The World That Was

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! Io Saturnalia! The Roman celebration of the end of the year, Saturnalia, is next week! So celebrate another end of another year, I'm making a simple baked treat to serve for any saturnalia celebrations you have planned - a quick and easy Dulcia Piperata (as recorded by Apicius) In any case, let's now take a look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video, above! Check out my Patreon for more! Ingredients 1 cup / 150g flour 2 eggs 1/2 tsp ground rosemary 75 g chopped almonds 2tsp ground pepper 100 ml sweet white wine (or grape juice) 2 tbsp honey Milk 75g Chopped hazelnuts Method: 1 - Mix Dry Ingredients Toss about a cup of flour in a bowl. Add in some rosemary, a couple teaspoons of ground pepper, and about 75g of chopped almonds to the bowl. Mix everything together, just so it's all evenly mixed. Rosemary is a commonly-found herb in the Mediterranean, and found it's way into Roman cooking in a variety of dishes! I...

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! Today, I'll be taking a look at a medieval Byzantine honey cake - which itself is based on an earlier Greek iron-age cake, amphiphon. This is going to be a light, fluffy cake with a rich, honey flavour! In any case, let's now take a look at the world that was! Follow along with my YouTube video, above! If you like what you see, consider supporting me over on Patreon! Ingredients 1 cup flour 3/4 cup butter 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup walnuts salt orange rind 1 - Cream the Sugar and Butter To begin with, toss about 3/4 of a cup of room-temperature butter into a mixing bowl. Into this, place about 3/4 of a cup of sugar. Mix everything together using a wooden spoon, smearing the butter into the sugar along the side of the bowl. Do this until it takes on a rich, creamy texture. At this stage, beat three eggs into the mixture, taking care to mix them all thoroughly before progressing! 2 - Add Dry Ingredients Next, toss in about a cup's worth of ...

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! This week, I'm going to be making a quick and easy rice pudding dessert, recorded in a 14th century Neapolitan cookbook - the Cuoco Napoletano! Rice began being used in medieval Europe intensively around the 9th or 10th centuries AD - though evidence for it's cultivation in the Eastern Mediterranean date back to Alexander the Great's conquests into Asia. In any case, let's now take a quick look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video, above! Ingredients (makes 4 portions) 2 cups rice 4 cups almond milk 1 cup sugar saffron Method 1 - Wash and Cook Rice To begin with, we need to cook some rice. I used basmati rice, but arborio or other, fatter-grained rice would have been used in antiquity as well! Begin by washing a couple of cups of rice in some cold water. Move the grains around with your hands, to get rid of excess starch. When the water runs clear, place your rice in a pot, and fill up with cold water until t...

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! Today, I'm going to be making a simple pulse and leaf salad present in ancient Cretan - and possibly wider Hellenic - culture! It' still eaten today, in a modern dish called "palikaria" which is eaten in the Eastern Mediterranean around feast days. Although the modern version of this dish is associated with Christian religious festivals, its likely that it arose from pre-Christian practices! In any case, let's now take a look at the world that was! Follow along with my YouTube video, above! If you like my recipes, consider checking out my Patreon! Ingredients 1/2 cup small broad beans 1/2 cup chickpeas 1/2 cup green lentils 1 tbsp salt 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 cup red wine vinegar parsley arugula sesame seeds Method 1 - Soak Pulses To begin with, we need to prepare our pulses. If you're using dried pulses, soak these overnight in some water. If you're using them canned, simply drain them. Next, we need to wash these in...

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! This week, I'm going to be recreating a simple carrot and coriander soup that was popular in medieval French cuisine - the simple Potage de Crécy. Although I'm using orange carrots, which were rare in antiquity, carrots, parsnips, or any combination of these would work well here! In any case, let's now take a look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video, above! Check out my Patreon for some more recipes! Ingredients (for 2-3 portions) 1 onion (or an equal volume to the amount of carrots) chopped 3 carrots (or an equal volume to the amount of onions) diced 2 cloves garlic olive oil ground coriander 500ml stock (e.g. chicken, vegetable, etc.) Method 1 - Prepare and Cook Onion To begin with, we need to peel and chop one whole onion. Onions of all kinds were a staple of most cuisines from the neolothic period to modernity, as they're hardy, filling vegetables that have a multitude of uses. In any case, chop this int...

 Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! Today, I'll be taking a look at medieval Ottoman cuisine - specifically the food seen in ottoman courts! The recipe in question is cılbır, or poached eggs with herbal yoghurt. This is a simple yet tasty recipe that is still eaten today in Turkey! In any case, let's now take a look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video, above! Consider checking out my Patreon if you like these recipes! Ingredients (for 3 portions) 3 eggs 150g greek yoghurt freshly chopped parsley (or dill, or cilantro) 2 cloves garlic ground coriander Method 1 - Make the Yoghurt To begin with, we need to make a simple yoghurt for the eggs to sit on. Start this by finely chopping some fresh parsley - dill or cilantro would have also been used! Toss this into your yoghurt, along with a clove or two of crushed garlic. Mix all of this together, until it's very well combined. Leave it to sit aside while you poach your eggs. 2 - Poach the eggs Place a p...

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! This week, I'm making some hard-boiled eggs in a pine nut sauce, as recorded by Apicius. This is a quick and easy recipe that would have served as a cheap but filling meal for many Romans in antiquity - requiring at least eggs, pine nuts, and garum. However, the recipe recorded by Apicius gives us a glimpse at a more middle-class meal! In any case, let's now take a look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video, above! If you like what you see, consider supporting me on Patreon! Ingredients 200g pine nuts (soaked overnight in water) 4 eggs 1 tbsp honey 1 tbsp vinegar 1 tbsp garum (or fish sauce) pepper salt dried lovage (or celery seeds, ground) Method 1 - Prepare the Sauce To begin making this recipe, we need to soak our pine nuts in some water overnight. So start making this the day before you want to eat it! Place the soaked pine nuts into a mortar and pestle, and get to grinding. They should break down fairly easily. ...

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! Today, I'll be making a quick side-dish from Rome, as recorded by Apicius! He has a few ways of preparing mushrooms, but this is one of the more flavourful methods he shows us! In any case, let's now take a look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video, above! Ingredients 500g mushrooms (I used chestnut mushrooms) 2 tbsp red wine vinegar (or malt vinegar) 1 tbsp salt 1 tbsp pepper fresh coriander or parsley Method 1 - Chop the Mushrooms This is a rather simple recipe, but to begin with, we need to prepare our mushrooms. I used chestnut mushrooms, sliced into thin segments, but button or Portobello mushrooms may also be similar to what was available in antiquity, along with edible morels. If you have smaller mushrooms, you can skip slicing these, and proceed with cooking them as is! 2 - Sautee Mushrooms Into a hot pot, pour a generous amount of olive oil - enough to coat the base. On top of this, toss your mushrooms. Spri...

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! Today, I'll be taking a look at a Roman recipe, recorded by Apicius, which was likely eaten at contemporary roadside eateries in the Roman Empire - the simple isicia omentata - or what is basically a Roman burger patty! The end result is like a spiced and fragrant meatloaf! In any case, lets now take a look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video above! If you like my recipes, consider checking out my Patreon! Ingredients (for 5-6 burgers) 500g minced meat (beef, pork, lamb would be most fitting here) 100g breadcrumbs 2 cups wine (white or rose would work best) 100g pine nuts 50g black pepper Method 1 - Soak the Breadcrumbs To begin with, we need to soak 100g of breadcrumbs in a cup or two of wine. This is to add some moisture to the finished isicia, and to help pad out the meat. In antiquity, stale bread would have been used here, as it was a simple way to make the most out of every loaf of bread. If your breadcrumbs look ...

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! Today, I'll be making a quick and easy sesame snack from the Cretan Iron Age! A treat so sweet that it's still popular today (with a few adaptations of course) - the koptoplakous as it's known in antiquity - or the Pasteli as it's known today! In any case, let's now take a look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video above! Ingredients 200g sesame seeds 200g honey sea salt (to taste) Method 1 - Toast the Sesame Seeds To begin with, we need to lightly brown and toast 200g of sesame seeds. Do this by tossing them into a hot pan, and letting them cook over a high heat for a couple of minutes. Don't let these sit still, keep them moving around the pan so they toast evenly! Do this for about 5 minutes, or until your seeds are nutty and fragrant. Take these off the heat, but keep them warm while you deal with the honey. 2 - Boil Honey Next, place a pot onto a high heat. Into this, scoop about 200g of honey an...

 Hello and welcome to the World That Was!  Today, I'll be going back to the Hellenistic Period, to the Hasmonean dynasty of Judea. The recipe in question is a simple honeyed-hens, recorded by Seleucid accounts of a feast held by one of the ruling elite. Though the original recipe refers to it plainly as chicken with honey, I'm going to be recreating it today based on our knowledge of contemporary dining habits! In any case, let's now take a look at the World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video above! Ingredients 4 chicken thighs salt (to taste) pepper (to taste) ground cumin ground coriander 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp honey 2-4 cloves garlic Method 1 - Prepare the Chicken To begin with we need to season our chicken. Do this by sprinkling some salt, some freshly ground black pepper, some ground coriander, and some ground cumin on top of your chicken, before rubbing it in with your hands. I used some skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, but really ...

Hello and Welcome to 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. 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, car...

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! Today, I'll be making a 13th century cheesecake, from Andalucía - the South of Spain! The original text is from a medieval cookbook, by Ibn Razin al-Tujibi, and the audience seems to be for elite members of society. Though today, it's a simple and easy cake that anyone can make inside an hour! Ingredients 1 cup flour 1 cup milk 1tbsps yeast (or 1/3 cup sourdough starter) 250g ricotta (or other soft white cheese) honey olive oil cinnamon Method 1 - Prepare Dough To begin with, we need to make a simple dough. Pour a cup of flour into a bowl, along with a tablespoon of yeast. Dry yeast wouldn't have been available in antiquity, but wild yeast from a sourdough starter would have been used, and a third of a cup can be used here. Pour in a cup of room-temperature milk on top of this, along with a splash of olive oil. The original recipe calls for "fat" which can be any one of a huge number of things - like butter, lard, or oils. ...

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! Today, I'll be making an Etruscan dish - which is preserved through Roman cuisine through to modernity! The simple testaroli - a rudimentary ancestor to the pasta that we know and love today! In any case, let's now take a look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video, above! Ingredients 1/2 cup plain flour 1/2 cup wholemeal flour 1 cup water pesto Method 1 - Prepare the Batter To begin with, we need to make the batter. To do this, toss a half a cup of plain white flour into a bowl, along with some wholemeal flour. Mix in an equal amount of water, to form a thin slurry. 2 - Oil the Pan and Make the testaroli When the batter is ready, pour a ladleful into a pan that's been oiled with olive oil. Spread this into a very thin layer, by tilting the pan around. Cook the thin layer of batter for a minute or two over a high heat, or until the edges start to firm up. Don't cook it all the way through! Flip it over and let ...

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! This week, I'll be taking a look at a Byzantine baked cheesecake - that's quick, simple, and very tasty! It seems to be based on an earlier Greek recipe for a baked cheesecake, but was adapted to suit the tastes of Medieval Byzantine elite cuisine! In any case, let's now take a look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video, above! Ingredients 500g ricotta cheese (or myzithra, anthotyro cheese) 150g honey 3 eggs flour cinnamon butter (to grease baking tin) Method 1 - Whisk Ingredients To begin with, we need to place our cheese in a bowl. I used ricotta here, because it has a good texture and is widely available, but other soft Greek cheeses would work well - such as myzithra or anthotyro. Into this, pour 150g of honey, and whisk it well. Crack an egg one at a time into the bowl, whisking it until it's well combined before adding two more. Chicken eggs would have been used in this period, along with wildfowl and pi...

 Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! Today, I'll be making some honey-stewed stuffed dates - as recorded by the Roman culinary artiste - Apicius. As with most of his recipes, it's a little vague in the ingredients and methodology, but I've tried to recreate this as faithfully as I could! Stuffed walnuts are still eaten around the world today, and they're extremely easy to make, so an excellent thing to make for that special someone this Valentine's Day! In any case, lets now take a look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video above! Ingredients 12 dates (pitted) 1/4 cup walnuts 1 tbsp peppercorns honey red wine vinegar water Method 1 - Prepare Ingredients To begin with, we need to crush or chop our walnuts. Crush them as much as you like in a mortar and pestle. I prefer large chunks here, so that's what I did. Alternatively, you could just chop these with a knife - its up to you! Place the chopped nuts into a small bowl and leave it aside....

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! Today, I'll be taking a look at an Etruscan onion soup. It's the ancestor to a renaissance dish, "carabaccia" , from the same region as Etruscan society (Tuscany), so it shares similar taste profiles that have been transmitted through the populations of Tuscany for centuries! In any case, lets now take a look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video above! Ingredients 500g onions (preferably red) 100g almonds (crushed) honey salt pepper 500ml water (or stock of your choice) Method 1 - Prepare the Onions To begin with, we need to peel and chop our onions. I'm using red onions here, because they're similar to the kind of onion found in Tuscany today, but really any onion works here. Cut each onion in half, and slice these halves into very thin pieces. Make sure they're all roughly the same size.  2 - Cook the Onions When you're done dealing with your onions, pour some olive oil into a large pot. T...

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! This week, I'm going to be making some honey spiced wine that was popular in the Eastern Mediterranean. The name of this comes from Apicius, and roughly translates to "surprise" or "marvellous" spiced wine. This recipe was also recorded in the Jerusalem Talmud, which reaffirms the claims for this drink's popularity in the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant! Given the time of year I'm posting this, it would be a fitting drink to serve for any festivities you might have planned for Saturnalia! But before I begin, I just want to make it clear that this is a recipe for an alcoholic beverage, so please don't make this if you're under the legal drinking age where you are! It's 18 in Ireland, but it may be different where you are! In any case, let's now take a look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video above! Ingredients 100g honey 700ml wine (preferably red) 2 bay leaves 2 saffron stran...

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! Today, we'll be making another Roman recipe, from Apicius - a writer and gourmet from the 1st century AD. This recipe is very similar to modern French toast, but is really only a little plainer than modern renditions of it! The original recipe is pretty short, and not very descriptive, so I've decided to reconstruct this in a slightly different way. "Slice fine white bread, remove the crust, and break it into large pieces.  Soak these pieces in milk and beaten egg, fry in oil, and cover with honey before serving." - Apicius, 7.13.3 In any case, let's now take a look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video, above! Ingredients Bread loaf (or pre-sliced bread) 3 eggs 200ml / 1 cup milk honey (to taste) olive oil (to fry) Method 1 - Bread To begin with, we need some bread. You can of course use any kind of bread. I made some Roman bread last week, so check that out if you want to know how I made the loaf I use...

 Hello and Welcome to The World That Was! Today, I'll be making some Roman bread! Bread is one of humanity's food staples - if there's a collection of humans, they'll find a way to make bread one way or another! This particular bread is actually recorded by Apicius - Marcus Gaius Apicius, a Roman writer and gourmet - who was writing in the 1st century BC. This is a simple wheat loaf, that I've decided to give a little decoration too. In any case, lets take a look at The World That Was! Follow along with my YouTube video above! Ingredients 1 cup wholemeal flour 1 cup plain flour 1 packet instant yeast OR 1/2 cup sourdough starter 1 tsp salt warm water (to mix) Method 1 - Prepare the Dough To begin with, pour your packet of yeast into a large bowl, and add a little water, just to rehydrate it. Romans didn't have access to dried yeast like this, but they used natural airborne yeast - like how we use it today when making sourdough! You could just as easily use a 1/2...