pekmez (petimezi in Greek; vincotto, sapa, or saba in Italian; dibs el inab, debess ennab, or debs el enab in Arabic) is an ancient, traditional ingredient of the Mediterranean pantry. The Romans called this grape molasses defructum. It is made from freshly extracted grape juice that is simmered to condense to roughly one-third or one-fourth of its original volume. This lengthy process makes the dark and syrupy molasses expensive and rare, and the small quantities produced every fall disappear fast.
