Latte di mandorle — almond milk for lean days
A creamy beverage of ground almonds infused in water, sweetened and perfumed. Allowed on lean days, it served as a drink, a cooking base, and a comforting remedy.
A creamy beverage of ground almonds infused in water, sweetened and perfumed. Allowed on lean days, it served as a drink, a cooking base, and a comforting remedy.
On fasting days, and especially during the holy season of Lent, the milk of beasts is forbidden to Us; so We use almond milk, which Our cooks draw from ground almonds steeped in clear water. We sweeten it lightly, perfume it with a hint of rose water, and give it to the sick and the fasting alike to sustain their strength. It is a gift from Heaven for the weak body: sweet, white, and pure as befits the time of penance.
- •Sweet almonds — a good handful (base)
- •Clear water — in proportion (infusion liquid)
- •Sugar — a little (sweetness)
- •Rose water — a few drops (fragrance)
Latte di mandorle — almond milk for lean days
A creamy beverage of ground almonds infused in water, sweetened and perfumed. Allowed on lean days, it served as a drink, a cooking base, and a comforting remedy.
Why this dish? During Lent and the fasts that Gregory XIII observed and enforced, animal milk was forbidden: it was replaced by almond milk, sweet and nourishing. It was also served to the sick at court as a comforting and easily digestible food.
On fasting days, and especially during the holy season of Lent, the milk of beasts is forbidden to Us; so We use almond milk, which Our cooks draw from ground almonds steeped in clear water. We sweeten it lightly, perfume it with a hint of rose water, and give it to the sick and the fasting alike to sustain their strength. It is a gift from Heaven for the weak body: sweet, white, and pure as befits the time of penance.
Ingredients (period version)
- Sweet almonds — a good handful (base)
- Clear water — in proportion (infusion liquid)
- Sugar — a little (sweetness)
- Rose water — a few drops (fragrance)
Ingredients
- Blanched almonds — 150 g (base)
- Water — 75 cl (liquid)
- Sugar or honey — 2 tbsp (sweetness)
- Rose water — a few drops (optional) (fragrance)
Method
- Soak the blanched almonds in water for several hours (or overnight).
- Blend the almonds with their soaking water until milky.
- Strain through a fine cloth, pressing well to extract all the milk.
- Sweeten to taste and perfume with a hint of rose water.
- Serve chilled as a drink, or use as a base for lean-day soups and desserts.
How it was made : Almond milk was a pillar of medieval and Renaissance cuisine: it did not spoil like animal milk and was allowed on lean days, so it was used everywhere — drinks, soups, sauces, blancmanges. Cookbooks, including Scappi's *Opera*, abound with it. It was also considered a gentle food for convalescents.
The contemporary twist : Served well chilled with a grating of cinnamon, it becomes a refreshing summer drink — the direct ancestor of today's plant-based milks.
Sources : Bartolomeo Scappi, Opera dell'arte del cucinare (1570)
Gregory XIII · Charactorium