Phakê, the traveler's lentil soup
A soup-purée of lentils simmered with onion, garlic, and herbs, bound with olive oil and perked up with a splash of vinegar — the ultimate popular dish, nourishing and cheap.
A soup-purée of lentils simmered with onion, garlic, and herbs, bound with olive oil and perked up with a splash of vinegar — the ultimate popular dish, nourishing and cheap.
On the roads of Egypt, where I learned to measure the shadow of the pyramids, I understood that a wise traveler carries lentils: they fit in a sack, they do not spoil, and one evening over a fire is enough to make a meal. I let them melt with onion and garlic, pour in my oil, and at the last moment a splash of vinegar — for bland phakê is an insult. Eat it thick: it will carry you far, and a clear mind fares better in a sated body.
- •Dried lentils — a measure (base)
- •Onion — one (aromatic)
- •Garlic — a few cloves (aromatic)
- •Olive oil — generous (binder and flavor)
- •Wine vinegar — a splash (final acidity)
- •Coriander seeds, thyme, bay leaf — by hand (aromatic)
- •Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Phakê, the traveler's lentil soup
A soup-purée of lentils simmered with onion, garlic, and herbs, bound with olive oil and perked up with a splash of vinegar — the ultimate popular dish, nourishing and cheap.
Why this dish? Lentils, which keep dry and transport easily, were the companion of Greek sailors and travelers. Thales traveled through Egypt and Babylonia to gather geometry and astronomy; a pot of phakê, economical and fortifying, is exactly what sustained a sage on the roads of knowledge.
On the roads of Egypt, where I learned to measure the shadow of the pyramids, I understood that a wise traveler carries lentils: they fit in a sack, they do not spoil, and one evening over a fire is enough to make a meal. I let them melt with onion and garlic, pour in my oil, and at the last moment a splash of vinegar — for bland phakê is an insult. Eat it thick: it will carry you far, and a clear mind fares better in a sated body.
Ingredients (period version)
- Dried lentils — a measure (base)
- Onion — one (aromatic)
- Garlic — a few cloves (aromatic)
- Olive oil — generous (binder and flavor)
- Wine vinegar — a splash (final acidity)
- Coriander seeds, thyme, bay leaf — by hand (aromatic)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Green or brown lentils — 250 g (base)
- Onion — 1 large, thinly sliced (aromatic)
- Garlic — 3 cloves (aromatic)
- Extra virgin olive oil — 4 tbsp (binder and flavor)
- Red wine vinegar — 1 to 2 tbsp (final acidity)
- Coriander seeds — 1 tsp (aromatic)
- Thyme and bay leaf — 1 sprig + 1 leaf (aromatic)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Sauté the sliced onion in olive oil until translucent, then add the garlic and crushed coriander seeds.
- Add the lentils, thyme, and bay leaf, cover generously with water and bring to a simmer.
- Cook for 30 to 40 minutes until the lentils are tender; add water if needed to maintain a thick soup consistency.
- Salt at the end of cooking, remove the bay leaf, and off the heat drizzle in a generous amount of olive oil and the vinegar. Serve hot with a maza.
How it was made : Phakê was the quintessential Greek popular dish — so common that the comedian Aristophanes joked about it. Cheap, filling, made from lentils that traveled and stored dry, it was always perked up with oil and vinegar. Coriander seeds and local herbs were the usual spices, as chili and tomato did not exist in this world.
The contemporary twist : Serve the phakê in a clay bowl, topped with a swirl of new olive oil and a few toasted coriander seeds: a comforting, all-vegetable 'traveler's velouté'.
Thales · Charactorium