Honey and Pear Patina

Many of the food items we take for granted in Mediterranean cuisines, such as corn, potatoes, aubergines, peppers, courgettes, green beans, or tomatoes, had not yet been discovered by the ancient Romans. They had no sugar either, which is one of the reasons why the casts from Pompeii and Herculaneum have very healthy teeth. The Romans sweetened their food with Passum, a wine made from raisins, Defrutum from grape must, dates and honey. Sweet and savoury flavours were frequently juxtaposed in the same dish. A popular dessert that makes an appearance in Apicius’ first century AD cookbook might not be quite the crowd-pleaser today. His honey and pear Patina ( a type of custard) was cooked with cumin, liquamen (a fermented fish sauce), and black pepper!

Credit – Farrell Monaco www.tavolamediterranea.com