Wild fig tree figs with honey and sesame
Dried figs, split and stuffed with thick honey, rolled in toasted sesame, sometimes spiced with thyme. The comforting sweetness shared at the end of the *dais*.
Dried figs, split and stuffed with thick honey, rolled in toasted sesame, sometimes spiced with thyme. The comforting sweetness shared at the end of the *dais*.
Look up, mortal: this fig tree that leans over my abyss — it is to it that a cunning man clung to escape me, hanging like a bat above my maw, waiting for me to spit back his raft. Its figs I do not swallow — I let them ripen in the Sicilian sun, swollen with sugar. Split them, fill them with honey, roll them in toasted sesame. Eat them, thinking that sweetness sometimes grows right at the edge of what devours.
- •Dried figs — about ten (base fruit)
- •Honey — as needed to stuff (sweetness and binder)
- •Sesame seeds — a handful (crunchy coating)
- •Thyme or anise seeds (optional) — a pinch (scent)
Wild fig tree figs with honey and sesame
Dried figs, split and stuffed with thick honey, rolled in toasted sesame, sometimes spiced with thyme. The comforting sweetness shared at the end of the *dais*.
Why this dish? A wild fig tree leans over Charybdis's abyss: it is by clinging to it that Odysseus escapes her whirlpool (*Odyssey*, Book XII). From its figs comes the sweetness that closes the feast — the very tree that saves from death.
Look up, mortal: this fig tree that leans over my abyss — it is to it that a cunning man clung to escape me, hanging like a bat above my maw, waiting for me to spit back his raft. Its figs I do not swallow — I let them ripen in the Sicilian sun, swollen with sugar. Split them, fill them with honey, roll them in toasted sesame. Eat them, thinking that sweetness sometimes grows right at the edge of what devours.
Ingredients (period version)
- Dried figs — about ten (base fruit)
- Honey — as needed to stuff (sweetness and binder)
- Sesame seeds — a handful (crunchy coating)
- Thyme or anise seeds (optional) — a pinch (scent)
Ingredients
- Soft dried figs — 10-12 (base)
- Honey — 3 tbsp (filling)
- Sesame seeds — 4 tbsp (coating)
- Fresh thyme or anise seeds — 1 pinch (scent)
- Walnut halves (optional) — a few (crunch in the center)
Method
- Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until golden and fragrant; set aside.
- Cut each fig in half without separating completely.
- Place a little honey (and a walnut half if desired) in the center, press closed.
- Brush the outside with honey, then roll the figs in the toasted sesame.
- Sprinkle with thyme leaves or a touch of anise. Let rest 10 minutes and serve.
How it was made : The fig was one of the most beloved and widespread fruits in Greece, fresh in season and dried for winter. Paired with honey and sesame — the two great ancient sources of sweetness, before cane sugar — it made an end-of-meal treat (*tragêmata*) accessible to all classes.
The contemporary twist : Presented as *Odysseus's candies*, lined up on a fig leaf, with a drizzle of thyme honey at serving.
Charybdis · Charactorium