Date and almond balls with toasted barley flour
Date paste kneaded with crushed almonds and toasted barley flour, rolled into small balls. Sweet, dense, filling — the energy bar of ancient caravans.
Date paste kneaded with crushed almonds and toasted barley flour, rolled into small balls. Sweet, dense, filling — the energy bar of ancient caravans.
On the long roads, a man does not carry a pot. Here is what kept me alive: you pit the dates, crush them into paste under your fist, mix in broken almonds and barley flour that you have toasted until fragrant. Roll it all into tight balls in the hollow of your hand. Slip them in a cloth at the bottom of your sack: three of them, and you walk until evening without weakening. The Arabian honey of the date, the grain of my mountains — even as a captive, I kept this mixture.
- •Dates — a full handful (sweetness and binder)
- •Almonds — a handful (fat and crunch)
- •Toasted barley flour — enough to bind (structure, satiety)
- •Cinnamon or cardamom — a pinch (aroma (if available))
Date and almond balls with toasted barley flour
Date paste kneaded with crushed almonds and toasted barley flour, rolled into small balls. Sweet, dense, filling — the energy bar of ancient caravans.
Why this dish? Captured at Nahavand and then deported toward Arabia, Pîrûz experienced the long roads of captivity. These pressed date balls, rich and compact, are the quintessential travel provision throughout the Fertile Crescent: dense energy that does not spoil, at the crossroads of the Arabian date and Persian barley.
On the long roads, a man does not carry a pot. Here is what kept me alive: you pit the dates, crush them into paste under your fist, mix in broken almonds and barley flour that you have toasted until fragrant. Roll it all into tight balls in the hollow of your hand. Slip them in a cloth at the bottom of your sack: three of them, and you walk until evening without weakening. The Arabian honey of the date, the grain of my mountains — even as a captive, I kept this mixture.
Ingredients (period version)
- Dates — a full handful (sweetness and binder)
- Almonds — a handful (fat and crunch)
- Toasted barley flour — enough to bind (structure, satiety)
- Cinnamon or cardamom — a pinch (aroma (if available))
Ingredients
- Medjool dates, pitted — 250 g (sweet base/binder)
- Almonds — 80 g, crushed (crunch)
- Barley flour (or ground barley flakes), dry-toasted — 50 g (structure)
- Ground cardamom — 1/2 tsp (aroma)
Method
- Toast barley flour dry in a pan until it smells nutty, let cool.
- Mash pitted dates into a paste (with a pestle or food processor).
- Knead the date paste with crushed almonds, toasted flour and cardamom until a homogeneous mass forms.
- Roll into small, tight balls between your palms.
- Optionally roll in a little toasted barley flour and store in a cloth or airtight container.
How it was made : The date was the caloric pillar of Arabia, mixed with toasted flour (sawîq) to provide an unspoiled travel provision for travelers and warriors. Ground toasted barley was the basis of nomadic snacks across the Near East. The marriage of date + toasted grain + dried fruit spans the entire region.
The contemporary twist : As historical "energy balls": coat with toasted sesame seeds and present on a copper tray for a snack.
Abu Lu'lu'a Fīrūz · Charactorium