Roman spiced wine with pepper (Conditum)

Ancient Roman spiced wine with pepper and honey

Origin: Roman Empire

From the journey of Black Pepper.

Conditum Paradoxum ('the remarkable spiced wine') opens Apicius' De Re Coquinaria, which is itself remarkable: a cookbook that begins not with food but with drink. The Romans inherited wine-spicing traditions from the Greeks (who drank only watered and spiced wine: plain wine was considered barbarous) and refined it into a complex art. Conditum was a preserved, medicinal wine made by boiling down honey with wine (a process called defrutum) and adding pepper, laurel, mastic, saffron, dates, and other aromatics. It was made in large batches and aged, like vermouth. Pepper's role was dual: flavouring and preservation. The recipe survives in near-complete form in Apicius, allowing a faithful reconstruction. This version adapts the quantities for a household batch rather than a production cellar.

Ingredients

Base

  • 750 ml dry white wine (or a light red, the Romans used both)
  • 200 g honey (about ¾ cup, use a dark, aromatic honey)

Spices

  • 1.5 tsp black peppercorns, coarsely cracked
  • 2 piece bay leaves
  • 0.25 tsp saffron threads
  • 0.5 tsp mastic resin granules (or a small piece of dried mastic; substitute pine nuts if unavailable)
  • 4 piece Medjool dates, pitted and chopped

Method

  1. Warm the honey in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it liquefies and begins to foam. Stir frequently and allow to cook for about 5 minutes until the foam subsides: this is beginning to caramelise slightly, which Apicius describes.
  2. Add the wine gradually, stirring: it will bubble. Add the cracked pepper, bay leaves, saffron, mastic, and chopped dates.
  3. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat and cook for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not boil hard. Skim any foam that rises.
  4. Remove from heat. Strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth into a clean bottle or jug, pressing the dates and spices to extract their flavour. Discard the solids.
  5. Allow to cool completely before serving or storing. The conditum can be served immediately at room temperature or chilled, or bottled and aged for stronger flavour.

Notes

Serve as the Romans did: diluted with water (one part conditum to two or three parts cold water), as a digestif, or as an aperitif. The flavour is remarkable (floral, honeyed, peppery, resinous) unlike any modern wine. It keeps for several weeks refrigerated or longer if bottled with minimal air.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

Mapping Culinary History

To explore — select an ingredient below.

Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route
Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
© 2026 The Gastrographer. All original research, narratives, and illustrations. All rights reserved.