Original Recipe: Mystron: Athenaeus, The Partying Professors ‘Nicander of Colophon is the author who employs the word mystron when describing the use of the word barley groats in the first of his two books On Farming. He writes: “But when you are making a dish of fresh kid or lamb or capon, put some barley groats in […]

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups natural barley salt 3/4 cup Feta cheese, crumbled 1 lb. ground beef 1 onion, finely chopped bread crumbs 4 zucchini, sliced 3 cups medium white sauce: 2 Tbs olive oil 2 Tbs flour 1 cup of warm milk pinch of salt Method: Cook the barley in salted water until done. Drain […]

Original Recipe [To cook fish] Hierophile, 13th century …one should choose fish which has a delicate flesh… They should be cooked with oxymel, vinegar and garum. [Master Demetrios, Byzantine Cuisine] Ingredients: 4 lbs. salmon fillets 4 Tbsp. White wine vinegar 2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. Honey 2 tsp. Fish sauce Olive oil Method: Spread a small […]

(Andalusian p. A-9) It is made with hens, pigeons, ring doves, small birds, or lamb. Take what you have of it, then clean it and cut it and put it in a pot with salt and onion, pepper, coriander and lavender or cinnamon, some murri naqi, and oil. Put it over a gentle fire until […]

(al-Baghdadi) Cut fat meat small, put into the saucepan with a little salt, and cover with water. Boil and remove the scum. Cut up onions, wash, and throw in on top of the meat. Add seasonings, coriander, cumin, mastic, cinnamon, pepper and ginger, well ground. Take dry apricots, soak in hot water, then wash and […]

Original Recipe Apicius, #268 Assaturam: Assam a furno simplicent salis plurimo conspersam cum melle inferes. Roasted Meat: The meat is roasted plain in the oven, sprinkled generously with salt. Serve with honey. [Giacosa, p. 88] Ingredients: 2-3 pounds beef roast 1 tablespoon salt 1/2 cup honey, divided Preparation Steps: Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Sprinkle […]

Ingredients: 1 kg chicken drumsticks (or 800g boneless breasts) 2 chopped onions 1-2 tbls oil 1 cup ground blanched almonds 2 cups chicken stock 1-1.5 tsp ground ginger fresh ground pepper salt 0.5 tsp pure saffron (threads) infused in 0.25 cup hot stock juice of 1-1.5 lemons Method: Trim chicken pieces as necessary, pat dry. […]

Ingredients: 1 lb. ground lamb (may be pounded if you like) 1 grated onion 2 cloves of chopped garlic 6 Tbs natural barley (crush it coarsely in the blender of food processor) 3 Tbs chopped parsley 2 Tbs mint or basil (fresh) 1 Tbs dried oregano or thyme salt 1 egg slightly beaten 5 cups […]

Ingredients: 3/4 cup of olive oil 1/2 onion, chopped 8 scallions, chopped fine 2 lg. cloves of garlic, chopped 1 cup natural barley chopped fresh dill to taste 1/2 cup parsley, chopped juice of 1/2 lemon salt to taste 1 cup hot water 1 one pound jar grapevine leaves 3-4 pound chicken, cut in quarters […]

Serves four. This favorite dish of medieval Baghdad consisted of a sweet pudding which was set at the bottom of a tannuur oven to catch the juices of roasting meat, which would be served with the pudding. Here we have a recipe from the collection of Caliph al-Wathiq (842–847). Ingredients: 1 chicken ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons […]