flipFig Cakes of the Land of Nod
Fig Cakes of the Land of Nod
Why this dish? Condemned to 'wander the earth', Cain goes to live in the land of Nod, east of Eden. These pressed fig and date cakes, dried and hardened, are the fugitive's food: they keep for weeks, slip into a pouch, and satisfy the hunger of a long road.
A dense paste of dried figs and dates, kneaded with crushed roasted barley grains, pressed into small cakes and rolled in flour. Sweet, chewy, energising: the concentrated energy of a man on the move.
When you are driven out from everywhere, you learn to carry your table on your back. I would pound dried figs and dates into a sticky paste, mix in roasted barley to hold it together, and press it all into cakes hardened in the sun. Rolled in a little flour, they would not mould, they weighed nothing, and a single one kept me upright until the next waterhole. The mark on my forehead protected me from men; these cakes protected me from hunger.
- •Dried figs — two handfuls (sweet base)
- •Pitted dates — one handful (sweet binder)
- •Roasted crushed barley grains — one handful (structure and chew)
- •Sesame or anise seeds — a pinch (flavouring)
- •Barley flour — a little (non-stick coating)
Fig Cakes of the Land of Nod
A dense paste of dried figs and dates, kneaded with crushed roasted barley grains, pressed into small cakes and rolled in flour. Sweet, chewy, energising: the concentrated energy of a man on the move.
Why this dish? Condemned to 'wander the earth', Cain goes to live in the land of Nod, east of Eden. These pressed fig and date cakes, dried and hardened, are the fugitive's food: they keep for weeks, slip into a pouch, and satisfy the hunger of a long road.
When you are driven out from everywhere, you learn to carry your table on your back. I would pound dried figs and dates into a sticky paste, mix in roasted barley to hold it together, and press it all into cakes hardened in the sun. Rolled in a little flour, they would not mould, they weighed nothing, and a single one kept me upright until the next waterhole. The mark on my forehead protected me from men; these cakes protected me from hunger.
Ingredients (period version)
- Dried figs — two handfuls (sweet base)
- Pitted dates — one handful (sweet binder)
- Roasted crushed barley grains — one handful (structure and chew)
- Sesame or anise seeds — a pinch (flavouring)
- Barley flour — a little (non-stick coating)
Ingredients
- Soft dried figs — 200 g (sweet base)
- Pitted dates — 100 g (sweet binder)
- Barley flakes or crushed roasted barley — 50 g (structure and chew)
- Sesame seeds — 1 tbsp (flavouring)
- Anise seeds — 1/2 tsp (flavouring)
- Barley flour or fine semolina — 2 tbsp (coating)
Method
- If your figs are dry and hard, soak them for 10 minutes in warm water then drain thoroughly.
- Roughly chop the figs and dates, then crush them in a mortar or pulse-blitz until you get a thick, sticky paste.
- Mix in the crushed roasted barley, sesame and anise; knead by hand to a homogeneous, dense dough.
- Shape into small cakes or flattened logs, roll them in barley flour so they no longer stick.
- Leave them to air-dry for a few hours (or overnight) on a cloth: they firm up and can thus be kept for several weeks in a dry place.
How it was made : Pressed fig cakes are a very ancient preservation technique in the Mediterranean and Near East: fruits were dehydrated then compacted to concentrate sugars, preventing mould. Light, energy-rich and non-perishable, they accompanied travellers, shepherds and soldiers long before classical antiquity.
The contemporary twist : Coated in toasted sesame seeds and cut into bite-sized pieces, these cakes become prehistoric 'energy balls', perfect for hiking.
Cain · Charactorium
