Rooh Afza:
Is a non-alcoholic concentrated squash made with fruits, herbs and vegetable extracts. It was formulated by Hakeem Hafiz Abdul Majeed[1] in 1906 in Ghaziabad, and manufactured by the companies founded by him and his sons, Hamdard (Wakf) Laboratories. Since 1948, the company has been manufacturing the product in Pakistan, as well as India.
Other companies formulate the same un-patented recipe in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The specific Unani recipe of Rooh Afza combines several of popularly-believed cooling agents, like rose, and used as remedy for loo, hot summer winds. It is sold commercially as a syrup to flavor sherbets, cold milk drinks, ices and cold desserts, such as the popular falooda.
History:
In 1906, Hakim Abdul Majeed, a physician of Unani herbal medicine, founded his clinic in Old Delhi, the following year, he launched Rooh Afza, from an establishment at Lal Kuan in Old Delhi. Following the partition of India in 1947, while the elder son stayed, the younger son migrated to Pakistan and started a separate Hamdard from two rooms in Karachi.
In 2010, chef Nita Mehta was roped in by Hamdard Laboratories to create new mocktail and dessert recipes for Rooh Afza, their all season summer drink, which were used in a new marketing campaign.
Ingredeints:
Its original formulation included:
Herbs: purslane ("Khurfa seeds", Portulaca oleracea), Chicory, wine-grape raisins (Vitis vinifera), European white lily (Nymphaea alba, blue star water lily (Nymphaea nouchali), lotus (Nelumbo), Borage and Coriander
Fruits: orange, citron, pineapple, apple, berries, strawberry, raspberry, loganberry, blackberry, cherry, concord grapes, blackcurrant and watermelon
Vegetables: spinach, carrot, mint and mu?p huong (Luffa aegyptiaca)
Flowers: rose, keora (Pandanus fascicularis), lemon and orange
Roots: vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides)
Preparation:
Original:
1 glass cold milk
2 tablespoons Rooh Afza
2 ice cubes
1 spoonful sugar
Alternate:
Rooh Afza, the concentrate is generally served mixed with cold milk and ice, the closest western equivalent is strawberry milk.[8][9] Rooh Afza is often made in preparation, part of Iftar, the evening meals for breaking the fast (roza), during Ramadan,[10] the holy month of fasting for Muslims. The concentrate can also be mixed with water, which is a common preparation in the hot Indian summer. When mixed with water, the final drink is a type of Sharbat. Rooh Afza syrup is often mixed with Kulfi Ice cream, and vermicelli noodles to make the Indian version of the popular Iranian desert Falooda.
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