The World That Was

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! Today I’m making a simple pressed fig and almond cake - known today as Dalmatian or Croatian “smokvenjak”. Dried fruit turned into pressed cakes were a common way of storing figs, dates, and other high-sugar, low moisture goods in antiquity - like we can see with the mersu from Akkadian society. This recipe is based on early Greek descriptions of food the Illyrians ate. In any case, let's take a look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video, above! Ingredients 300g dried figs 100g almonds fresh fennel Method 1 - Prepare the Almonds To begin with, place your dried almonds into a mortar and pestle and grind them into a very fine meal. You don't need to peel or blanche the nuts for this, so just add them as-is. It should look like sand granules when you’re done. 2 - Prepare the Figs Now we need to deal with our figs. The stalk is edible, but is considerably tougher than the inside of the fig. So I’d recommend removing them ...

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! Today, I'll be taking a look at a recipe from the Heel of Italy, also known as Magna Graecia (due to the intensity of Greek colonies here from the 8th century BC). I’ll be making some small bread-rings, called taralli. They're still made today, albeit in a different way. This recipe has been adapted from the Tavola Mediterranea, so I suggest you check them out! In any case, let's take a look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video above! Ingredients 2 cups wholegrain flour 1/2 cup water 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp white wine (or white wine vinegar) 1 tbsp fennel seeds Method 1 - Make the Dough To begin with, we need to make a dough. Do this by pouring two cups of flour into a bowl, followed by the fennel seeds. Whisk these together just so they're combined. You can add less fennel here if you want a milder final product. Next, pour in a half cup of water, your two tablespoons of olive oil, and your two tablespoons o...

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! This week, I made another dish from Urartian society - a warm yoghurt and barley soup. Although it's mostly referred to as Greek Yoghurt - at least in Ireland anyway - stained yoghurt was common to the societies of the Bronze Age Near East, not just Greece! In any case, let's take a look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video above! Ingredients 1 cup barley 1 onion, diced 1/4 cup mint, chopped 1/4 cup parsley, chopped butter 3 scallions 2 cups Greek yoghurt / strained yoghurt 2 eggs salt pepper 4 cups / 1L water Method 1 - Boil Barley To begin with, we need to cook our barley. Pour about 4 cups or about a litre of water into a pot, along with your cup of barley. Place this onto a medium-high heat, and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove it from the heat, but keep it warm. 2 - Prepare the Mint and Onion While your barley is cooking, go chop your fresh mint by picking leaves off the sprigs, and rolling them into a...

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! This week, I made a dish recorded by the Greek playwriter Aristophanes - a simple brown lentil and leek soup! This is an easy and very versatile recipe, and even has parallels with a modern Greek dish! In any case, let's take a look at The World That Was! Ingredients: 1 leek 1 onion 1 garlic clove 1 stick celery 1 carrot 1 parsnip 1 cup / 250g lentils (preferably brown lentils) 750ml water (or stock) 1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar (preferably red wine vinegar) rosemary bay leaves olive oil salt pepper Method: 1 - Chop the Leek and Onion, and Prep the Pot First, pour some olive oil into a pot. Place this over a medium-high heat while you prepare your other ingredients! Slice your leek into rings, each one about as wide as your finger. Then, chop your onion in half, and then into thin little crescents. Toss your leek and onion into your pot when the olive oil starts to shimmer. Next, go crush a clove of garlic into it all. Add a little salt and pep...