[Sca-cooks] A question about dates and marzipan

[Elaine Koogler]

There is a Roman recipe (Apicius) for Dates Alexandrine...blanched almonds
rolled in cinnamon, stuffed into dates, then coated with honey and allowed
to dry.  Also, there is a recipe for stuffed dates in the "Description of
Familiar Foods" as translated by Charles Perry:

Rutab Mu'assal

25   pitted Deglett-Noor dates
25   blanched peeled whole almonds
3/8 cup honey
1/4 capful rose water, Cortas brand - or more to taste
saffron
sugar, finely minced
cinnamon
1/4 long pepper

1. Put 2 almonds into each date, one at a time. Some dates won't hold 2
almonds. Also, check for pits - dates are mechanically pitted and the
machine could miss something and you don't want to break any of your
diner's teeth. Since dates are dry, do this over several days. No rush.

2. When all dates are filled, warm up honey in a saucepan on medium heat
until it flows smoothly.

3. When honey is warm, stir rosewater into it.

4. Then put dates into the pan of honey on the stove. There should be just
barely enough to cover the dates on medium-low heat. DO NOT STIR.

5. When honey just gets bubbly around the edges, remove from heat and let
cool. DO NOT STIR. I assume the dates they used were somewhat hard. Most
of our dates are pretty soft and stirring them after they've cooked in the
honey will break them up or even dissolve them.

6.  Once they cool, roll them in a sugar/cinnamon/pepper(?) mixture.

Original Recipe:  Take fresh ripe dates freshly harvested for immersion and
spread them out in the shade and air for two days.  Then remove their pits
from the bottom, using a packing needle or sharpened stick, and put
excellent peeled sweet almonds in place of all of the pits.  For every ten
ounds, take two pounds of honey and thin it with two ounces of rosewater.
Put it up on the fire and when it boils, remove its scum.  then colour it
with half a dirham of saffron and throw the dates in it.  And when it boils,
stir them nicely, lightly, so that they absorb the honey.  Then take them
down form the fire and spread them out in a tray of briarwood.  When they
have cooled off, sprinkle them with spiced, finely ground sugar.  If you
want them to be heating, it is with musk, spikenard and a bit of [hot]
spices [afawih].  If you want them to be cooling, spice them with camphor
and a little poppy seed.  Put them up in glass vessels and only use them
during the chilly season and when fresh date season is over.
                                                    --The Description of
Familiar Foods (Kitab Wasf al-At'ima al-Mu'tada) trans. Charles Perry

Hope this helps....

Kiri


On Tue, Dec 9, 2008 at 5:45 PM, Jennifer Carlson <talana1 at hotmail.com>wrote:

>
> Is there any textual evidence for almond- or marzipan-stuffed dates in
> period?  I've run across a modern reference to them as a "traditional
> Scottish treat" (for what that's worth), but it got me to wondering.
>
>
> Talana
>
>