Having already posted twice in the middle of this crisis (when looking after one's health is more important than blogging about food), I thought perhaps I should continue this journal - for the sake of continuity. Not that I'm spending a lot of time in the kitchen at present but thinking about life in the past I certainly am. So this is a post about a recipe from late Antiquity.
Apothermum is often classified as 'semolina pudding', which is a popular dessert today in some parts of Europe but the inspiration for this post was a dessert traditionally made in the Balkans & Middle East and often served at Easter. Galaktobureko consists of two layers of fyllo with milk custard in between, which is bound with semolina (the finely milled grain of wheat). I could dedicate a whole post to oriental-style desserts with fyllo but, for now, let's see the Roman version of 'semolina pudding', which is found in a collection of recipes dated from the 3rd century AD: Apicius or De re coquinaria.
The author of this work is not identified. Some believe it was a Roman noble named Apicius but even this is not certain. According to experts, the collection of recipes was built gradually, perhaps by several authors. The manuscripts surviving in libraries today consist of eleven books, the second of which features apothermum - in English, 'spelt or farina pudding'. To read the whole book, take a glimpse here.
"APOTHERMUM SIC FACIES. Alicam elixa cum nucleis et amigdalis depilatis et in aqua infusis et lotis ex creta argentaria ut ad candorem pariter perducandur. Cui ammiscebis uvam passam, carenum vel passum. Desuper piper confractum asparges et in boletari inferes."
If you don't care for Latin, there is an English translation of the recipe here.
In short, apothermum was a pudding made with spelt, (pine?) nuts, almonds & raisins. There is some uncertainly about the meaning of 'alica', which is the main ingredient. According to my dictionary, it was coarser than semolina as we know it today so I believe that apothermum was less smooth than a pudding. (It's just what I believe.) To make up for this, I would go as far as using bulgur in this recipe or, at least, the coarser types of semolina. On the contrary, modern semolina puddings from Europe, including the semolina custard in oriental-style desserts are made with finely ground semolina.
APOTHERMUM
This version of the Roman pudding is made with finely ground semolina. Coarser types or even spelt bulgur might also be used although I wouldn't recommend mixing the latter with anything but water. Whole milk (with a 3.5% fat content) might still be an option in versions using coarsely ground semolina.
I n g r e d i e n t s
500g whole milk
5tbsp semolina
1-2tbsp honey (optional)
75g almonds, or 50g almonds + 25g pine-nuts
50g raisins
60ml sweet red wine
M e t h o d
1. Grind the nuts in a food processor. Soak the raisins in the wine for 30 minutes, then filtrate and discard the wine. 2. Simmer the milk with the honey (if using), gradually adding the semolina. Keep stirring the mixture to avoid its sticking on the bottom of the pan. 3. Remove from the heat, add 4/5 of the nuts & all of the raisins, and mix well. 4. Divide the pudding between 2-3 individual ramekins and top with the remaining 1/5 of the nuts. Serve warm or cold.
V a r i a t i o n s
Replace the topping with crushed biscuits or simply dust with ground cinnamon. You may also omit the topping, apothermum tastes just as good without.
Apothermum is often classified as 'semolina pudding', which is a popular dessert today in some parts of Europe but the inspiration for this post was a dessert traditionally made in the Balkans & Middle East and often served at Easter. Galaktobureko consists of two layers of fyllo with milk custard in between, which is bound with semolina (the finely milled grain of wheat). I could dedicate a whole post to oriental-style desserts with fyllo but, for now, let's see the Roman version of 'semolina pudding', which is found in a collection of recipes dated from the 3rd century AD: Apicius or De re coquinaria.
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| A 16th century edition of Apicius or De re coquinaria |
The author of this work is not identified. Some believe it was a Roman noble named Apicius but even this is not certain. According to experts, the collection of recipes was built gradually, perhaps by several authors. The manuscripts surviving in libraries today consist of eleven books, the second of which features apothermum - in English, 'spelt or farina pudding'. To read the whole book, take a glimpse here.
"APOTHERMUM SIC FACIES. Alicam elixa cum nucleis et amigdalis depilatis et in aqua infusis et lotis ex creta argentaria ut ad candorem pariter perducandur. Cui ammiscebis uvam passam, carenum vel passum. Desuper piper confractum asparges et in boletari inferes."
If you don't care for Latin, there is an English translation of the recipe here.
In short, apothermum was a pudding made with spelt, (pine?) nuts, almonds & raisins. There is some uncertainly about the meaning of 'alica', which is the main ingredient. According to my dictionary, it was coarser than semolina as we know it today so I believe that apothermum was less smooth than a pudding. (It's just what I believe.) To make up for this, I would go as far as using bulgur in this recipe or, at least, the coarser types of semolina. On the contrary, modern semolina puddings from Europe, including the semolina custard in oriental-style desserts are made with finely ground semolina.
APOTHERMUM
This version of the Roman pudding is made with finely ground semolina. Coarser types or even spelt bulgur might also be used although I wouldn't recommend mixing the latter with anything but water. Whole milk (with a 3.5% fat content) might still be an option in versions using coarsely ground semolina.
I n g r e d i e n t s
500g whole milk
5tbsp semolina
1-2tbsp honey (optional)
75g almonds, or 50g almonds + 25g pine-nuts
50g raisins
60ml sweet red wine
M e t h o d
1. Grind the nuts in a food processor. Soak the raisins in the wine for 30 minutes, then filtrate and discard the wine. 2. Simmer the milk with the honey (if using), gradually adding the semolina. Keep stirring the mixture to avoid its sticking on the bottom of the pan. 3. Remove from the heat, add 4/5 of the nuts & all of the raisins, and mix well. 4. Divide the pudding between 2-3 individual ramekins and top with the remaining 1/5 of the nuts. Serve warm or cold.
V a r i a t i o n s
Replace the topping with crushed biscuits or simply dust with ground cinnamon. You may also omit the topping, apothermum tastes just as good without.
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