Honey-Candied Ginger of the Merchants
Thin slices of fresh ginger poached then candied in a honey syrup flavored with cinnamon, until translucent, spicy, and sweet. At once a luxury candy and a warming remedy, sucked on to soothe the stomach on long roads.
Thin slices of fresh ginger poached then candied in a honey syrup flavored with cinnamon, until translucent, spicy, and sweet. At once a luxury candy and a warming remedy, sucked on to soothe the stomach on long roads.
Ginger, know you, I saw growing green and fresh in India and Cathay, a thing no Venetian had ever beheld. It is cut fine, cooked in honey with a little cinnamon, and becomes clear as amber, sweet and pungent together. I always kept some in my sleeve: it is a king's treat and a remedy for the queasy stomach of long rides. One bite, and the belly calms and the heart warms.
- •Fresh ginger — several roots (base and remedy)
- •Honey — to cover (candying)
- •Cinnamon — a shard (fragrance)
Honey-Candied Ginger of the Merchants
Thin slices of fresh ginger poached then candied in a honey syrup flavored with cinnamon, until translucent, spicy, and sweet. At once a luxury candy and a warming remedy, sucked on to soothe the stomach on long roads.
Why this dish? Marco Polo marveled at fresh ginger from Asia, unknown in that form in Europe. Candied in honey, it became both a confection and a remedy for stomach ailments while traveling — a treasure that merchants brought back carefully.
Ginger, know you, I saw growing green and fresh in India and Cathay, a thing no Venetian had ever beheld. It is cut fine, cooked in honey with a little cinnamon, and becomes clear as amber, sweet and pungent together. I always kept some in my sleeve: it is a king's treat and a remedy for the queasy stomach of long rides. One bite, and the belly calms and the heart warms.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fresh ginger — several roots (base and remedy)
- Honey — to cover (candying)
- Cinnamon — a shard (fragrance)
Ingredients
- Fresh ginger — 200 g (base)
- Honey — 200 g (candying syrup)
- Water — 150 ml (poaching)
- Cinnamon stick — 1/2 (fragrance)
Method
- Peel the ginger and slice it into thin rounds.
- Poach in simmering water for 20 minutes to soften, then drain (reserve a little water).
- In a saucepan, combine the honey, reserved poaching water, and cinnamon; add the ginger.
- Cook on low heat for 30–40 minutes, until the slices become translucent and the syrup thickens.
- Drain, let dry on a rack for a few hours; store in the syrup or rolled in a little sugar.
How it was made : Candied ginger (*gingembrat*) appeared in medieval pharmacopoeias and cookbooks as a hot, digestive spice that 'comforts the heart'. Imported from Asia along the routes Marco Polo traveled, it was very expensive and served both as medicine and banquet sweet.
The contemporary twist : Half-dipped in dark chocolate… anachronistic for Marco's time, but irresistible today — otherwise, rolled in cane sugar to stay period.
Sources : Marco Polo, *The Description of the World* · Le Ménagier de Paris (recipes for gingembrat and candied spices, late 14th c.)
Marco Polo · Charactorium