Ġulepp tal-Ħarrub (Maltese Carob Syrup)
Dark Maltese carob syrup made by roasting and soaking carob pods, then reducing their strained liquid with sugar. Dilute to serve as a drink.
Ingredients
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- Clean and roast: Heat the oven to 160°C (fan 140°C). Wash the pods thoroughly, remove stalks and discard any mouldy or damaged pods. Dry, spread on a tray and roast for 15-20 minutes until fragrant, without scorching. Leave to cool.
- Break and soak: Break the pods into short pieces with a sturdy nutcracker or by placing them in a strong food bag and tapping gently with a rolling pin. Do not try to grind the hard seeds in a blender. Put the pieces in a large bowl with the measured water, cover and refrigerate for 8-12 hours.
- Extract: Tip the pods and their soaking water into a wide saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently, partially covered, for 35-40 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve lined with a clean muslin cloth, pressing the softened pods with a spoon to extract the liquid. Discard the solids.
- Reduce the liquid: Return the strained liquid to a clean wide pan. Simmer uncovered until it measures about 600ml, usually 30-50 minutes depending on the pan. Check the volume in a heatproof jug, then return it to the pan.
- Add sugar: Stir in the sugar over low heat until dissolved. Simmer gently for 10-20 minutes, skimming any foam, until lightly syrupy. It should pour from a spoon and will thicken as it cools. The approximate final yield is 700ml; use the texture as well as the volume to judge it.
- Cool and dilute: Transfer to clean heatproof containers, cool promptly, cover and refrigerate. To serve, start with 30-50ml syrup in 200ml hot or cold drinking water, then adjust the dilution to taste.
Whole Pods Give the Syrup Its Character
Start with clean, ripe dried carob pods intended for human consumption. The recipe extracts their flavour into water before the sugar is added. Carob powder behaves differently and cannot replace the pods by the same weight in this method.
The pods contain very hard seeds. Break the pod walls enough to expose the inside and leave the seeds for the straining stage. Use a spoon when pressing the hot soaked pods; let them cool before handling the cloth.
Reduce Gently
The width of the pan changes how quickly the liquid evaporates. Measure the strained extract as it reduces, then add the sugar at the stated volume. The syrup should remain pourable once cool. If it becomes too thick, warm gently with a little water.
The listed cooking time allows for roasting, extraction and reduction. Soaking and cooling are additional waits. The fourteen-glass yield assumes about 50ml concentrate per glass; use less syrup if you prefer a lighter drink.
Serving and Storage
Dilute with cold water for a cordial or hot water for a warm drink. Start lightly and taste before adding more concentrate. For a biscuit to serve alongside, browse Maltese desserts and sweets.
Keep the cooled syrup in the fridge and use within one week, or freeze small portions. This recipe does not provide a method for storing sealed bottles at room temperature.