#ancient cooking

[timetraveltasting]

TUH'U (c. 1740 BCE)

The next Tasting History dish I had to try was Babylonian Tuh'u, a beet and lamb stew. The recipe for this dish is from the Yale Tablets, ancient Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets from 1740 BCE held at Yale University. According to these tablets, Babylonians loved eating stew - this stew recipe was just one of many stamped into these tablets. Max really liked Tuh'u when he made it, and even said it wouldn't be out of place on a modern menu. It's very impressive to see the Babylonians making meals with complex flavour combinations that can even please the palatte of people thousands of years in the future. See Max’s video on how to make it here or see the ingredients and process at the end of this post, sourced from the Youtube description of the video.

My experience making it:

I made a simple change or two from the modern recipe below. I used beef instead of lamb, mainly because the butcher I usually source lamb from was closed this week (and it's otherwise hard to find where I live). Further, I didn't end up using any of the water that Max lists in the ingredients. In terms of beer, I used Erdinger Weißbier, since it is very easy to find where I live. Unfortunately, sour beer is much harder to find, so I didn't consider using it.

In terms of preparation, this recipe requires lots of chopping (meat, onion, leek, shallot, arugula, cilantro...) and a little bit of grinding in the mortar & pestle (cumin seeds and garlic). I was very excited to use my new mortar & pestle, I love it already! The cumin seeds smelled divine while I was crushing them. Due to the long simmer time, the recipe took me about 1 hour and 30 minutes to make. The broth doesn't really thicken like a normal stew, so I decided to leave a little liquid and not boil all of it away, as the broth usually retains lots of the flavour. Due to the beautiful colour of the beets and the pops of fresh green from the cilantro, this dish was visually pretty to look at once it was served. The result was, like Max said, a dish I could definitely see being served in a restaurant today. The Babylonians had good taste!

My experience tasting it:

I tried this one on my own since my husband got home from work pretty late. The first bites were full of flavour - particularly the cilantro's. The texture and pop of flavour from the dried coriander seeds were also present, as well as the cumin, onion, and beet flavour. The beef didn't add much flavour, but definitely soaked up the flavour of the dish like a sponge. I enjoyed every bite of this one, and even saved some for leftovers to have at work. I had a feeling I would like this dish, because I like all the ingredients, and especially beets. I wasn't so sure if my husband would like it, but when he got home, he enthusiastically finished his bowl at record speed, exclaiming at how good it was in between spoonfuls. We both agreed it is the best historical dish I've made yet, and the best dish I've made in a while otherwise. I would actually consider sharing this recipe with friends, especially since the ingredients are fairly easy to find, and the process is fairly simple. Not to mention, the outcome was delicious! If you end up making it, if you liked it, or if you changed anything from the original recipe, do let me know!

Links to harder-to-find ingredients:

Cumin Seed

Coriander Seed

Tuh'u original recipe (c. 1740 BCE)

Sourced from the Yale Babylonian Tablets

Tuh’u sirum saqum izzaz me tukan lipia tanaddi tusammat tabatum sikara susikillum egegerum kisibirrum smidu kamunum alutum tukammas-ma karsum hazannum teterri kisibirrum ina muhhi sipki tusappah suhutinnu kisibirrum isarutu tanaddi. Tuh’u. Lamb leg meat is used. Prepare water. Add fat. Sear. Add in salt, beer, onion, arugula, cilantro, samidu, cumin, and beets. Put the ingredients in the cooking vessel and add crushed leek and garlic. Sprinkle the cooked mixture with coriander on top. Add suhutinnu and fresh cilantro.

Modern Recipe

Based on the Yale Babylonian Tablets and Max Miller’s version in his Tasting History video.

Ingredients:

1 lb (450g) leg of lamb (or other meat), chopped in bite size pieces

3-4 tbsp oil or rendered fat

1 ½ tsp salt

2 cups (475ml) water (only to add if needed)

12 oz (350ml) beer (sour beer and German Weissbier preferred)

1 large onion, chopped

2 cups arugula, chopped

3/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 tsp cumin seeds, crushed in a mortar & pestle

2 large beets (approx. 4 cups), diced

1 large leek, minced

3 cloves garlic

1 tbsp dry coriander seeds

additional chopped cilantro for garnish

Samidu* (1 Persian shallot)

Suhutinnu* (Egyptian leek for garnish)

*These ingredients have no definite translation; the shallot and leek are the best guesses of scholars at Yale and Harvard Universities)

Method:

Add the oil/fat to a large pot and set over high heat.

Sear the lamb for several minutes in the oil until lightly browned.

Add the onions and let cook for 5 minutes.

Add the beets and let cook for 5 minutes.

Add the salt, beer, arugula, cilantro, samidu (shallot), and cumin and bring to a boil.

Mash the garlic into a paste and mix with the leek, then add to the pot.

Lower heat to medium and let simmer for approximately 1 hour, or until the beets and meat are cooked to your liking. Add water if you prefer.

Once cooked, dish it into a bowl and sprinkle with coriander seeds. Garnish with fresh cilantro and suhutinnu (leek).

[classicsstudentsunion]

Ancient Recipes: Apricot Dessert (Apicius, De re coquinaria)

Did you know when you Google Apicius, they call him a professional chef?

Given that he was the closest thing Ancient Rome had to Betty Crocker or Martha Stewart, we guess it makes sense. These apricots are a fantastic dessert from De re coquinaria (c. 5th cent. CE), arguably the best-known Ancient Roman cookbook. They likely would have been enjoyed at room temperature, but taste fantastic after being chilled. We make this at every rendition of our Ancient Food Day, and it's always a hit.

Latin: duracina primotica pusilla precoquiis purgas, enucleas, in frigidam mittis; in patina conponis; teres piper mentam siccam; suffundis liquids; adicies mel passum uinum et acetum; refundis in patina super precoquia, olei modicum mittis et lento igni ferueat, cum ferbuerit, amulo obligas, piper aspargis et inferes. (De re coquinaria, 4.177)

Translation (by John Liao): Wash firm, early or small apricots, pit them, and put them in the cold [water]. Arrange them in a pan. Crush pepper and dried mint, pour over liquamen and add honey, passum, wine and vinegar. Pour over the apricots in the pan. Add a little oil and heat on a low flame. Thicken [the sauce] with starch while it simmers. Sprinkle with pepper and serve. 

Ingredients

10-12 apricots (pitted and halved if fresh, rehydrated in water overnight if dried)

1 ½-2 tbsp freshly cracked black pepper (plus extra for garnish)

1 tbsp dried mint flakes

1 tsp garum/liquamen (substitute fish sauce if you can't find/make it yourself)

3-4 heaping tbsp of honey

3/4 cup of red wine

3/4 cup of passum (also known as raisin wine. Substitutes can include cranberry juice (less sweet), grape juice (more sweet), or ice wine (if you don’t have to make this for a school event).

1 tsp of vinegar (2 tsp if you're not using passum/alcoholic passum substitute)

1 ½ tbsp of olive oil

½ tsp corn starch

3-4 tbsp cold water

Our Recipe

Soak halved, pitted fresh apricots in cold water for 15 minutes (skip if using rehydrated fruit)

In a wide pan (at least 3 inches deep), lightly toast the black pepper and mint at medium heat until fragrant.

Add the liquids: honey, passum, wine, vinegar, and liquamen. Bring to a simmer and stir until well incorporated, and the honey has dissolved. Continue simmering to cook off the alcohol. If the mixture begins to reduce too much, add water in small amounts.

Once the desired amount of alcohol has been cooked off, add the apricots. Continue simmering until apricots reach your desired texture (usually 8-12 mins).

Remove the apricots from the pan. Mix cornstarch with cold water into a slurry, and add to the remaining liquid. Stir and cook until thick, then pour over reserved apricots. Let cool.

Serve chilled or at room temperature, with fresh black pepper sprinkled on top.

Below, we served them with libum (Roman cheesecake) and statites (Ancient Greek spelt crepes).

Some more anachronistic ways to serve this can include using it as pie or tart filling, mixing it with Greek yogurt, or serving it with vanilla ice cream while it's still hot (sort of like a poached pear situation).

Some FAQs

Q. "How long do I actually boil the sauce?"

A. As long as you want, depending on how much alcohol you want in the dish (we serve these at school events, so we have to boil it to hell and back to get rid of all the alcohol).

Q. "The ancient recipe says to cook the apricots first, why do you make the sauce first?"

A. When we tried the apricot-first method, the apricots fell apart and turned the whole thing into a jam-like stew because of how long we had to cook the sauce. It tasted great but lacked the nice texture of the whole apricots.

Q. "Can I substitute ingredients 1-1?"

A. Generally, yes. For our passum substitute, we use cranberry juice for its tartness, but any of the three substitutes work. However, if you have the ability to make/buy garum and passum, definitely give it a try!

[richo1915]

Io Saturnalia

[fixomnia-scribble]

I suddenly feel an indescribably deep call to get a grinding stone and grains and honey and some wild yeasts from the local meadow...

(This urge is exactly why the very expensive bespoke grainery here in town does so well. They sell packages that'll last you 3-4 loaves, just enough to get the process going in the right direction, and then you're hooked on your high-hydration, locally yeasted blend of ancient wheats, millet and barley.)

figurine of a woman baking, 8th-6th century bce, pottery, akhzib

[cryptidclownz]

[kensatou]

you think YOU had a bad day at work?

bonus: sid shrieking "no!!!! NO!!!!!" loud enough to be heard in the stands and on camera

[boldlybeyond]

HISTORY OF COOKING , खाना पकाने का इतिहास

Cooking has been a part of human records for as long as we've existed as a species. Early humans learned to cook meals over open fires, which helped to make it extra digestible and also killed harmful bacteria.

The earliest evidence of cooking comes from burnt animal bones observed in caves in Africa, which date lower back to round 2 million years ago. Through the years, humans advanced extra state-of-the-art cooking strategies, along with boiling and roasting, and commenced to apply pottery to cook and store food.

As civilizations developed, so did their cuisines. The historic Egyptians, Greeks, and romans all had wonderful culinary traditions, and those have been motivated by the ingredients available of their areas as well as via exchange with other cultures. Read More

[quietquaking]

hi op i just want you to know that i made this approximately 20 minutes ago for a latin project im working on (along with my homemade wheat bread, which i also learned how to make for this project) and it was the best soup i’ve had in literal years. i wasn’t expecting much, and then it was so good i almost cried. that may have been related to the leftover onions sitting next to me, but whatever.

thank you for giving me my new favorite recipe and most fulfilling thing i’ve had in a while.

Etruscan Aquacotta (jusellum) - The World That Was

Today, I’ll be making a simple bread-based soup - referred to as juscellum by Apicius! It’s a lot like Tuscan “aquacotta” soup, which is prepared in a similar way - though today it often includes tomatoes, which would not have been available in antiquity.

And now let’s take a look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video above!

Ingredients

1 onion 1 carrot 1 stick celery 3 cloves garlic thyme 2 slices bread (torn or grated) 2 eggs 750ml chicken stock olive oil salt pepper

Method

1 - Chop Ingredients To begin with, we need to chop and dice an onion. You don’t need to worry about being too careful here, as they’ll soften up considerably while its cooking. Peel and dice a carrot or two - carrots and parsnips were considered to be the same vegetable to the Greeks and Romans, so either one works well here! Finally, deal with some celery by slicing it thinly.

2 - Sautee and Cook Toss a bit of olive oil into a pot, and place this over a medium heat. When it’s shimmering, toss in your onions, carrots, and crush a few crushed cloves of garlic. Let this sauté away for about 10 minutes.

When it’s finished sautéing, pour in 500ml worth of water or chicken stock. On top of this, toss some chopped thyme Place your soup over a high heat, and bring it to a rolling boil. When it hits a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer away for 30 minutes.

3 - Prepare Soup and Eggs While your soup is cooking, go rip up some slices into large chunks. Alternatively, you could grate up dried bread into a powder. Toss your bread into the soup about 10 minutes before you’re serving it, along with your parsley.

About 5 minutes before you serve up your soup, place some eggs into the pot and let them hard-boil.

4 - Assemble Soup In a serving bowl, ladle in some of your soup, and place your poached egg on top of this. Garnish with a little fresh herb. And serve up warm!

The finished soup is very filling and flavourful - along with looking very colourful when finished! It’s quick and simple to make, which would have made it popular with the lower, poorer classes in ancient Roman and Etruscan societies - as this dish can be made using ingredients that are going off (such as stale or mouldy bread). It can be adjusted using seasonal vegetables and herbs, along with different kinds of eggs that would provided different taste profiles.

[feza-creations]

WHEN THE SUN IS FALLING

SHOULD I CHASE IT?

[luthqrs]

JENNIFER JAREAU and EMILY PRENTISS in CRIMINAL MINDS 3x14 | 'Damaged'

[galacticsabc]

When the Sun is Snuffed Out

[timetraveltasting]

PATINA DE PIRIS (ROMAN PEAR PATINA, 1st c.)

I was somewhat reluctant to make this next Tasting History dish: Patina de Piris, or Roman Pear Patina, from the 1st century AD primary source De Re Coquinaria of Apicius. The reluctance came primarily from the unexpected list of ingredients (about half of them sweet, half savoury) and from Max's main description of the dish as "very Roman" in flavour. Based on the previous Roman dishes I've made, I assumed this to indicate there would be some unexpected flavours mingling together, both sweet and savoury. The Roman palate definitely differs from the modern one. The list of ingredients puts things together I would never expect: eggs, ice wine, cumin, honey, fish sauce, pears, pepper... not typically ingredients which I would say go well together. I appreciate a challenge, though. The 4th book of De Re Coquinaria features over a dozen recipes for patinae prepared with various ingredients (for example, rustic herbs or peaches) that seem to have little in common, save for the use of the same tool: the patina, a kind of pan or plate. While the Romans would likely have used a clay pot version, as does Max, I opted for enamel in its place, perhaps to the finished dish's detriment (spoiler...). Patinae probably would have been part of mensa secunda, or second meal, the final course in a larger meal which usually consisted of sweets, pastries, nuts, and egg dishes, like a modern dessert course. This explains the sweet ingredients, but I was still puzzled why there are so many savoury ingredients in Patina de Piris; I wanted to find out why! See Max’s video on how to make the dish here or see the ingredients and process at the end of this post, sourced from his website.

My experience making it:

My first and perhaps most crucial change from Max's directions lies in my choice of pan; I used an enamel pan, because I didn't have a clay pot like Max did or the Romans would have. Otherwise, I followed the instructions fairly well. I used an Italian rosé for boiling the pears, four firm pears, German linden tree honey, ice wine from Rheinhessen as my passum, black pepper, and Asian fish sauce as my garum replacement.

I started by preheating the oven, preparing my ingredients, and simmering the rosé wine with a bit of water. I peeled the pears, used an apple slicer to core them and cut them into wedges, and added them to the pot. While they cooked for 20 minutes, I separated the eggs and yolks for later. When the pears were soft and pierceable with a fork, I drained them and began mashing them with a potato masher. Unfortunately, my masher couldn't get the pear pieces very small, no matter how much I mashed, so instead of ending up with the 'applesauce consistency' that Max calls for, mine ended up more like a rustic, chunky pearsauce. I put it into a mesh strainer to get out as much of the moisture as I could without pushing any of the pear chunks through the holes. This was only partially successful, as when I put the pear chunks back in the pot, some juice still pooled a bit. As someone suggested in the comments of Max's video, I added a teaspoon of flour to soak up this moisture, which helped. While the pears were still warm, I melted the honey in, then mixed in the pepper and cumin. Instead of using oil to grease my pan, I used butter to prevent pools of grease from forming on the bottom and leaving the sides ungreased. I easily and quickly beat the egg yolks until uniform, then beat the egg whites for what seemed like an hour (actually about 20 minutes) in an effort to achieve 'stiff peaks', which never quite got very stiff. Once the pears were room temperature, I added the ice wine, fish sauce, and oil, mixed until uniform, then began folding in the egg yolks and egg whites, little by little, until combined. It was quite a frothy mix! I poured the mixture into the enamel pan and put it on the lowest rack in the oven. I baked it for 30 minutes, and the top looked brown, so I took it out to do the toothpick test. It did not come out clean, so I put it back in the oven for another 10 minutes. This time, the toothpick came out clean, so I added some pepper on top and served it after letting it cool a little. It turned out it was not quite cooked at the bottom, and was mushy to serve, so I decided to throw it back in the oven another 10 minutes. This time, upon serving, it was holding together a little better, but pear juice was still pooling at the bottom of the pan. I decided to serve it anyways at this point, as my patience was wearing thin. I served the dish with some of the ice wine from the ingredients, since the bottle was open and beckoning.

My experience tasting it:

I have to admit, it looked absolutely terrible plated up - almost like scrambled eggs. The pear chunks were visible, and seeing them mixed in with cooked egg was not an appetizing look. While the top of the dish looked lovely, as if it had a nice golden baked crust, it was in fact spongey. Very misleading! My husband and I put our most open-minded and optimistic hats on despite this, and tried our first bite. While pear was the main flavour (and I love pear!), the cumin and pepper were definitely noticeable. I get why Max described Patina de Piris as tasting 'very Roman' - it did have hints of flavour I recognized from previous savoury Roman dishes I have made (perhaps the wine, garum, and honey combo?). The flavour was fine, but to me it was very clear that these specific ingredients don't work well together. I hoped they would surprise me by complementing each other, but this was not the case. On top of this, the texture was quite terrible: spongey and moist in all the wrong ways, with chunks of pear adding a bit more crunch, though still fairly soft. The texture of scrambled eggs - that jiggle - was also present. Honestly, the chunks of pear were the saving grace; they still tasted like pear, sweet and lovely. Still, the best part of this meal (which we had around lunchtime), was the ice wine. Evidently, this dish did disappoint, and we ended up throwing out the remainder, which is saying a lot, since I am usually really against wasting food. I'm not sure where this dish went wrong, exactly. It could have been that I used the wrong pan, my pears could have had too much moisture, the egg whites might not have been frothy enough, maybe I shouldn't have used butter instead of oil to grease the pan, or I might have left it in the oven too long somehow. Or, equally likely: the terrible texture and strange taste is just how this dish was originally intended by the Romans. Who's to say? Either way, I consider this a failed attempt at this dish, but I would love if you could change my mind. If you end up making this dish, if you liked it, or if you changed anything from the original recipe, do let me know!

Patina de Piris original recipe (1st c.)

Sourced from De Re Coquinaria by Apicius, 1st century.

Patina of Pears: Pound boiled and cored pears with pepper, cumin, honey, possum, garum, and a little oil. Add eggs to make the patina, sprinkle with pepper, and serve.

Modern Recipe

Based on the recipe from De Re Coquinaria by Apicius (1st c.) and Max Miller’s version in his Tasting History video.

Ingredients:

1 750 ml bottle rosé or other wine

4 medium firm pears, peeled, cored, and cut into quarters

2 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp ground long pepper or black pepper

A large pinch of cumin

4 large eggs, separated

1/4 cup (60 ml) passum*

1 tbsp olive oil

Garum** to taste

*Passum is a sweet raisin wine used in ancient Rome. Use a sweet wine like Vin Santo, ice wine, a sweet Riesling, or Moscato. **Garum was a fermented fish sauce that was used in a lot of ancient Roman cooking. You can buy a modern equivalent or use an Asian fish sauce. For this recipe, I used 1 tablespoon of my homemade garum, which is less salty than modern Asian fish sauces. If you use an Asian fish sauce, use 1 to 1.5 teaspoons.

Method:

Pour the rosé into a saucepan and add some water so that when you add the pears, they’ll all be covered. Bring it to a simmer. Add the pears and cook for 20 minutes or until they get very soft.

Drain the pears. Mash them to a puree, about the consistency of applesauce. Drain off any excess liquid.

While it’s still warm, mix in the honey, pepper, and cumin. Let it cool to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Move a rack to the lowest position. Lightly oil one large ceramic dish or four smaller ones.

Beat the egg yolks until smooth.

Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks.

When the pear mixture is room temperature, mix in the passum, olive oil, and garum.

Stir the egg yolks into the pear mixture.

Fold the egg whites into the pear mixture until there are no streaks of egg white.

Pour the mixture into the prepared dish(es). Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

When the patina is done, take it out of the oven, sprinkle it with pepper, and serve it forth.

[classicsstudentsunion]

University of Toronto Ancient Food Day

There's nothing university students like more than free food. If you live in the Toronto area and are interested in attending, please come! The event is open to everyone, especially prospective students who want to learn more about our program!

Not only does AFD have free food and amazing company, our recipes are translated by our undergrads studying ancient languages! It's a really fun time and Socrates will NOT be there so you can actually enjoy yourself.

[richo1915]

How to prepare a ritual offering to Mars Silvanus for the protection of the cattle, following the directions provided by Cato in De Agri Cultura, written in the 2nd century BCE.

[lovewithoutagony]

i love being an artist bc if my brain demands old men kissing my hands would dive right into it and be done in 40 minutes

[memories-of-ancients]

Assyrian Bronze Age Cake

from Table of Gods