flipHoney, Date, and Sesame Cakes (shat)
Honey, Date, and Sesame Cakes (shat)
Why this dish? Compact, sweet, and long-lasting, these small cakes accompany Ra on his great journey: each night, the god crosses the Duat (the underworld) on his solar barque and needs provisions to be reborn at dawn. Such sweets were placed in tombs to sustain this journey toward the light.
Small dense bites made from crushed dates, honey, flour, and sesame, sometimes rolled in toasted sesame. Sweet and energizing, they keep for days — ideal for the road or the afterlife.
Each evening I embark on the crossing of the twelve hours of night, through the caverns where the serpent Apophis watches. No one makes this journey without provisions! They prepare for me these date cakes kneaded with honey and rolled in golden sesame, packed tight like the earth of the Delta, so that my strength does not falter before dawn. Taste them, you who still walk in the sun: may they carry you as they bring me back, victorious, to the first ray of morning.
- •Ripe pitted dates — a large basket (sweet base and binder)
- •Honey — generously (sugar and preservation)
- •Emmer flour — one measure (structure)
- •Sesame seeds — a handful (coating and flavor)
- •Cinnamon or cumin (optional) — a pinch (flavor)
Honey, Date, and Sesame Cakes (shat)
Small dense bites made from crushed dates, honey, flour, and sesame, sometimes rolled in toasted sesame. Sweet and energizing, they keep for days — ideal for the road or the afterlife.
Why this dish? Compact, sweet, and long-lasting, these small cakes accompany Ra on his great journey: each night, the god crosses the Duat (the underworld) on his solar barque and needs provisions to be reborn at dawn. Such sweets were placed in tombs to sustain this journey toward the light.
Each evening I embark on the crossing of the twelve hours of night, through the caverns where the serpent Apophis watches. No one makes this journey without provisions! They prepare for me these date cakes kneaded with honey and rolled in golden sesame, packed tight like the earth of the Delta, so that my strength does not falter before dawn. Taste them, you who still walk in the sun: may they carry you as they bring me back, victorious, to the first ray of morning.
Ingredients (period version)
- Ripe pitted dates — a large basket (sweet base and binder)
- Honey — generously (sugar and preservation)
- Emmer flour — one measure (structure)
- Sesame seeds — a handful (coating and flavor)
- Cinnamon or cumin (optional) — a pinch (flavor)
Ingredients
- Pitted Medjool dates — 300 g (binding base)
- Honey — 3 tbsp (sugar)
- Spelt flour — 100 g (structure)
- Sesame seeds — 60 g (coating)
- Ground cinnamon — 1 pinch (flavor (optional))
Method
- Toast the sesame seeds dry in a pan until golden; set aside.
- Mash the dates into a thick paste (in a mortar or food processor).
- Incorporate the honey, flour, and part of the sesame; knead into a malleable dough.
- Form small balls or cones, then roll them in the remaining toasted sesame.
- Bake at 170 °C for about 15 minutes to firm them up, or simply let them dry.
- Let cool: they keep for several days in a box.
How it was made : The word 'shat' refers to round cakes offered to gods and the dead; sesame and honey were the noble sweeteners (cane sugar did not exist in Egypt). Honey, costly, signaled a valuable offering. No chocolate or vanilla, of course: sweetness came from fruits, honey, and Eastern spices.
The contemporary twist : Present them in the shape of a small Khepri scarab (the solar dawn), dusted with golden sesame — the 'sunrise' treat.
Sources : William J. Darby, Paul Ghalioungui, Louis Grivetti, Food: The Gift of Osiris, Academic Press, 1977 · Pierre Tallet, La cuisine des pharaons, Actes Sud, 2003
Ra · Charactorium
