Over spring break, I took on the challenge of creating an authentic Roman dish with the help of fellow classmates Tiffany, Abby, and Annie. The British Museum wrote a blog post with nine ancient Roman and Greek recipes and the one that caught our eye was the dessert pancakes with honey and sesame seeds. The recipe calls for fairly simple ingredients and can be found here: https://blog.britishmuseum.org/cook-a-classical-feast-nine-recipes-from-ancient-greece-and-rome/ 

Ingredients

• 120g flour

• 225 ml water

• 2 tbsp clear honey

• Oil for frying

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Process:

We heated oil in a small pan for frying and while it heated up we mixed the flour, water, and honey together in a bowl until there weren’t any clumps left. Once the oil was hot we dropped a large spoonful of batter into the oil and let it fry until golden brown on one side. We then flipped it until the other side was also a delicious golden brown color. Next, we placed the pancakes on paper towels to drain off any excess oil before drizzling them with honey and sesame seeds. We decided to take our own twist on the pancakes and also add some everything but the bagel seasoning to the pancakes to add a little seeds and flavor. 

Review:

The honey and toppings on the pancakes were a big hit and all 4 of our pancakes were eaten. The biggest downside was that the middle of the pancake was rather dense and chewy despite the outside layer of the pancake being crisp and golden brown. I think this is due to a lack of leavening agent or perhaps because the oil wasn’t quite hot enough. I wouldn’t make these Roman pancakes again but if they were placed in front of me I would eat them again.

The ingredients called for in this recipe are fairly simple and wholesome so it makes sense that they were staples in Roman desserts. I didn’t realize that sesame seeds were such an ancient staple but it was cool to learn about all the different things Romans used sesame seeds for. I can see how these pancakes were an easy yet yummy dessert to make. I can also easily picture Roman children with sticky honey covered fingers sitting around munching on the pancakes.  

For my second ACTA, I decided to cook my own Roman-inspired dessert. The dessert that I chose to make were pancakes with honey and sesame seeds. I found this recipe off a Roman meal website that included quotes of famous Romans that participated in cooking. Approximately 1,800 years ago, Galen, a Greek physician and philosopher in the Roman Empire, talked about how to make these Roman pancakes, called teganitais. He claimed, “the oil is put in a frying-pan resting on a smokeless fire, and when it has heated, the wheat flour, mixed with plenty of water, is poured on” (britishmuseum.org). Unlike Galen, 1,800 years ago, I was able to use a stovetop with electric heat to fry these pancakes. Despite these few technological differences, it was interesting to see the similarities between the recipe processes from such different time periods.  

Overall, the process of making this dessert was fairly easy. The recipe only required five simple ingredients: flour, honey, oil, water and sesame seeds. All I had to do was measure out my ingredients and then place them into a mixing bowl. In order to properly measure my substances, I had to convert the ingredients from the metric system into the imperial system. After mixing the ingredients, I placed small scoops of batter into a hot pot of oil. I fried the mini pancakes for about a minute and 30 seconds on each side. I used a mixture of canola and olive oil. After doing that, I placed the pancake on a paper towel. I let it cool for a few minutes and then eventually drizzled honey on top and then the sesame seeds. They looked relatively appetizing. Additionally, because I have celiac disease, I substituted wheat flour for gluten-free rice flour. It seemed to still work out, however, the pancakes did not rise as much when they were being fried.  

The simplicity and lack of sweetness in this “dessert” made me reflect more on what Roman foods were like back then. Ancient Romans primarily ate foods that were seasonally or locally accessible. Their diets primarily consisted of cereals, legumes, some meat, cheese, and vegetables. They did not have access to the complex sweeteners and sugars that our society uses today to make desserts so candied and sugary. In general, I liked the taste of my creation. It was simple, a nice texture, and had a thick inside. However, one thing I would change in the future is to add more toppings. To add more flavor and spice in the future, I might have added chocolate chips, cinnamon, ground cloves, or some sort of fruit. Additionally, honey is not my favorite, so I might have switched that ingredient to maple syrup. I think making this dessert slightly sweeter would have made the dish taste a little better overall. 

   *Additionally, I had one of my friends Natalie try one of my Roman pancakes. At first, she had claimed it was a little bland, but she then took another bite and liked it much better. She said that the honey and sesame seeds added a nice touch and pulled all of the flavors together. She said that without those ingredients she might have not considered this recipe a dessert because of how dull it tasted. We cooked this meal in the VCAM and it was a very engaging and different experience!  

Link to recipe:

https://blog.britishmuseum.org/cook-a-classical-feast-nine-recipes-from-ancient-greece-and-rome/

Ingredients: 

-120 grams of flour 

-225 mL of water 

-2 tbsp clear honey 

-Oil for frying 

-1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds  

Images of the cooking process:

Thank you so much for reading!  

-Tiffany Mikulis

Over spring break I chose to make a dish called Libum or an ancient Roman cheesecake. In ancient Rome, this sacrificial cake was offered to household spirits, but was also enjoyed by Romans as well. Although I do not typically bake, I wanted to challenge myself in the kitchen. My sister, Emma, also volunteered to help me make my dough and cook these cheesecake buns. I was able to find all of the ingredients except for the bay leaves so rather than cook the buns on a fresh bay leaf, I put them directly on the greased baking tray. The recipe also called for one cup of flour. However, while forming the buns I had to add extra flour, since the dough was very sticky, which made it difficult to separate and mold. Despite this change, the rest of the recipe and cooking process was straightforward and easy to follow. 

Although the recipe said to bake the buns for 35-40 minutes, I took them out of the oven after only 30 minutes, since they were already a nice golden brown color. If I let the buns bake for longer I was afraid that they would burn. When the cheesecake buns came out of the oven, I was surprised by how round they were. I was expecting the buns to be flatter. In the future, before I put the dough in the oven I would flatten the buns into more of a thick pancake. Once the buns soaked and cooled in honey for thirty minutes, I had my entire family try this Roman delicacy. The buns were not very “cake-like” but had a consistency that more resembled bread. The inside of the buns were moist and you could easily taste the ricotta cheese. The honey added a sweet component that paired well with the buns. My sister especially liked the cheesecake buns and was surprised by how good they came out. Her only complaint was that the buns were a little plain. I believe that if I had used the bay leaves like the recipe had called for that they would have come out more flavorful. My sister also thought that the physical appearance of the buns could have been improved by scoring and smoothing the tops better. In my opinion, this experience was a success and a fun family experience. I would definitely try to make these Roman cheesecake buns again!

Libum Recipe (serves four)

Ingredients

– 1 cup plain, all purpose flour

– 8 ounces or 1 cup ricotta cheese

– 1 egg, beaten

– bay leaves

– ½ cup clear honey

Instructions

1. Sift the flour in a mixing bowl.

2. Beat the cheese until soft, stir into the flour.

3. Add the beaten egg to the flour/cheese mixture, forming a soft dough.

4. Divide the dough into four and shape each piece into a bun.

5. Place on a greased baking tray with a fresh bay leaf underneath.

6. Heat the oven to 425 °F. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown.

7. Warm the honey, pour into a flat plate, and place the buns on it to rest until the honey is absorbed.

While home over break, I decided to bake an ancient roman torte.  I did some research on common desserts in ancient Rome and learned they were usually made with some combination of fruits, cheeses, and nuts.  I found a simple recipe made with fruit and cheese filling.  I don’t often cook with ricotta cheese and it is not one of my favorite foods.  However, the recipe intrigued me.  It calls for the ricotta to be sweetened and paired with strawberry jam.  That seemed like an interesting combination of simple ingredients that might be complementary.  In ancient Rome, they didn’t have the variety of ingredients we have today so it is not surprising that they were creative in combining that which they had at their disposal.

The cooking process was straightforward.  The dough called for six ingredients mixed in a large bowl and refrigerated for a short time.  After flattening it with a rolling pin, it was stretched across a pie plate to create the first layer of the torte.  Then strawberry jam is spread generously to create the second layer.  A combination of ricotta and sugar comprises the third layer with the rest of the dough spread across the top to form the rest of the crust.  

After assembling the torte, there is not much else to do.  It is placed in the oven for about 30 minutes.  It smelled wonderful!  My Mom, Dad, and our neighbors all tried the finished torte.   My Dad initially didn’t like the sound of the recipe but he ended up eating several slices!!!  The reviews were all positive! 

In the future, I would add a thicker layer of strawberry jam and a thinner layer of the ricotta filling.  That might be a personal preference, however.  The crust was my favorite part.  It was flaky and mildly sweet.  While making it, I was contemplating the accessibility of some of the necessary ingredients and tools in ancient times.  I did some research and found that sweet cheeses and fruits were readily available to many Romans, but ingredients like granulated sugar and butter were almost non-existent.  I suspect that they must have been using honey and oil which was much more widely obtainable at the time.  The dough and torte needed to be refrigerated before it was placed into the oven and that would have presented a challenge in ancient times, as well.

The recipe: https://anitalianinmykitchen.com/ancient-roman-cake-torta-antica-roma/

A few weeks ago we (Anna, Kai-Ling, Kate, and a friend from outside this class) went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA), and viewed several pieces depicting Roman events. While much of the art at the museum is from later periods of history, there were some wonderful tapestries showing various scenes in the life of Constantine. These tapestries were both instructive in Roman history and acted as examples of the beauty and intricacy of tapestry as an art form. We also saw one of the museum’s most striking pieces, a golden statue of the Roman goddess Diana prominently displayed at the top of a central staircase. 

We found the central placement of these artworks to be interesting: while many of the museum’s collections are concerned with later periods of history, the first pieces visitors will see are Roman in content. The placement of these artworks thus demonstrates Rome’s continued relevance in our institutions of art and culture. While this statue was created for a multi-story building in the 1930’s, we found it remarkable that a Roman deity maintains the literally high cultural placement she might have enjoyed in Ancient Rome so many years and miles away. The statue, having been removed from its placement in the Philadelphia skyline,now resides at the top of the Museums’ central hall and staircase, positioning her again as the deity in a sort of temple and certainly the focal point of the Museum’s most notable indoor space. Even the museum itself resembles a classical temple, though not specifically Roman, its architecture reinforces the primacy of the classical world in modern cultural thought. Likewise, the creation of the pieces itself brought to mind the fact that Rome was similarly seen as relevant in the time of the pieces’ creation, and that Rome has resonated throughout the past as well as in our present.

The friend who accompanied us had studied abroad in Rome, and was also able to remark on his experiences in modern-day Rome in contrast to our learning about ancient Rome. While he was able to see evidence of the continued presence of ancient Roman events and culture in both modern-day Rome and the PMA, he also commented on differences, and we were confronted by how much has been changed and lost across the centuries.

We were also inspired by the tapestries to think on textile work as an art form. Most textile work has traditionally been done by women: even in Roman theology it is Minerva, a goddess, who originated and oversaw tapestry work. Art forms typically undertaken by women have often been denigrated, but it is clear from the scale and detail in the PMA tapestries that such work required great skill and thousands of hours of painstaking work. Interestingly, while likely made exclusively by women, the tapestries depicted almost exclusively men (Constantine and his allies and enemies). Thus the tapestries acted almost as an allegory for broader conceptions of gender roles: the actions of “great men” made visible only through the painstaking labor of women who are themselves invisible and uncredited. Notably, many of these tapestries depicted the Roman armies in moments of great distress, highlighting their fallibility and suffering, rather than just the dramatic triumph or superhuman strength depictions of “great men” more often mythologize. 

Overall, we were struck by art’s ability to connect us to the past, even the very distant past. Given the primary cultural importance of ancient Greece and Rome, we were surprised at the PMA’s lack of actual classical artifacts or even collections but rather the presence of artworks and artifacts that reflect Rome’s ongoing legacy.  Viewing these tapestries and paintings prompted us to critically reflect on the ways in which these pieces were created, and how they have traveled through time and space to eventually be present in the museum with us.

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