🥤 Sobia
Sobia is a sweet, lightly fermented drink from the Hejaz, made by soaking barley and bread in water with sugar, raisins and cinnamon, then straining the liquid. It is pale and cloudy, mild and gently spiced, and served very cold. In Mecca, Jeddah and Medina it is sold in plastic bags and bottles and is a favourite at iftar during Ramadan.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 100 g barley
- 2 slices stale bread (about 60 g)
- 40 g raisins
- 150 g sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1.5 l water
Method
- Rinse the barley and soak it with the raisins in 1 litre of water overnight.
- Crumble the bread into the soaking water, add the cinnamon and leave in a cool place for a day so it starts to ferment lightly.
- Blend the mixture briefly, then strain through a fine cloth.
- Stir the sugar into the remaining water until dissolved and add it to the strained liquid.
- Chill well and serve cold.
How to make it lighter
- Cut the sugar by half; the raisins already add sweetness.
- Pour a small glass (150 ml) instead of a large one.
- Dilute with cold water or ice to stretch one serving.
History
Sobia is closely associated with the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, where street vendors traditionally sell it during Ramadan. Similar fermented grain drinks are known in Egypt and other parts of the Arab world.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →