Sesame and honey pasteli
A compact confection of sesame seeds bound with cooked honey, crunchy and nourishing. The sweet that closes the banquet and the travel ration that sustains you on the road.
A compact confection of sesame seeds bound with cooked honey, crunchy and nourishing. The sweet that closes the banquet and the travel ration that sustains you on the road.
When I set sail for Cos or Ephesus, I always slipped into my luggage some of these sesame cakes set in honey. You heat the honey until it flows, toss in the toasted sesame, spread it out and let it harden: here is enough to feed a man walking from dawn to dusk. On the deck of the ship taking me to paint Aphrodite born of the foam, I would nibble a piece while thinking of my pigments. Sesame feeds the body as the line feeds the eye, stranger.
- •Sesame seeds — two handfuls (crunchy base)
- •Honey — as much as the sesame (binder and sweetness)
- •Flower water (optional) — a few drops (fragrance)
Sesame and honey pasteli
A compact confection of sesame seeds bound with cooked honey, crunchy and nourishing. The sweet that closes the banquet and the travel ration that sustains you on the road.
Why this dish? Apelles never stopped traveling — from Colophon to Sicyon, from Pella to Ephesus and even to the island of Cos to paint his Aphrodite rising from the waves. These dense, long-lasting sesame and honey bars were the ideal snack for the itinerant painter's long roads.
When I set sail for Cos or Ephesus, I always slipped into my luggage some of these sesame cakes set in honey. You heat the honey until it flows, toss in the toasted sesame, spread it out and let it harden: here is enough to feed a man walking from dawn to dusk. On the deck of the ship taking me to paint Aphrodite born of the foam, I would nibble a piece while thinking of my pigments. Sesame feeds the body as the line feeds the eye, stranger.
Ingredients (period version)
- Sesame seeds — two handfuls (crunchy base)
- Honey — as much as the sesame (binder and sweetness)
- Flower water (optional) — a few drops (fragrance)
Ingredients
- Sesame seeds — 200 g (crunchy base)
- Honey — 150 g (binder and sweetness)
- Lemon juice — a few drops (prevents crystallization)
Method
- Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden and fragrant (4-5 minutes).
- In a saucepan, heat the honey with the lemon juice until it simmers, about 5 minutes, until it flows freely.
- Remove from heat, stir in the toasted sesame seeds, and mix quickly.
- Pour onto a sheet of oiled parchment paper, spread to 5 mm thickness, and smooth out.
- Let cool slightly, pre-cut into bars or diamonds, then let harden completely before separating.
How it was made : Ancient Greeks made sesame cakes bound with honey (sesamê), mentioned especially at festivals and banquets. Sesame and honey, energy-dense and long-lasting, made excellent travel provisions. Pasteli is the direct heir of these ancient confections.
The contemporary twist : Sprinkle with a little lemon zest or dried orange petals and cut into neat diamonds, mosaic-style, to evoke the painter's geometric eye.
Apelles · Charactorium