Which 12th-century Egyptian treatise documented an early lemon-based drink recipe?

The 12th-century Egyptian treatise was titled On Lemon, Its Drinking and Use.

The work documented an early lemon-based drink recipe and is associated with Ibn Jumayʿ, a court physician in Egypt. Its appearance in the history of lemonade shows that lemon drinks have a much older history than the modern fizzy soft drink industry.

The treatise described a drink made with lemons, dates and honey. Later Egyptian traditions also included qatarmizat, a lemon-juice drink sweetened with sugar, which was recorded in the 13th century. These beverages belonged to the culinary world of medieval Egypt and should not be confused with modern bottled lemonade.

Lemonade’s history then developed across several regions. An Egyptian recipe was being used in England by 1663, while lemonade vendors were selling the drink in Paris by 1676. Carbonated lemonade came much later: the first recorded reference to it dates to 1833, following Joseph Priestley’s 18th-century work on carbonated water.