Apicius 435 |
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Notes As in most of
Apicius' recipes for suaces, the most important constituent is omitted
here: resourcefulness. What else is this recipe than a list of ingredients?
Quantities remain to be guessed and the end of the recipe is a puzzle
to anyone endowed with reason. Let's start off with the things that are clear.
Pepper, lovage and cumin are mentioned in may of Apicius' recipes as a
kind of Holy Trinity, sometimes distinctly set apart from other herbs.
This indicates that the aromatic seeds of Ligusticum officinale
are to be used, rather than the fresh herb. As these are hard to come
by if you do not own a garden, we will be bound to use the herb instead.
Just grind some of these spices in a mortar. In my first try at this recipe I translated the end of it as: "If you want, add some of the hot broth. Add raisins." This means one has to dilute the sauce with some of the stock. Afterwards take the fish from the pan, drain, put in a dish and pour the sauce over it. |