Sherbet (U.S.)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sherbet (often pronounced and even occasionally spelled sherbert in American English) is a frozen dessert made from iced sweetened fruit juice or puree. Sherbets usually have more ingredients, such as milk, egg whites, or gelatin, than sorbets, which are generally made from iced fruit puree and other ingredients. Sherbet in the United States must have a milkfat content between 1% and 2%, and a slightly higher sweetener content than ice cream; else, it must be sold as ice cream if the fat content is higher or sweetener content lower, ice milk if milk or sweetener content is lower, or as sorbet if no milk is present at all. American sherbets have a minimum density of 6 lb/gal (720 g/L) and are flavored either with fruit or other ingredients.

This frozen dessert is thought to have been developed by the Chinese, then later taught to Arab traders who in turn spread it to Europe. The term is derived from the Turkish word şerbat, which is also the source of the word sorbet. Both sherbet and sorbet typically can be used interchangeably in recipes, although sherbet both freezes and melts more slowly due to the presence of milk.

Sorbet can be made into sherbet if a beaten egg white and lowfat milk are added to the mixture after it is partially frozen. Sherbet is also similar to gelato, and the two terms are often used interchangeably in the United States^{[citation needed]}.

Sherbet is often sold alongside ice cream as a lower fat alternative.