Date:  Tue, 25 Jul 1995 16:32:03 -0400

From:  "Peter L. Patrick" <PPATRICK[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]GUVAX.ACC.GEORGETOWN.EDU>

Subject: Re: sherbe(r)t



Vicki,

    I don't believe your recollection of sherbet w/milk is correct.

Neither sherbet nor sorbet (nor sherbert), classically, should have

any milk products in them. The distinction you're thinking of may be ice

milk vs. ice cream, latter having more milkfat. This was never systematic

and was recently abolished by the FDA in favor of the more specific

(though still somewhat subjective) system of "ice cream", "reduced ice

cream", "low-fat ice cream", and "fat-free icecream", respectively

having less and less milkfat. Sherbet, however you spell it, never had

any, as far as I'm aware, but used gelatin for body.

    That's the US marketing tradition. But in the Arabic

tradition, it wasn't even frozen-- just a cool drink of fruit juice

and water and sugar (Arabic "sharbah" is the root, related to our

'syrup'). People in Vikram Seth's 'A Suitable Boy' are always drinking

sherbet, for example.

    Then again, I won't be responsible for what some company has

put into a box and called "sherbe(r)t"!

    --peter patrick