Qamar al-Din

Dried apricot paste dissolved in water — qamar al-din (moon of the religion), Syrian Ghouta apricot sheets consumed across the Arab world at Ramadan iftar.

Qamar al-Din — translating as moon of the religion in Arabic — is a traditional apricot beverage consumed across the Arab world with particular cultural resonance during Ramadan, when it is one of the most widely consumed drinks at iftar (the meal breaking the daily fast). The drink is made by dissolving sheets of compressed dried apricot paste in water, a preservation technique that concentrates the fruit's flavor and nutrients into a portable, shelf-stable form that can be reconstituted months or years after production. The apricot paste sheets — called qamar al-din in both the sheet form and the resulting drink — have been produced primarily in Syria, where the apricots of the Ghouta agricultural region around Damascus were historically considered among the finest in the Arab world. Damascus's dry summer climate and the variety of apricots (Prunus armeniaca) cultivated there produced fruit of exceptional sweetness and fragrance that, when dried and pressed into sheets, retained aromatic qualities that fresh Syrian apricots themselves were celebrated for. The technique of preserving stone fruits in compressed sheet form was practiced across the Levant, Turkey, and Central Asia for centuries as a practical solution to the problem of preserving summer fruit through winter months without refrigeration. Qamar al-Din provides a gentle, naturally sweet beverage whose apricot sugars break a long fast without overwhelming the digestive system.