flipItrion — Sesame and Honey Traveler's Bar
Itrion — Sesame and Honey Traveler's Bar
Why this dish? Heracles spends his life on the road, from one labor to another, from Nemea to Thrace. Itrion, ancestor of pasteli, is precisely the compact, energy-rich food that an indefatigable walker would slip into his pouch to keep going.
A dense, crunchy bar of sesame seeds bound with hot honey. Light to carry, rich in energy: the ration of the Greek traveler and athlete.
Before you take the road, prepare this, as I did before every long journey. You heat the honey until it barely smokes, toss in a full handful of toasted sesame, stir, then press it all firmly and let it harden. Slip this cake into your pouch: it weighs nothing, it does not spoil, and one bite gives you the strength to go another day. The hero does not always have a table — but he is always hungry.
- •Toasted sesame seeds — two handfuls (base)
- •Honey — enough to bind (binder and sweetness)
Itrion — Sesame and Honey Traveler's Bar
A dense, crunchy bar of sesame seeds bound with hot honey. Light to carry, rich in energy: the ration of the Greek traveler and athlete.
Why this dish? Heracles spends his life on the road, from one labor to another, from Nemea to Thrace. Itrion, ancestor of pasteli, is precisely the compact, energy-rich food that an indefatigable walker would slip into his pouch to keep going.
Before you take the road, prepare this, as I did before every long journey. You heat the honey until it barely smokes, toss in a full handful of toasted sesame, stir, then press it all firmly and let it harden. Slip this cake into your pouch: it weighs nothing, it does not spoil, and one bite gives you the strength to go another day. The hero does not always have a table — but he is always hungry.
Ingredients (period version)
- Toasted sesame seeds — two handfuls (base)
- Honey — enough to bind (binder and sweetness)
Ingredients
- Sesame seeds — 150 g (base)
- Honey — 100 g (binder and sweetness)
- Lemon zest or pinch of thyme (optional) — to taste (flavor)
Method
- Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until lightly colored and fragrant; set aside.
- Heat the honey in a saucepan until it just simmers (do not burn), about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Remove from heat, stir in the sesame (and zest) and mix quickly.
- Spread the mixture between two sheets of parchment paper, press to about 1 cm thickness, and let cool and harden.
- Cut into bars or diamonds before it hardens completely.
How it was made : Itrion, mentioned as early as the poet Solon and by Athenaeus, was a confection of sesame and honey, a direct ancestor of the Greek pasteli still sold today. Sesame, honey and dried fruits provided portable sweets for travel, athletes and festivals.
The contemporary twist : Cut into small diamond-shaped "Heracles rations" and rolled in extra black sesame, wrapped in a bay leaf for the scent of travel.
Sources : Athenaeus of Naucratis, The Deipnosophists (Book XIV, on itrion) · Andrew Dalby, Food in the Ancient World from A to Z, Routledge, 2003
Hercules · Charactorium
