Roman honey apples

Ancient Roman baked apples with honey

Origin: Roman Empire

From the journey of Apple.

This recipe derives from Apicius' De Re Coquinaria, the oldest surviving Roman cookbook (compiled 4th–5th century CE, though drawing on much earlier sources). The original Latin reads: 'Accipies mel, vinum, passum, rutam, cuminum frictum tritum quantum satis erit. His omnibus in caccabum missis cum malis coctis misces. Coques. Inferatur.': 'Take honey, wine, raisin wine, rue, and enough toasted ground cumin. Mix all in a pan with cooked apples. Cook. Serve.' The use of cumin in a sweet fruit dish reflects a Roman palate shaped by Egyptian and Greek influences, and rue, a bitter herb, was used as a digestive aid and spice throughout the ancient world. This is a direct reconstruction of that 1,600-year-old recipe, scaled for a modern kitchen.

Ingredients

Main

  • 4 piece firm apples (Granny Smith or Cox), peeled, halved, and cored

Sauce

  • 3 tbsp honey (use a mild, fragrant variety: acacia or thyme)
  • 125 ml dry white wine
  • 125 ml sweet dessert wine (Pedro Ximénez, muscat, or passito: the passum of Apicius)
  • 0.5 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
  • 4 piece small sprigs of fresh rue or thyme (rue is authentic; thyme is a suitable substitute)
  • 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Arrange the apple halves cut-side up in a snug baking dish.
  2. In a small saucepan, combine the honey, dry wine, sweet wine, toasted cumin, and black pepper. Stir over low heat until the honey is fully dissolved and the mixture is fragrant, 2–3 minutes. Do not boil.
  3. Tuck a small sprig of rue or thyme into the cavity of each apple half. Pour the wine-honey sauce over the apples, coating them thoroughly.
  4. Bake for 35–40 minutes, basting every 10–15 minutes with the pan juices, until the apples are completely tender and the sauce has reduced to a sticky glaze.
  5. Remove the herb sprigs. Serve the apples warm, spooning the reduced honey-wine syrup generously over each.

Notes

Apicius calls this 'aliter dulcia' ('another sweet'), suggesting it was one of many variations served at the end of a Roman meal. Serve in small bowls with a little of the pan sauce. A spoonful of thick fresh cheese (ricotta or labneh) alongside would be period-appropriate and delicious.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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