flipSesame and Honey Itria — the sweet threads of the shuttle
Sesame and Honey Itria — the sweet threads of the shuttle
Why this dish? The *itria* are fine fried dough ribbons, bound with honey and sesame — which, arranged in skeins, resemble the golden threads that Arachne wove. A dry confection that keeps well, it is the sweet that a Lydian traveler would take on the road to Hypaipa, and the most direct nod to her art of the thread.
Fried dough threads, crispy, coated in honey and rolled in toasted sesame. A nomadic confection, sweet and sturdy, evoking a skein of golden thread.
Look at them well: would you not say a skein from my loom? I pull the dough into fine threads, fry them golden in hot oil, then drown them in honey and roll them in toasted sesame. They keep for days, so I would slip some into my bundle when I left Hypaipa. The thread, you see, I work it even when it is eaten — it is stronger than me.
- •Wheat flour — two handfuls (base of threads)
- •Oil for frying — as needed (cooking)
- •Honey — generously (binding coating)
- •Toasted sesame seeds — a good handful (decoration and flavor)
- •Water — as needed (dough)
Sesame and Honey Itria — the sweet threads of the shuttle
Fried dough threads, crispy, coated in honey and rolled in toasted sesame. A nomadic confection, sweet and sturdy, evoking a skein of golden thread.
Why this dish? The *itria* are fine fried dough ribbons, bound with honey and sesame — which, arranged in skeins, resemble the golden threads that Arachne wove. A dry confection that keeps well, it is the sweet that a Lydian traveler would take on the road to Hypaipa, and the most direct nod to her art of the thread.
Look at them well: would you not say a skein from my loom? I pull the dough into fine threads, fry them golden in hot oil, then drown them in honey and roll them in toasted sesame. They keep for days, so I would slip some into my bundle when I left Hypaipa. The thread, you see, I work it even when it is eaten — it is stronger than me.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wheat flour — two handfuls (base of threads)
- Oil for frying — as needed (cooking)
- Honey — generously (binding coating)
- Toasted sesame seeds — a good handful (decoration and flavor)
- Water — as needed (dough)
Ingredients
- Wheat flour — 200 g (base of threads)
- Water — 90 to 100 ml (dough)
- Olive or sunflower oil for frying (period: olive oil) — for frying (cooking)
- Honey — 150 g (binding coating)
- Toasted sesame seeds — 80 g (decoration and flavor)
- Salt — 1 pinch (balance)
Method
- Knead flour, salt, and water into a firm, smooth dough; let rest 20 min.
- Roll out very thinly and cut into thin strips (the "threads").
- Fry the strips in hot oil in small batches until light golden; drain.
- Warm the honey in a large saucepan.
- Dip the fried threads in the honey, then immediately roll in toasted sesame.
- Shape into small skeins and let set. Keep for several days in an airtight container.
How it was made : The *itria* (ἴτρια) are ancient Greek preparations made from thin sheets or ribbons of dough, distant ancestors of both certain honey-and-sesame pastries of the Mediterranean world. Honey and sesame formed the classic sweetening pair before the arrival of cane sugar; these dry confections traveled well and accompanied journeys.
The contemporary twist : Arranged in tangled nests on the plate, like a "golden web," with a few threads of honey drawn over them with a fork.
Sources : Athenaeus of Naucratis, Deipnosophistae, book XIV (itria and honey-sesame pastries) · Andrew Dalby, Food in the Ancient World from A to Z, Routledge, 2003
Arachne · Charactorium
