flipRoast Goose with Honey, Figs, and Coriander
Roast Goose with Honey, Figs, and Coriander
Why this dish? Fatty poultry—goose, duck—was the grand dish of banquets and offerings in the 18th Dynasty; they are shown being force-fed and roasted in Theban tomb paintings. On the Amarna talatat, Akhenaten's royal family is depicted seated at table, eating meat and poultry with gusto under Aten's rays—an unprecedented image of intimacy in Egyptian art.
A golden goose, lacquered with honey and date juice, perfumed with coriander and cumin. The dish for the palace's great tables, where fatty flesh meets the sweetness of honey and Nile fruits.
See how Aten gilds this flesh as he gilds the sand at dusk! At my table in Akhetaton, the goose fattened on figs was brought, anointed with honey from my hives and date syrup, then turned over the embers until it sang. Nefertiti laughed, my daughters reached for the crispy skin—for we eat in the open, under the disk, without hiding from the old gods. Taste, and may Aten's sweetness be on your tongue.
- •Fat goose (or duck) from the Nile, cleaned — one (meat)
- •Honey from the royal hives — several spoonfuls (sweet lacquer)
- •Dates mashed into paste — a handful (sweetness/binder)
- •Fresh figs — a few (garnish)
- •Coriander and cumin seeds — ground in mortar (spices)
- •Onions — a few (aromatic)
- •Salt and imported moringa/olive oil — as needed (seasoning)
Roast Goose with Honey, Figs, and Coriander
A golden goose, lacquered with honey and date juice, perfumed with coriander and cumin. The dish for the palace's great tables, where fatty flesh meets the sweetness of honey and Nile fruits.
Why this dish? Fatty poultry—goose, duck—was the grand dish of banquets and offerings in the 18th Dynasty; they are shown being force-fed and roasted in Theban tomb paintings. On the Amarna talatat, Akhenaten's royal family is depicted seated at table, eating meat and poultry with gusto under Aten's rays—an unprecedented image of intimacy in Egyptian art.
See how Aten gilds this flesh as he gilds the sand at dusk! At my table in Akhetaton, the goose fattened on figs was brought, anointed with honey from my hives and date syrup, then turned over the embers until it sang. Nefertiti laughed, my daughters reached for the crispy skin—for we eat in the open, under the disk, without hiding from the old gods. Taste, and may Aten's sweetness be on your tongue.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fat goose (or duck) from the Nile, cleaned — one (meat)
- Honey from the royal hives — several spoonfuls (sweet lacquer)
- Dates mashed into paste — a handful (sweetness/binder)
- Fresh figs — a few (garnish)
- Coriander and cumin seeds — ground in mortar (spices)
- Onions — a few (aromatic)
- Salt and imported moringa/olive oil — as needed (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Duck legs and breasts (or a whole goose for 6) — 1.2 kg (meat)
- Honey — 4 tbsp (lacquer)
- Date paste (or blended dates) — 60 g (sweetness/binder)
- Fresh or dried figs — 6 (garnish)
- Ground coriander + cumin — 1 tsp each (spices)
- Onions — 2 (aromatic)
- Salt, olive oil — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Mix honey, date paste, coriander, cumin, and a pinch of salt to make a lacquer.
- Rub the duck (or goose) with a little oil and salt, place on a bed of sliced onions in a dish.
- Roast in the oven at 180°C: about 1 h 15 for legs, 2 h 30 for a whole goose, basting regularly with juices.
- Halfway through, generously brush with the honey lacquer and add the figs cut in half around the meat.
- Finish 10 minutes at 210°C to lacquer and caramelize the skin.
- Let rest, then serve with the melting figs and juices.
How it was made : Egyptians were fond of fatty poultry, force-fed in farmyards, and mastered spit-roasting over embers as well as confit in fat for preservation. Honey was the only concentrated sweetener (cane sugar came much later). Banquet meats were often glazed with fat, honey, and spices.
The contemporary twist : Present the lacquered poultry on a large golden disk (plate or copper tray) surrounded by figs: the "solar disk" of Aten on the plate.
Sources : Hilary Wilson, Egyptian Food and Drink (Shire Egyptology, 1988) · Tomb of Nakht (TT52), banquet scenes, 18th Dynasty
Akhenaten · Charactorium
