Zenobia at the table

At my table, we follow the Roman order of the meal — adapted to the riches of Syria. The day begins with a light prandium, a frugal lunch on workdays. In the evening, the cena unfolds in three stages: gustatio whets the appetite, mensa prima brings meats and roasts, mensa secunda closes with sweets and fruits. We first drink mulsum, a honeyed welcome wine. And for the caravan road, we pack dry provisions (cibaria viae) that defy the desert.

The oasis palm grove is our pride and our currency as much as our sugar. The date perfumes daily bread as well as festive sweets, and nourishes the camel driver on the trail. It is the king ingredient of my caravan city — where honey and the gold of the dunes meet.