Apicius on Dulcia Domestica (homemade sweets)
Book VII. Sumptuous Dishes, Chap. XI. Home-Made Sweets, from https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Apicius/home.html.
Home-Made Sweet Dishes and Honey Sweet-Meats Dulcia Domestica [1] Et Melcæ
[294] Home-Made Sweets Dulcia Domestica [Stuffed Dates]
Little home confections (which are called dulciaria) are made thus: [2] little palms or (as they [172] are ordinarily called) [3] dates are stuffed—after the seeds have been removed—with a nut or with nuts and ground pepper, sprinkled with salt on the outside and are candied in honey and served [4].
[1] Dulcia, sweetmeats, cakes; hence dulciarius, a pastry cook or confectioner.
The fact that here attention is drawn to home-made sweet dishes may clear up the absence of regular baking and dessert formulæ in Apicius. The trade of the dulciarius was so highly developed at that time that the professional bakers and confectioners supplied the entire home market with their wares, making it convenient and unprofitable for the domestic cook to compete with their organized business, a condition which largely exists in our modern highly civilized centers of population today. Cf. “Cooks.”
[2 + 3] Tor.[4] Still being done today in the same manner.
Honeyed Dates recipe
[295] Another Sweetmeat Aliter Dulcia
Grate [scrape, peel] some very best fresh aphros [1] and immerse in milk. When saturated place in the oven to heat but not to dry out; when thoroughly hot retire from oven, pour over some honey, stipple [the fruit] so that the honey may penetrate, sprinkle with pepper [2] and serve.
[1] Tor., Tac., Lan. musteos aphros; Vat. Ms., G.-V. afros; List. apios, i.e. celery, which is farthest from the mark. Goll. interprets this a “cider apple,” reminiscent, probably, of musteos, which is fresh, new, young, and which has here nothing to do with cider.
Aphros is not identified. Perhaps the term stood for Apricots (Old English: Aphricocks) or some other African fruit or plant; Lister’s celery is to be rejected on gastronomical grounds.
The above treatment would correspond to that which is given apricots and peaches today. They are peeled, immersed in cream and sweetened with sugar. Apicius’ heating of the fruit in milk is new to us; it sounds good, for it has a tendency to parboil any hard fruit, make it more digestible and reduce the fluid to a creamy consistency.[2] The “pepper” again, as pointed out in several other places, here is some spice of agreeable taste as are used in desserts today.
[296] Another Sweet Dish Aliter Dulcia
Original recipe: Siligineos rasos frangis, et buccellas maiores facies. In lacte infundis, frigis [et] in oleo, mel superfundis et inferes.
Break [slice] fine white bread, crust removed, into rather large pieces which soak in milk [and beaten eggs] fry in oil, cover with honey and serve [1].
[1] “French” Toast, indeed!—Sapienti sat!
Aliter dulcia (fried bread)
[297] Another Sweet Aliter Dulcia
In a chafing-dish put [1] honey, pure wine, raisin wine, rue, pine nuts, nuts, cooked spelt, add crushed and toasted hazelnuts [2] and serve.
[1] G.-V. Piperato mittis. Piperatum is a dish prepared with pepper, any spicy dish; the term may here be applied to the bowl in which the porridge is served. Tac. Dulcia piperata mittis.
[2] Dann. Almonds.
[298] Another Sweet Aliter Dulcia
Crush pepper, nuts, honey, rue, and raisin wine with milk, and cook the mixture [1] with a few eggs well worked in, cover with honey, sprinkle with [crushed nuts, etc.] and serve.
[1] Tractam, probably with a starch added, or else it is a nut custard, practically a repetition of ℞ Nos. 129 and 143.
[299] Another Sweet Aliter Dulcia [Delian Sweets]
Take a preparation similar [1] [to the above] and in the hot water [bath or double boiler] make a very hard porridge of it. Thereupon spread it out on a pan and when cool cut it into handy pieces like small cookies. Fry these in the best oil, take them out, dip into [hot] honey, sprinkle with pepper [2] and serve.
[1] This confirms the assumption that some flour or meal is used in ℞ No. 298 also without which this present preparation would not “stand up.”
[2] It is freely admitted that the word “pepper” not always stands for the spice that we know by this name. Cf. note 2 to ℞ No. 295 et al.
[300] A Still Better Way Aliter [Delian Sweets with milk]
Is to prepare this with milk instead of water.
Delian Sweets recipe
[301] Custard Tyropatinam
Estimate the amount of milk necessary for this dish and sweeten it with honey to taste; to a pint [1] of fluid take 5 eggs; for half a pint [2] dissolve 3 eggs in milk and beat well to incorporate thoroughly, strain through a colander into an earthen dish and cook on a slow fire [in [174] hot water bath in oven]. When congealed sprinkle with pepper and serve [3].
[1] Sextarium.
[2] ad heminam.
[3] Dann. calls this a cheese cake, which is a far-fetched conclusion, although standard dictionaries say that the tyropatina is a kind of cheese cake. It must be borne in mind, however, that the ancient definition of “custard” is “egg cheese,” probably because of the similarity in appearance and texture.
Cf. ℞ Nos. 129 and 143.Recipe for Tyropatinam
[302] Omelette Soufflée [1] Ova Sphongia Ex Lacte
Four eggs in half a pint of milk and an ounce of oil well beaten, to make a fluffy mixture; in a pan put a little oil, and carefully add the egg preparation, without letting it boil [2] however. [Place it in the oven to let it rise] and when one side is done, turn it out into a service platter [fold it] pour over honey, sprinkle with pepper [3] and serve [4].
[1] Dann. misled by the title, interprets this dish as “Floating Island”; he, the chef, has completely misunderstood the ancient formula.
[2] Tor. sinas bullire—which is correct. List. facies ut bulliat—which is monstrous.
[3] G.-V.
[4] Tor. continues without interruption.
[303] Cheese And Honey Mel Et Caseum [1]
Prepare [cottage] cheese either with honey and broth [brine] or with salt, oil and [chopped] coriander [2].
[1] G.-V. Melca ... stum; List. mel castum, refined honey; Tac. Mel caseum; Tor. mel, caseum. Cf. ℞ No. 294.
[2] To season cottage (fresh curd) cheese today we use salt, pepper, cream, carraway or chopped chives; sometimes a little sugar.
Abbreviations:
NY—The New York Codex (formerly Cheltenham), Apiciana, I
Vat.—The Vatican Codex, Apiciana, II.
Vin.—The Codex Salmasianus, Excerpta a Vinidario, Apiciana, III.
B. de V.—Edition by Bernardinus, Venice, n.d., Apiciana, No. 1.
Lan.—Edition by Lancilotus, Milan, 1498, Apiciana, Nos. 2-3.
Tac.—Edition by Tacuinus, Venice, 1503, Apiciana, No. 4.
Tor.—Edition by Torinus, Basel (and Lyons), 1541, Apiciana, Nos. 5-6.
Hum.—Edition by Humelbergius, Zürich, 1542, Apiciana, No. 7.
List.—Edition by Lister, London, 1705, Amst., 1709, Apiciana, Nos. 8-9.
Bern.—Edition by Bernhold, Marktbreit, etc., Apiciana, Nos. 10-11.
Bas.—Edition by Baseggio, Venice, 1852, Apiciana, No. 13.
Sch.—Edition by Schuch, Heidelberg, 1867/74, Apiciana, Nos. 14-15.
Goll.—Edition by Gollmer, Leipzig, 1909, Apiciana, No. 16.
Dann.—Edition by Danneil, Leipzig, 1911, Apiciana, No. 17.
G.-V.—Edition by Giarratano-Vollmer, Leip. 1922, Apiciana, No. 19.
V.—The present translation.
Giarr.—Giarratano; Voll.—F. Vollmer; Bran.—Edward Brandt.
