Sherbet = Candy?

I believe it is actually "sherbet lemons" that he is partial to, not "lemon sherbet".

A "sherbet lemon" is a particular type of sweet (BrE) or candy (AmE). It has a hard outer coating and a centre of sherbet, which is a sugary powder that fizzes in the mouth. It is more specific than just "lemon candy".

I see. Thank you.

GPYI believe it is actually "sherbet lemons" that he is partial to, not "lemon sherbet".

It has been 5 years or so after I read the original chapter, and since the Japanese version writes the word "lemon" first, I assumed that it came from the original, too.

I've never encountered the term used that way in the U.S. Here, "sherbet" (sometimes"sherbert") is just something similar to "sorbet" (thought usually cheaper and sometimes including milk) -- a frozen fruit-flavored dessert similar to ice cream but not as creamy. Here we have lemon sherbet but (alas!) no sherbet lemons.
Lemon sherbet:

khoffI've never encountered the term used that way in the U.S.

Maybe it's just a British thing then. As well as the sherbet-centred boiled sweets, when I was young we used to have something called a "sherbet dip", which was a bag of the sherbet powder into which one dipped a stick, or tube, of liquorice, through which one attempted to suck up the sherbet.

In Arabic, the combination of "sh", "r", and "b" suggests drinking. 'Sharbat' as we use it in Iran, means something sweet that you drink; that is, a solution of water, some sugar, and some fruit extract like lemon juice.

soheil1In Arabic, the combination of "sh", "r", and "b" suggests drinking. 'Sharbat' as we use it in Iran, ...

Interesting. But you don't speak Arabic in Iran, so it must be a borrowing.

CJ

According to Oxford Dictionaries, the word came to English via the route Arabic -> Persian -> Turkish, and may be related to "syrup", which I didn't know.

GPYrelated to "syrup"

That makes perfect sense to me.

CJ

CalifJim soheil1In Arabic, the combination of "sh", "r", and "b" suggests drinking. 'Sharbat' as we use it in Iran, ...Interesting. But you don't speak Arabic in Iran, so it must be a borrowing.CJ

Yes, Arabs and Iran were always at war ,and around 635 BS, they succeeded in Taaking control of Iran, as well as the rest of the Middle East, and were here fo