flipRoast fat goose with honey and figs
Roast fat goose with honey and figs
Why this dish? When the rite had driven away Apophis and the sun was reborn at dawn, the triumph of order was celebrated with a banquet. The fat goose, royal game of the Nile marshes and a choice offering on temple tables, crowned these feasts of victory over chaos.
Golden goose, stuffed with figs, lacquered with honey and perfumed with coriander, roasted until the skin crackles. It is the dish of great days, rich and sweet-salty, presented to the gods as to fortunate guests.
Ah, you feast because the disk has reappeared on the horizon… Laugh while it is day, mortals. In your time as in mine, they fattened the goose in the reeds of the Delta, stuffed it with figs and glazed it with honey until the skin sang under the tooth. Eat rich, drink sweet: night always returns, and with it, me.
- •Fat goose — one, drawn (centerpiece)
- •Fresh or dried figs — a large handful (sweet stuffing)
- •Honey — as much as needed (lacquer)
- •Coriander and cumin — a pinch each (perfume)
- •Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Roast fat goose with honey and figs
Golden goose, stuffed with figs, lacquered with honey and perfumed with coriander, roasted until the skin crackles. It is the dish of great days, rich and sweet-salty, presented to the gods as to fortunate guests.
Why this dish? When the rite had driven away Apophis and the sun was reborn at dawn, the triumph of order was celebrated with a banquet. The fat goose, royal game of the Nile marshes and a choice offering on temple tables, crowned these feasts of victory over chaos.
Ah, you feast because the disk has reappeared on the horizon… Laugh while it is day, mortals. In your time as in mine, they fattened the goose in the reeds of the Delta, stuffed it with figs and glazed it with honey until the skin sang under the tooth. Eat rich, drink sweet: night always returns, and with it, me.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fat goose — one, drawn (centerpiece)
- Fresh or dried figs — a large handful (sweet stuffing)
- Honey — as much as needed (lacquer)
- Coriander and cumin — a pinch each (perfume)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Goose legs or half-goose (or duck) — 1.2 kg (main piece)
- Dried figs — 150 g (stuffing / garnish)
- Honey — 3 tbsp (lacquer)
- Ground coriander seeds — 1 tsp (perfume)
- Ground cumin — 1/2 tsp (perfume)
- Salt and a little water — to taste + 100 ml (seasoning and base)
Method
- Rub the meat with salt, coriander and cumin; let rest for 1 hour.
- Place the figs around and under the piece in a dish, add a base of water.
- Roast at 180 °C: allow about 1 h 30 for 1.2 kg, basting regularly with the juices.
- Halfway through, brush generously with honey and continue cooking to lacquer the skin.
- Let rest for 10 minutes, then serve drizzled with the caramelized fig juices.
How it was made : Marsh scenes painted in tombs (goose hunting, force-feeding) and offering lists attest to the importance of geese and ducks. Cooking was done on a spit or in an earthenware dish in the oven; honey and figs, abundant, provided the sweetness that enhances fatty poultry.
The contemporary twist : Plated on a bed of roasted figs with a disc of blood orange as a nod to the rising sun of Ra reborn — a "dawn victory" on the plate.
Sources : Hunting and force-feeding scenes from Theban tombs (Nakht, Menna) · Offering lists from New Kingdom temples
Apophis · Charactorium
