flipIschades — sesame dried figs for the road
Ischades — sesame dried figs for the road
Why this dish? Before founding the Garden, Epicurus taught and traveled from Samos to Mytilene, Lampsacus, and Colophon. Dried figs, light and nourishing, were the quintessential travel provisions of the Greek world, and numbered among the simple sweets he prized.
Sun-dried figs, flattened and rolled in toasted sesame, sometimes stuffed with an almond. Sweet, energizing, indestructible: the 'traveler's snack' of Antiquity.
When I traveled from city to city to teach, I carried little more than dried figs in my satchel. Light to carry, sweet in the mouth, they satisfy the walker without weighing him down. Roll them in toasted sesame seed, slip an almond inside if you want to treat yourself — and you will have enough to keep going with a contented stomach. The wise man, you see, travels light, for he carries only what is necessary.
- •Ripe fresh figs — a basket (star (to be dried))
- •Sesame seeds — a handful (coating)
- •Almonds — a few (center (optional))
- •Honey — a drizzle (binder and shine)
Ischades — sesame dried figs for the road
Sun-dried figs, flattened and rolled in toasted sesame, sometimes stuffed with an almond. Sweet, energizing, indestructible: the 'traveler's snack' of Antiquity.
Why this dish? Before founding the Garden, Epicurus taught and traveled from Samos to Mytilene, Lampsacus, and Colophon. Dried figs, light and nourishing, were the quintessential travel provisions of the Greek world, and numbered among the simple sweets he prized.
When I traveled from city to city to teach, I carried little more than dried figs in my satchel. Light to carry, sweet in the mouth, they satisfy the walker without weighing him down. Roll them in toasted sesame seed, slip an almond inside if you want to treat yourself — and you will have enough to keep going with a contented stomach. The wise man, you see, travels light, for he carries only what is necessary.
Ingredients (period version)
- Ripe fresh figs — a basket (star (to be dried))
- Sesame seeds — a handful (coating)
- Almonds — a few (center (optional))
- Honey — a drizzle (binder and shine)
Ingredients
- Soft dried figs — 250 g (star)
- Sesame seeds — 3 tbsp (coating)
- Whole almonds — 12 to 15 (center (optional))
- Honey — 1 tbsp (binder and shine)
- Bay leaf — 1 (for storage) (flavor and preservation)
Method
- If starting from fresh figs, slit them and dry in the sun or in a very low oven (50–60 °C) for several hours until soft.
- Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until golden and fragrant.
- Open each fig, insert an almond in the center, press closed.
- Lightly brush with honey then roll the figs in the toasted sesame.
- Pack tightly in a box with a bay leaf: they keep for weeks and travel well.
How it was made : Ischades (dried figs) were an iconic Greek product, especially those from Attica, so renowned that it was said their export was forbidden. They were pressed into cakes or strung on threads for storage and transport — a true ancient 'energy bar'.
The contemporary twist : Present them strung on a linen thread, as they were sold in Greek markets: a hiking snack 'Athenian style'.
Sources : Athenaeus of Naucratis, The Deipnosophists (on Greek dried figs) · Andrew Dalby, Food in the Ancient World from A to Z (2003), entry 'fig'
Epicurus · Charactorium
