SAVILLUM

I just noticed that I wrote 3 posts in a row about sweet treats based on honey. Of course, it goes with the season: honey is delicious not only for eating but against sore throats as well. So after Lebkuchen, Turkish Delight, and (fictional) Beorn's cakes, I'd like to introduce savillum -a cheesecake described by Cato the Elder over 2,100 years ago.

"Et preterea censeo Carthago delenda est."

Marcus Porcius Cato (234-149 BC) was born into a Plebeian family noted for their military service. He took part in the wars against Carthago, laboring on his farm during the intervals but, after the Second Punic War, he became actively involved in politics. He served Rome with diligence from various positions. During his last officium as censor, he made a lot of speeches that usually ended with the phrase "Furthermore, I believe that Carthago must be destroyed," implying that Hannibal's arrogance was the source of every problem. Cato also denounced Rome's tendency to adopt new lifestyles in place of the ancient moral code (mos maiorum), to which a lot of its political success was owed.

 

Possibly Cato the Elder

Tusculum fortress on a Roman coin, 44-43 BC

De Agri Cultura
All in all, Cato was a distinguished but conservative member of the Senate. He wrote all of his books in Latin. Origines, a history of the Italian towns in which he praised the qualities that made Rome great, survived only in fragments. His best preserved work is De Agri Cultura, which he composed around 160 BC. A collection of practical tips on farm management, including several recipes for wines and foods that could be locally produced, it gives a vivid picture of Italian rural life during the Hellenistic period. (Cato was a native of Tusculum, a small town in Latium.) I find this work both entertaining & informative and quite reliable in terms of historicity. It's also very helpful that Cato gives detailed hints on the ingredients and method used for preparing the dishes -unlike medieval, Renaissance & Early Modern authors.

Farmhouse cheesecakes

Libum, placenta & savillum are three recipes on Cato's list that strongly remind of modern cheesecake. None of them uses more than 3-4 ingredients (cheese, flour, honey -and poppyseed) that are skilfully mixed to achieve the desired texture. They were plain farmhouse cakes, sweetened with different amounts of honey. Libum and savillum could also be made into puddings and eaten with a spoon. When offered for religious purposes, however, the flour percentage was much higher. Although spelt flour was often used by Romans, it is unclear exactly what is meant by 'farina siligina' in Cato's recipes for libum & placenta. In any case, the grains we eat today are very different from the ones that Romans cultivated so it doesn't really matter which type of flour you choose. Finally, the shaped loaves were baked in closed pots, on top of which a cook placed a fire brick. These ovens did the same job as cast iron pots that home-bakers use today. An electric stove will bake your cheesecake just as well.

SAVILLUM is described as follows: [84] "Savillum hoc modo facito. Farinae selibram, casei P. II S una conmisceto quasi libum, mellis P. Ξ et ovum unum. Catinum fictile oleo unguito. Ubi omnia bene conmiscueris, in catinum indito, catinum testo operito. Videto ut bene percocas medium, ubi altissimum est. Ubi coctum erit, catinum eximito, melle unguito, papaver infriato, sub testum subde paulisper, postea eximito. Ita pone cum catillo et lingula." ENGLISH TRANSLATION: "Make savillum thus. Combine 1/2 pound of flour with 2 1/2 pounds of cheese, 1/4 pound of honey and 1 egg. Oil an earthenware dish. After mixing the ingredients well, transfer into the prepared dish, and cover with a lid. Take care to bake the centre well, as the mixture is deepest there. When it is done, remove from the oven, brush with honey, decorate with poppyseed, place under the lid for a while, and take out. Place in a bowl [to eat] with a spoon."

 

SAVILLUM, adapted for the modern kitchen

Roman units of measurement were not only different from ours but also subject to change from one year to another. The 'libra' (which is here translated as 'pound') weighed approximately 328.9g. The divisions of basic units were marked with symbols like Ξ and S, which stand for 1/4 and 1/2 respectively. By this calculation, the original recipe uses approx. 800g cheese, 160g flour, and 80g honey. In his recipe for libum, Cato advises to pound the cheese. Although he doesn't specify the kind, modern bakers would probably choose ricotta because of its low percentage of salt. Greek 'ανθότυρος' might be another option because it's rich & soft and crumbly. 
 

I n g r e d i e n t s
500g ricotta
100g all-purpose flour
50g honey
1 large egg
for the topping
50g warm honey
1tbsp poppyseed
 
M e t h o d
Crumble the ricotta and knead with the flour. Add 50g lukewarm honey and the egg and mix well. Prepare a small ovenproof dish: lighlty brush with oil and dust with flour. Transfer the mixture and level the surface with a spatula. Bake at 200oC for 30 minutes. Dress with 50g warm honey and sprinkle with poppyseed. Return to the oven, cover with aluminum foil and bake for another 20 minutes. Serve warm.