscale, but we think of Sherbet as being a type of ice cream that comes in orange, green, yellow, and red ... perhaps served by a man in a paper hat.
I think this is mostly true. If you research the definitions of both Sherbet and Sorbet, you see that they are basically the same thing: a frozen mixture of fruit juice and water.
According to epicurious.com, Sherbet can often contain milk, eggs, and other sweeteners. But Sorbet is just plain fruit juice and water. From what I know, some of the best Sorbet does not even contain added water; it's just pure frozen juice.
So in the end, it may be just a matter of semantics. Sherbet ... Sorbet ... basically the same thing. But please leave out that extra 'R.'
Responses to "The Language of Food: Sherbet and Sorbet" ...
I hadn't even contemplated the possibility that I was mispronouncing it. Thanks for setting me straight. But: you should never talk about sherbet without mentioning 'superman,' aka 'rainbow'. It's what every kid loves!
You are so right, Jim. Rainbow is my favorite, too.
Lightfailure
I always belived sorbet was frozen fruit juice and water , but that sherbet had dairy? maybe I am wrong?
Since winter of 2004, I have been exploring the world of cooking and helping out my fellow men in their quests to better themselves in the kitchen. My name is Adam Byrd, you can learn more about me and my mission on my