Nabāt (Rock Candy)

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Dissolves slowly, so tea sweetens gradually instead of all at once.

Warm sweet liquid genuinely soothes a sore throat and a queasy stomach.

Familiar and comforting is the ritual itself is part of why it helps.

Nabāt starts as dissolved sugar, then slowly crystallises around a stick or thread. That slow growth is all that separates it from ordinary sugar — chemically it's the same sucrose, simply formed into bigger, clearer crystals that dissolve slowly in a hot glass. The yellow kind most associated with Iran gets its colour and scent from saffron steeped into the syrup.

You'll see it everywhere: sold by weight in bazaars, on sticks by the tea counter, and in pharmacies beside herbal remedies.