An essential part of traditional Anatolian cuisine, sherbets have been one of the best and most desired refreshments during Ramadan. What you eat is crucial during Ramadan. Apart from being the holy month, Ramadan is also the month of health during which Muslims give a rest to their bodies while taking all the nutrition they can from iftar to sahur (the fast-breaking and morning meals, respectively). However, as it is spring time and dehydration is the most challenging part of fasting from dawn till dusk, what you drink is also important. Hence, sherbets, prepared with thousands of years old recipes by using tons of spices and other ingredients, become the superstars of Ramadan.

To keep the sherbet tradition alive, the students and teachers of the Diyarbakır Technical Institute are reproducing famous Anatolian sherbets for Ramadan and recording the recipes in order for them to survive future Ramadans.

The students, under the supervision of Gülden Bulut Budak, prepare sherbets according to the orders and ship them not only in Diyarbakır but to other provinces as well. Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Durak said since Ramadan coincides with spring this year, people are more into refreshments. She said that instead of consuming soda-type drinks, it is healthy to drink sherbets made from natural fruits and local herbs.

Dietician Özlem Tay agrees with Durak by saying that fizzy drinks feature high acid rates as well as sugar and phosphoric acid which disturbs the bone structure and causes cardiac arrhythmia. "Fizzy drinks have no nutrition and they increase the risk of bone loss," Tay added. She also added that fizzy drinks cause stomach problems, sleep deprivation, headaches and a lack of concentration. "Instead of meeting your need for water, fizzy drinks such as sodas cause dehydration," Tay said.

For Tay, the healthiest and most delicious choice for refreshment in Ramadan is sherbets, as well as fresh lemonades and ayran.