flipPasteli, sesame and honey bar
Pasteli, sesame and honey bar
Why this dish? Sicily's sesame and honey made confections that kept well and traveled without spoiling — ideal for a scholar traveling to Alexandria to study with Euclid's heirs. These sesame cakes, ancestors of nougat, also accompanied wine at the symposion.
A golden bar of sesame seeds bound in caramelized honey, crunchy and sticky. Energetic, imperishable, sweet to the bone: the quintessential Greek confection, taken to sea or offered at the end of a banquet.
When I set sail for Alexandria to study in Euclid's city, this is what I had in my bag: sesame bound with honey, which neither spoils nor crushes. Sing the honey over the fire, toss in the toasted seeds, spread quickly and cut before it hardens like stone. A single bite sustains a man half a day of calculation — concentrated, like a demonstration where not a crumb is wasted. In Syracuse, we also offered it at the end of the meal, to sweeten the mouth before wine.
- •Sesame seeds — two measures (crunchy base)
- •Hyblaean honey — one measure (sweet binder)
Pasteli, sesame and honey bar
A golden bar of sesame seeds bound in caramelized honey, crunchy and sticky. Energetic, imperishable, sweet to the bone: the quintessential Greek confection, taken to sea or offered at the end of a banquet.
Why this dish? Sicily's sesame and honey made confections that kept well and traveled without spoiling — ideal for a scholar traveling to Alexandria to study with Euclid's heirs. These sesame cakes, ancestors of nougat, also accompanied wine at the symposion.
When I set sail for Alexandria to study in Euclid's city, this is what I had in my bag: sesame bound with honey, which neither spoils nor crushes. Sing the honey over the fire, toss in the toasted seeds, spread quickly and cut before it hardens like stone. A single bite sustains a man half a day of calculation — concentrated, like a demonstration where not a crumb is wasted. In Syracuse, we also offered it at the end of the meal, to sweeten the mouth before wine.
Ingredients (period version)
- Sesame seeds — two measures (crunchy base)
- Hyblaean honey — one measure (sweet binder)
Ingredients
- Sesame seeds — 200 g (crunchy base)
- Honey — 150 g (sweet binder)
- Orange blossom water or lemon zest — 1 tsp (fragrance, optional)
- Oil (for work surface) — a little (non-stick)
Method
- Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until golden and fragrant, then set aside.
- Heat the honey in a saucepan until it simmers and thickens slightly (about 5 minutes).
- Off the heat, stir in the toasted sesame and flavoring, mixing quickly.
- Pour onto an oiled surface or baking sheet, spread to 1 cm thickness with an oiled spatula.
- While still warm, mark into bars with a knife; let cool and harden before breaking apart.
How it was made : Sesame and honey cakes (sesame, itrion) are attested from the classical period; Herodotus and Greek comedies mention them as festive and wedding sweets. Their remarkable keeping quality made them travel food and offerings.
The contemporary twist : Cut into small diamonds and dusted with dried orange zest: a pasteli for the end of the meal, served with Greek coffee.
Sources : Athenaeus of Naucratis, The Deipnosophists (on Greek cakes and sweets) · Andrew Dalby, Siren Feasts, Routledge, 1996
Archimedes · Charactorium
