Mersu — date, fig and pistachio confection
A dense paste of crushed dates, mixed with figs and chopped pistachios, perfumed with cumin and bound with date syrup. Shaped into small balls or a compact cake, sweet and melting.
A dense paste of crushed dates, mixed with figs and chopped pistachios, perfumed with cumin and bound with date syrup. Shaped into small balls or a compact cake, sweet and melting.
Listen, you who will read these lines long after me. The mersu is the sweetness one offers to the great gods before tasting it oneself. We pit the dates of the palm groves, crush them with the ripe fig, mix in the green pistachio and a hint of cumin. I have it placed before Ishtar, lady of Nineveh, so that she may guard my reign; what remains, my royal hand shares at the banquet. May the sweetness of the palms remind the gods of my piety and men of my power.
- •Pitted dates — a full cup (sweet base)
- •Dried figs — a handful (softness and flavour)
- •Pistachios — a handful (crunch)
- •Date syrup (dišpu) — a drizzle (binder and shine)
- •Cumin — a pinch (flavour)
Mersu — date, fig and pistachio confection
A dense paste of crushed dates, mixed with figs and chopped pistachios, perfumed with cumin and bound with date syrup. Shaped into small balls or a compact cake, sweet and melting.
Why this dish? The mersu, attested in Mesopotamian administrative and religious texts, was both a banquet treat and an offering placed before the gods. Inspired by palace devotions: Ashurbanipal, who restored temples and rituals, would have such sweets carried to the altars of Ashur and Ishtar.
Listen, you who will read these lines long after me. The mersu is the sweetness one offers to the great gods before tasting it oneself. We pit the dates of the palm groves, crush them with the ripe fig, mix in the green pistachio and a hint of cumin. I have it placed before Ishtar, lady of Nineveh, so that she may guard my reign; what remains, my royal hand shares at the banquet. May the sweetness of the palms remind the gods of my piety and men of my power.
Ingredients (period version)
- Pitted dates — a full cup (sweet base)
- Dried figs — a handful (softness and flavour)
- Pistachios — a handful (crunch)
- Date syrup (dišpu) — a drizzle (binder and shine)
- Cumin — a pinch (flavour)
Ingredients
- Pitted Medjool dates — 250 g (sweet base)
- Dried figs — 100 g (softness and flavour)
- Unsalted pistachios — 80 g, chopped (crunch)
- Date syrup — 2 tbsp (binder and shine)
- Ground cumin — 1 pinch (flavour)
- Sesame seeds — 2 tbsp for rolling (coating)
Method
- Blend or crush the dates and figs together until a thick paste forms.
- Mix in the chopped pistachios, cumin and date syrup.
- Knead by hand until a homogeneous, sticky mass forms.
- Shape into small balls or press into a flat cake.
- Roll the balls in sesame seeds.
- Let firm up in the fridge for one hour before serving.
How it was made : The mersu appears in lists of rations and offerings from Mesopotamian palaces and temples, sometimes made of dates and pistachios, sometimes with other fruits. Without refined sugar, Mesopotamia drew all its sweetness from dates and their syrup. Placing food before divine statues was a daily cult act; priests later consumed these offerings.
The contemporary twist : Present the mersu balls in a copper or clay bowl, dusted with bright green pistachio: royal 'energy balls' 27 centuries old, perfect with tea.
Sources : Jean Bottéro, La plus vieille cuisine du monde, Louis Audibert, 2002
Ashurbanipal · Charactorium
