flipTigernut cakes with honey and sesame
Tigernut cakes with honey and sesame
Why this dish? Tigernut (*chufa*) was Egypt's sweet treat, mixed with honey for cakes offered to the gods and sold in markets. Small, sweet, and portable, this cake suits the goddess of home and sweetness.
Small cakes of ground tigernut and honey, rolled in toasted sesame. Sweet with a slight nutty bitterness, soft inside: the indulgence of gods and Egyptian children.
Sweetness too is my domain, for I am the cat who purrs as much as the lioness who roars. My daughters pound the sweet tigernut, bind it with golden honey, and roll it in toasted sesame until it smells of fire and earth. Some are placed on my altar, some slipped into the hands of little ones in the market. Taste, mortal: it is the goddess's smile you put to your mouth.
- •Dried tigernut (*chufa*) — a measure (sweet base)
- •Honey — to bind (binder and sweetness)
- •Toasted sesame seeds — a handful (coating)
- •Cinnamon or cardamom (optional) — a pinch (flavor)
Tigernut cakes with honey and sesame
Small cakes of ground tigernut and honey, rolled in toasted sesame. Sweet with a slight nutty bitterness, soft inside: the indulgence of gods and Egyptian children.
Why this dish? Tigernut (*chufa*) was Egypt's sweet treat, mixed with honey for cakes offered to the gods and sold in markets. Small, sweet, and portable, this cake suits the goddess of home and sweetness.
Sweetness too is my domain, for I am the cat who purrs as much as the lioness who roars. My daughters pound the sweet tigernut, bind it with golden honey, and roll it in toasted sesame until it smells of fire and earth. Some are placed on my altar, some slipped into the hands of little ones in the market. Taste, mortal: it is the goddess's smile you put to your mouth.
Ingredients (period version)
- Dried tigernut (*chufa*) — a measure (sweet base)
- Honey — to bind (binder and sweetness)
- Toasted sesame seeds — a handful (coating)
- Cinnamon or cardamom (optional) — a pinch (flavor)
Ingredients
- Tigernut flour (or ground tigernut) — 200 g (sweet base)
- Honey — 4 tbsp (binder)
- Sesame seeds — 4 tbsp (coating)
- Ground cinnamon — 1/2 tsp (flavor)
- Water (if needed) — a splash (adjust dough)
Method
- Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until golden; set aside.
- Mix the tigernut flour, cinnamon, and honey until a malleable dough forms (add a little water if too dry).
- Shape small cakes or balls with your hands.
- Roll them in the toasted sesame to coat well.
- Let firm up for 30 minutes in a cool place before serving.
How it was made : Tigernut honey cakes, sometimes rolled into cone shapes, have been found depicted and even preserved in tombs; tigernut, cultivated since the Old Kingdom, was chewed raw or made into confections. Honey and sesame completed this sweet repertoire in the absence of refined sugar.
The contemporary twist : Serve these "Nile truffles" in a small bronze cup, dusted with a veil of golden sesame — no-bake bites, perfect for a classroom workshop.
Sources : Tackholm, V., Flora of Egypt (on tigernut, Cyperus esculentus) · Representations of cakes in Old Kingdom tombs
Bastet · Charactorium
