Pomegranate juice reduced to a thick, dark, intensely tart syrup. It is the sour backbone of a great many Levantine dishes — in dressings, marinades, stews and dips, and drizzled over the top at the end.
Also known as pomegranate molasses · dibs al-rumman · pomegranate syrup · rub el rumman
- Arabicدبس الرمانdibs al-rumman
- What it isPomegranate juice reduced to a syrup
- Looks likeThick, dark garnet syrup, almost black in the bottle
- TastesTart first, sweet second, with a slight bitterness
- KeepsA year or more; refrigerate after opening
The Ingredient Atlas, in your pocket
Every Sofra recipe is free to read here on the web. The app carries an Ingredient Atlas covering Dibs Rumman and dozens more Levantine ingredients — in English, Arabic and Portuguese, with the name in French and Spanish too — alongside a free collection of 112 recipes to cook from.
Get Sofra — free download →What it tastes and smells like
Sour before anything else, with sweetness arriving late and a faint tannic bitterness at the back. Good dibs rumman makes you wince slightly before you taste the fruit.
That order matters. A bottle that reads as sweet first has had sugar added, and it will not do what a recipe expects — dressings go cloying, and marinades lose the acid that was supposed to cut the fat.
Tart first, sweet second. If the label leads with sugar, the bottle will not behave the way a recipe expects.
What it is used in
- Northern Syrian Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Paste2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- Daoud Basha3 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- Faten's Idlibi Fattoush1 tbsp Pomegranate molasses
- Fattoush1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- Sidon-Style Chicken Wings with Sumac and Pomegranate3 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- Idlib Feast Lamb with Sour Cherries and Pomegranate3 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- Kibbeh Halabi with Sour Cherry Sauce3 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- Lamb Meatballs with Sour Cherry Sauce2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
21 Sofra recipes use it in all — browse the collection.
How to buy and store it
Read the ingredient list. The best bottles list pomegranate juice and nothing else, or pomegranate juice with a small amount of sugar. If sugar or glucose syrup is first on the list, put it back.
Cortas, Al Rabih and Ziyad are the Lebanese brands most widely stocked outside the region, and Middle Eastern grocers carry all of them. It keeps for a year or more; refrigerate it once opened and expect it to thicken in the cold.
If you cannot find it
- Tamarind paste with honey, about 4 to 1 goodA similar order of tartness and sweetness. Tamarind is stocked in most large supermarkets.
- Lemon juice, brown sugar and grenadine, simmered down acceptableTwo tablespoons lemon, a teaspoon of brown sugar and a tablespoon of grenadine, reduced by half. Shallower, but it works in dressings and marinades.
- Balsamic glaze acceptableMuch sweeter and a different acid. Use about half as much.
Frequently asked questions
What is pomegranate molasses?
It is pomegranate juice reduced down to a thick, dark syrup. Despite the name it contains no molasses — the word describes the texture. In Arabic it is dibs rumman.
What does pomegranate molasses taste like?
Tart first and sweet second, with a slight tannic bitterness. A good bottle makes you wince before you taste the fruit.
How do I choose a good bottle?
Read the ingredients. Pomegranate juice alone, or juice with a little sugar, is what you want. If sugar or glucose syrup is listed first, the bottle will taste sweet rather than sour and will not behave the way a recipe expects.
What can I use instead of pomegranate molasses?
Tamarind paste with honey at roughly four to one is the closest easy substitute. Lemon juice simmered with brown sugar and grenadine also works in dressings and marinades.
Does pomegranate molasses need refrigerating?
Not before opening. Afterwards, keep it in the fridge — it will thicken in the cold, which is normal. It keeps for a year or more.
What is it used in?
Salad dressings, meat and poultry marinades, stews, dips such as muhammara, and as a finishing drizzle. Nineteen Sofra recipes list it.