جلّاب

Jallab

Name: Jallab
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 0.5 cup jallab syrup (or concentrated grape juice); 2 tbsp rose water; 2 cups cold water; 3 cups ice; 3 tbsp pine nuts; 3 tbsp golden raisins; 1 tbsp crushed pistachios

📍 Lebanese Coastal 🍽 Drinks ⏱ Easy

The quintessential Lebanese summer drink: dark grape juice and rose water syrup poured over crushed ice, topped with floating pine nuts, golden raisins, and a dusting of crushed pistachios. Sweet, floral, cold, and unmistakably Beirut.

Jallab is the Lebanese summer. In July and August in Beirut, street vendors wheel carts of glass pitchers filled with dark, glistening jallab through every neighborhood, and the sound of ice being crushed is as much a summer sound as cicadas. It is sold at every juice stand, every café, every corner kiosk from Hamra to Gemmayzeh. But jallab is also the drink of the Lebanese diaspora's most important ritual: Ramadan. In São Paulo — home to the largest Lebanese population outside Lebanon, estimated at over 5 million people of Lebanese descent — Lebanese-Brazilian families prepare pitchers of jallab every evening during Ramadan to break the fast. The same scene plays out in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Dearborn, Sydney, and Lagos: jallab appears on the table and Lebanon appears in the room. Pine nuts on top are non-negotiable.

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Ingredients

0.5 cup jallab syrup (or concentrated grape juice)
2 tbsp rose water
2 cups cold water
3 cups ice
3 tbsp pine nuts
3 tbsp golden raisins
1 tbsp crushed pistachios

Instructions

Fill tall glasses with crushed ice almost to the top.
Mix jallab syrup with cold water and rose water. Taste — it should be sweet, deeply grape-flavored, and intensely floral.
Pour the jallab mixture over the ice, filling each glass.
Float pine nuts and golden raisins on the surface.
Scatter a pinch of crushed pistachios across the top.
Serve immediately with a long spoon for the pine nuts and raisins.

Hear every step read aloud

Step-by-step voice narration guides you hands-free. Faten's Idlib recipes carry her own Syrian-Arabic narration. Charbel Rouhana's original oud plays during Cooking Mode.

Get Sofra on Google Play →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Jallab?

Where is Jallab from?

Jallab comes from Lebanese Coastal. Sofra documents this recipe as part of its 214-recipe Lebanese and Syrian heritage collection, including 49 dishes from Idlib province.

Is Jallab vegetarian or vegan?

As written, Jallab uses only plant-based ingredients, so it is suitable for both vegetarian and vegan diets. Always double-check the full ingredient list against your own dietary needs.

What do I serve with Jallab?

In a Lebanese drinks spread, Jallab is served as a refreshment on its own, warm or chilled as the recipe directs.

Can I make Jallab ahead, and how do I store leftovers?

This can be made ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Stir or shake before serving, and adjust sweetness or dilution to taste.