Dulcia Domestica, Honey-Stuffed Dates
Pitted dates stuffed with walnuts and pine nuts, rolled in salt, then candied in hot honey. A soft, fragrant sweet, the pinnacle of Roman pastry.
Pitted dates stuffed with walnuts and pine nuts, rolled in salt, then candied in hot honey. A soft, fragrant sweet, the pinnacle of Roman pastry.
They press me to attend these feasts where people marvel at sweets. I appear, for the rank demands it, but I stick to little. Taste these dates stuffed with nuts and bathed in hot honey: nature put its sweetness in them, art only revealed it. Take one, savor it, then know to stop — it is in moderation, not excess, that true pleasure lies.
- •Dates — one cup (fruit)
- •Walnuts and pine nuts — enough for stuffing (filling)
- •Ground pepper — a pinch (spice)
- •Salt — for rolling (contrast)
- •Honey — to cover (candying)
Dulcia Domestica, Honey-Stuffed Dates
Pitted dates stuffed with walnuts and pine nuts, rolled in salt, then candied in hot honey. A soft, fragrant sweet, the pinnacle of Roman pastry.
Why this dish? When he had to fulfill the protocol obligations of an imperial banquet, Marcus Aurelius could not avoid the mensa secunda, the sweets course that closed the cena. These honeyed dates, a recipe from Apicius, are one of the most emblematic treats of those refined tables he attended out of duty.
They press me to attend these feasts where people marvel at sweets. I appear, for the rank demands it, but I stick to little. Taste these dates stuffed with nuts and bathed in hot honey: nature put its sweetness in them, art only revealed it. Take one, savor it, then know to stop — it is in moderation, not excess, that true pleasure lies.
Ingredients (period version)
- Dates — one cup (fruit)
- Walnuts and pine nuts — enough for stuffing (filling)
- Ground pepper — a pinch (spice)
- Salt — for rolling (contrast)
- Honey — to cover (candying)
Ingredients
- Medjool dates — 12 pieces (fruit)
- Walnut halves and pine nuts — 60 g (filling)
- Freshly ground black pepper — 1 pinch (spice)
- Fine salt — 1 tsp (contrast)
- Liquid honey — 150 g (candying)
Method
- Carefully pit the dates by splitting them open on one side.
- Chop walnuts and pine nuts, lightly pepper, and stuff each date.
- Close the dates and briefly roll them in a little fine salt.
- Heat the honey over low heat in a small pan.
- Place the dates in the honey and candy for 2-3 minutes, basting them, without boiling vigorously.
- Serve warm, drizzled with the cooking honey.
How it was made : Apicius precisely describes these dulcia domestica: pitted dates stuffed with walnuts, pine nuts, or ground pepper, salted on the outside, then cooked in honey. The salt-sweet contrast, highly prized by Romans, is the dish's signature.
The contemporary twist : A pinch of fleur de sel and an orange zest on the warm honey when serving, like a petit four at the end of a meal.
Sources : Apicius, De re coquinaria, Book VII
Marcus Aurelius · Charactorium
