flipSpiced Wine with Honey and Pomegranate
Spiced Wine with Honey and Pomegranate
Why this dish? Herodotus reports that the Persians deliberated serious matters while drinking, then verified their decisions sober. Cambyses, whose ancient sources emphasize his taste for wine, would have drunk it from precious rhytons — one of his emblematic objects.
Red wine heated with honey, perfumed with cardamom and pomegranate, served warm. A courtly drink, sweet and spicy, reflecting Achaemenid splendor.
They say many things about me concerning wine — that one judges me sober what one grants me cup in hand, that is our Persian wisdom. So pour this wine into the rhyton, that horn-shaped vessel from which the stream shoots straight into the throat, and warm it with honey and pomegranate from my gardens. Drink slowly, stranger: this is how at my table empires are decided, in the evening's intoxication, and confirmed in the clear morning.
- •Red wine — what the rhyton holds (base)
- •Honey — as much as you like (sweetness)
- •Pomegranate juice — a little (fruity acidity)
- •Cardamom and coriander — a few grains (spices)
Spiced Wine with Honey and Pomegranate
Red wine heated with honey, perfumed with cardamom and pomegranate, served warm. A courtly drink, sweet and spicy, reflecting Achaemenid splendor.
Why this dish? Herodotus reports that the Persians deliberated serious matters while drinking, then verified their decisions sober. Cambyses, whose ancient sources emphasize his taste for wine, would have drunk it from precious rhytons — one of his emblematic objects.
They say many things about me concerning wine — that one judges me sober what one grants me cup in hand, that is our Persian wisdom. So pour this wine into the rhyton, that horn-shaped vessel from which the stream shoots straight into the throat, and warm it with honey and pomegranate from my gardens. Drink slowly, stranger: this is how at my table empires are decided, in the evening's intoxication, and confirmed in the clear morning.
Ingredients (period version)
- Red wine — what the rhyton holds (base)
- Honey — as much as you like (sweetness)
- Pomegranate juice — a little (fruity acidity)
- Cardamom and coriander — a few grains (spices)
Ingredients
- Red wine — 75 cl (base (non-alcoholic version: red grape juice))
- Honey — 3 tbsp (sweetener)
- Pomegranate juice — 100 ml (acidity)
- Cardamom — 4 pods (spice)
- Coriander seeds — 1/2 tsp (spice)
Method
- Pour the wine (or grape juice) into a saucepan with the pomegranate juice.
- Add honey and lightly crushed spices.
- Heat gently without boiling, 10 to 15 minutes, to infuse the flavors.
- Strain and serve warm.
- For children or alcohol-free, replace wine with red grape juice.
How it was made : Wine held a central place in Persian culture; gold and silver rhytons found testify to the refinement of service. Wine was often flavored with honey and spices. Herodotus describes the Persian custom of deliberating while drinking.
The contemporary twist : Serve in a tall glass with a few pomegranate seeds at the bottom, a "modern rhyton" style.
Sources : Herodotus, Histories, Book I, 133
Cambyses II · Charactorium
