The off and on spell of heatwave has not allowed the sale of sharbat and murabba to zoom up this summer so far.
The making of sharbat and murabba over the past several centuries has made them a part of Amritsar’s tangible heritage. Clocking an annual turnover of over Rs 100 crore, the cottage industry has not managed to witness a major rise this summer so far due to the absence of a prolonged heatwave.
The good sale of sharbat, a seasonal item, depends upon the intensity of summer. There are around 40 food-processing units producing sharbat in the district. Most of them are also engaged in making achar (pickles) and murabba (preserves) because of the high-quality water available beneath the water table in the walled city.
Rakesh Thukral, president of the Achar Murabba Association, said that a prolonged summer has so far remained elusive, holding back the sale of sharbat, which is considered to be of Persian origin. A majority of these stores have been preparing sharbat for over a century in Mishri Wala Bazaar, located in the vicinity of the Golden Temple. This year, the trend has been that showers or cloudy days appear after a short spell of intense summer.
Sharbat, being a seasonal item, sees increased sales during prolonged and intense heatwaves, drawing customers from across northern India.
There is strong demand for sweet syrupy varieties of sharbat such as brahmi badam, tripti, bazuri, sandal, kaashni, khas and zeera. A majority of these are prepared using herbs sourced from the Himalayas. Many are also made from fruits such as falsa and shahtut, and flowers such as rose and kevda.
Along with this, consumers also love to indulge in another traditional summer delicacy — murabba.
Rakesh Kumar Meeka, who has been operating his 135-year-old family business for over 40 years, said that the demand for locally prepared sharbat and murabba comes from across the country.
Murabba, made from fruits and vegetables, increases the shelf life of these otherwise perishable farm products.
Dr Sidhant Banura, who completed his PhD in Food Technology from Guru Nanak Dev University in 2024, said that both sharbat and murabba are believed to have originated in Iran, and over the years locals learnt the art of preparing them. A majority of the work was traditionally done manually, creating numerous jobs. However, workers often change professions, workplaces and even cities early, resulting in the loss of skills acquired over the years. He added that this is because a majority of the workforce engaged in the profession consists of migrants.
“After the introduction of the One District One Product (ODOP) scheme in 2022, the centuries-old traditional cottage food-processing industry of sharbat and murabba received a boost. Envisaged by the Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries, the scheme supports existing individual micro units through capital investment, common infrastructure, marketing and branding. Following this, a couple of old family businesses shifted their units outside the walled city. The business has immense scope for growth and needs scientific support to improve hygiene and increase the shelf life and flavour retention of products,” he said.
