Tiger Nut Cones with Honey and Dates
Small sweet pyramids of ground tiger nuts bound with honey and dates, dried into golden cones. An ancient treat, dense and fragrant, to nibble along the way.
Small sweet pyramids of ground tiger nuts bound with honey and dates, dried into golden cones. An ancient treat, dense and fragrant, to nibble along the way.
You will walk long before you appear before me, and the Duat is endless for one who travels alone. So take these cones that the ancient scribes used to grind in the mortar: tiger nut of the Nile and honey of Ra, pressed tight like a secret. I have seen whole baskets placed near sarcophagi — sweetness of the living to sweeten the great passage. Bite, and advance light of heart: that is how you make me wait.
- •Dried tiger nuts (chufa) — a measure (base of the confection)
- •Honey — enough to bind (sweet binder)
- •Pitted dates — a handful (sweetness and binder)
Tiger Nut Cones with Honey and Dates
Small sweet pyramids of ground tiger nuts bound with honey and dates, dried into golden cones. An ancient treat, dense and fragrant, to nibble along the way.
Why this dish? The deceased undertakes a long journey through the Duat before reaching the hall where Ammit sits; they were equipped with sweet provisions and small cakes, like those found in Theban tombs. These tiger nut cones, reconstructed from reliefs in the tomb of Vizier Rekhmire (Valley of the Kings, Thebes), are among the oldest known confections — a sweet viaticum to cross the judgment.
You will walk long before you appear before me, and the Duat is endless for one who travels alone. So take these cones that the ancient scribes used to grind in the mortar: tiger nut of the Nile and honey of Ra, pressed tight like a secret. I have seen whole baskets placed near sarcophagi — sweetness of the living to sweeten the great passage. Bite, and advance light of heart: that is how you make me wait.
Ingredients (period version)
- Dried tiger nuts (chufa) — a measure (base of the confection)
- Honey — enough to bind (sweet binder)
- Pitted dates — a handful (sweetness and binder)
Ingredients
- Tiger nut flour (or whole tiger nuts ground) — 200 g (base)
- Honey — 100 g (binder)
- Pitted dates (Medjool) — 80 g (sweetness/binder)
- Water — 1-2 tbsp if needed (texture adjustment)
Method
- If using whole tiger nuts, lightly toast them and grind finely (otherwise use tiger nut flour).
- Blend dates into a smooth paste with a little water.
- Mix tiger nut flour, date paste, and honey until a compact, moldable mass forms.
- Shape small cones by hand (like mini pyramids), pressing firmly.
- Dry in a very low oven (80-90°C) for 30-40 minutes, or air-dry for a few hours until firm.
- Store in a dry place: these sweets keep well, ideal for the "journey."
How it was made : Reliefs in the tomb of Rekhmire show the making of conical sweets from tiger nuts and honey; remains of tiger nut confections have been found in tombs. Tiger nut, a highly energetic sweet tuber, was ground in a mortar and bound with honey — no high-temperature oven needed, making it a long-lasting provision.
The contemporary twist : Roll each cone in golden sesame seeds (a wink) and arrange in a small pyramid, like a miniature tomb treasure.
Sources : Reliefs de la tombe de Rekhmirê (TT100), Vallée des Nobles, Thèbes · Hilary Wilson, Egyptian Food and Drink, Shire Publications, 1988 · Pierre Tallet, Histoire de la cuisine et de la gastronomie égyptiennes, Khéops, 2003
Ammit · Charactorium
