flipBraised Beef Quarter with Wine and Figs
Braised Beef Quarter with Wine and Figs
Why this dish? Each year in Thebes (Luxor), the Beautiful Feast of the Valley brought the living together around the tombs: they feasted with the dead, with wine and meat, to ward off the second death over which Ammit presided. Beef, the meat of gods and the wealthy, was the most prestigious portion — reserved for great days, under the gaze of the Duat's deities.
A piece of beef long-braised in Egyptian wine, tenderized by figs and softened by honey and melted onions. A dense, fragrant banquet dish for the festival when one eats in the presence of the dead.
Living ones of Thebes, feast while your hearts are upright! I have breathed the smoke of this beef over a thousand tombs, on the evening of the Beautiful Feast, when wine reddened lips and meat fell from the bone. Eat, drink, laugh near your departed — but remember: I watch at the end of the scale. Let your joy be as full as my patience is long.
- •Fat beef cut — a fine quarter (prestige meat)
- •Egyptian wine (irep) — a jug (braising liquid)
- •Figs — a handful (sweetness and binder)
- •Onions and garlic — in quantity (aromatic base)
- •Honey — a dash (sweet roundness)
- •Coriander, cumin, salt — ground (spices)
Braised Beef Quarter with Wine and Figs
A piece of beef long-braised in Egyptian wine, tenderized by figs and softened by honey and melted onions. A dense, fragrant banquet dish for the festival when one eats in the presence of the dead.
Why this dish? Each year in Thebes (Luxor), the Beautiful Feast of the Valley brought the living together around the tombs: they feasted with the dead, with wine and meat, to ward off the second death over which Ammit presided. Beef, the meat of gods and the wealthy, was the most prestigious portion — reserved for great days, under the gaze of the Duat's deities.
Living ones of Thebes, feast while your hearts are upright! I have breathed the smoke of this beef over a thousand tombs, on the evening of the Beautiful Feast, when wine reddened lips and meat fell from the bone. Eat, drink, laugh near your departed — but remember: I watch at the end of the scale. Let your joy be as full as my patience is long.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fat beef cut — a fine quarter (prestige meat)
- Egyptian wine (irep) — a jug (braising liquid)
- Figs — a handful (sweetness and binder)
- Onions and garlic — in quantity (aromatic base)
- Honey — a dash (sweet roundness)
- Coriander, cumin, salt — ground (spices)
Ingredients
- Beef for braising (chuck, blade, or short ribs) — 1.2 kg (meat)
- Red wine — 50 cl (braising)
- Dried figs — 150 g (sweetness/binder)
- Onions — 3 large (base)
- Garlic — 4 cloves (aromatic)
- Honey — 2 tbsp (roundness)
- Ground coriander + cumin — 1 tsp each (spices)
- Olive oil and salt — 2 tbsp / 1 tsp (cooking/seasoning)
Method
- Salt the meat, sear it in hot oil on all sides in a Dutch oven, then set aside.
- Sauté sliced onions and garlic in the same pot with cumin and coriander until softened.
- Return the meat, pour in the wine, add figs and honey. Add a little water to come halfway up the meat.
- Cover and braise over very low heat (or in the oven at 150°C) for 3 hours, turning the meat halfway.
- Remove the meat when tender; reduce the juice with mashed figs until syrupy.
- Slice, spoon sauce over, and serve with emmer bread for dipping.
How it was made : Beef was a rare and prestigious meat, slaughtered mainly for festivals and offerings. Wine (irep), produced in the Delta and oases, accompanied elite banquets, as shown in tomb feast scenes. Meats were simmered in earthen pots over the fire with onion, garlic, and sweet fruits.
The contemporary twist : Serve the shredded beef on a warm flatbread, "offering to share" style, and sprinkle with toasted coriander seeds for crunch.
Sources : Pierre Tallet, Histoire de la cuisine et de la gastronomie égyptiennes, Khéops, 2003 · Scènes de banquet, tombes thébaines du Nouvel Empire (TT52, Nakht)
Ammit · Charactorium
