Comfits — Sugar-Coated Spiced Seeds
Tiny aromatic seeds patiently coated in layers of hardened sugar, crunchy and fragrant, bursting in the mouth with a note of anise or coriander. They were eaten after the feast to freshen the breath and aid digestion.
Tiny aromatic seeds patiently coated in layers of hardened sugar, crunchy and fragrant, bursting in the mouth with a note of anise or coriander. They were eaten after the feast to freshen the breath and aid digestion.
Let us confess without concealment Our weakness for sugar — even at the cost of Our teeth, which ambassadors remark upon in whispers. After the feast, We gladly take a handful of these confited seeds, anise or coriander clad in sugar, rolled long in the cauldron until they round themselves like little pearls. They freshen a prince's breath and calm the stomach better than any apothecary's drug. Crunch a few: it is sweetmeat and remedy together.
- •Coriander, anise or fennel seeds — one measure (aromatic core)
- •Sugar — several measures (coating)
- •Rose water or water — a splash (coating syrup)
Comfits — Sugar-Coated Spiced Seeds
Tiny aromatic seeds patiently coated in layers of hardened sugar, crunchy and fragrant, bursting in the mouth with a note of anise or coriander. They were eaten after the feast to freshen the breath and aid digestion.
Why this dish? Elizabeth's taste for sugar is famous — to the point that her teeth blackened with age. At court, comfits were offered: coriander, anise, or fennel seeds coated in sugar, nibbled at the end of the meal as breath fresheners and digestive aids: sweetness and remedy in one.
Let us confess without concealment Our weakness for sugar — even at the cost of Our teeth, which ambassadors remark upon in whispers. After the feast, We gladly take a handful of these confited seeds, anise or coriander clad in sugar, rolled long in the cauldron until they round themselves like little pearls. They freshen a prince's breath and calm the stomach better than any apothecary's drug. Crunch a few: it is sweetmeat and remedy together.
Ingredients (period version)
- Coriander, anise or fennel seeds — one measure (aromatic core)
- Sugar — several measures (coating)
- Rose water or water — a splash (coating syrup)
Ingredients
- Coriander seeds (or anise, fennel) — 50 g (aromatic core)
- Sugar — 200 g (coating)
- Water — 80 ml (syrup)
- Rose water — a few drops (optional) (flavor)
Method
- Sort the seeds and warm them dry in a thick pan to release their aroma.
- Prepare a light syrup by heating the sugar with the water until it just runs off the spoon.
- Pour a small ladleful of syrup over the warm seeds, stirring constantly to coat them, until the sugar crystallizes in a thin layer.
- Repeat layer by layer, letting dry between each, until you have well-rounded comfits.
- Let dry completely in the air before storing in an airtight container.
How it was made : Comfits were a specialty of the Tudor 'banquet': seeds (caraway, coriander, anise, fennel) or peels were patiently coated in dozens of layers of sugar in a cauldron suspended over the fire, stirred by hand for hours. Reputed as digestive aids and breath fresheners, they were also a pure display of sugar wealth.
The contemporary twist : Presented in a small glass bonbonnière, these 'queen's dragées' elegantly replace after-dinner mignardises — and truly perfume the breath.
Sources : The Good Huswifes Jewell, Thomas Dawson, 1585 · Delightes for Ladies, Hugh Plat, 1602
Elizabeth I · Charactorium
