Page 90 - All About History - Issue 59-17

How to make…

Dulcis coccora

cleopatra’s favourite treat Egypt, 70 BCE

hese delicious delicacies filled with honey
and nuts were originally known as ‘tiger nut
sweets’ and a recipe for them is reported to
Thave appeared on a broken piece of Egyptian
pottery dating from 1600 BCE.
Tiger nuts come from the yellow nutsedge plant.
They were so revered in Ancient Egypt that tombs
were with filled with the nut as well as decorated
with images of them. But they are considered a weed
by many farmers today, so don’t appear in modern
recipes for dulcis coccora. This could be about to
change though, as some dieticians have labelled tiger
nuts a ‘super food’ as they are high in fibre.
No dulcis coccora is complete without another
Ancient Egyptian delicacy: honey. Beekeepers first
appeared in Egyptian hieroglyphs dating from the
First Dynasty, around 5,000 years ago. Bees and
their products were more than just agricultural —
they had great significance in many other things
such as Egyptian medicine and religious rituals.
Ingredients

l 450g dates
l 2 tsp cinnamon
l 1 tsp ground cardamom
l Handful of walnuts
l Jar of runny honey
l Handful of ground almonds
l Water
l Optional extras: tiger nuts, pomegranate seeds

MeThod
01 Begin by finely chopping the dates and 05 Get the jar of honey ready

walnuts. Dried dates can work very well, too! and put the ground almonds
02 In a large bowl, add the chopped dates and onto a tray or plate. If you
walnuts and mix them with the spices. If still want to try some tiger
you’re keen to try the Ancient Egyptians’ nuts and haven’t put any Did
staple tiger nut, you can try grinding these into the main mixture, you
and adding them, too. Ground tiger nuts are can use them ground up you know?
available from health food shops or, for the instead of the almonds.
utmost in authenticity, you can get the pestle 06 Now for the sticky part! One by one, We know that Cleopatra
and mortar out! dunk the balls into the honey, then roll
03 Combine everything until the mixture them in the ground almonds (or tiger nuts) and her Roman lover Mark
becomes sticky. Add small amounts of water and put them on a tray. At this point, you Antony scoffed these sweets
to get the ideal consistency. can also add some pomegranate seeds as a as it’s recorded in papyri
04 Next, take a handful of the mixture and roll garnish for an extra sweet taste. discovered at
them into golf ball-sized spheres until all of 07 Once they’re all done, move your balls to the Faiyum Oasis
the mixture has been used up. Once done, fridge to set the honey. Once they’ve cooled,
put them to one side. take them out and enjoy!

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