Apollonia's Projects

Byzantine Dinner Party

I am currently preparing to cook a Byzantine dinner party for folks meeting up in New Orleans before Gulf Wars this spring. March 2009

Having not made anything since the Emmaus Faire Cooks Challenge more than five years ago, I thought it sounded like a good idea.

Byzantine Cuisine Resources

Byzantine Cuisine by Efuentes Demetrios, OL/ Henry Marks. This work is mentioned by Dalby and is held by the Dumbarton Oaks Library and is the only work, to my knowledge, that translates the primary sources listed below.

Cost $37.75, including packaging, shipping and handling (within the 48 States). Its a 450 page book which contains a synthesis of food available, cooking practices and dining customs, plus translations of 3 primary sources and 2 secondary sources. Send check or money order to Henry Marks, 1270 Montecello Dr, Eugene, OR, 97404.

A thoroughly interesting read. Highly Recommended.
The Booke of Goode Cookery Byzantine Recipes A web version of an out of print article. "Warning: The information from the Early Period journal is based partly on the work of a modern author, Nicholas Tselementes (Greek Cookery. Divry, Inc.: New York, 1977). Tselementes provides no documentation for any of the recipes in this book. Readers desiring authenticated Byzantine recipes must keep this in mind."
Byzantine Recipes A collection of varied recipes by the historical re-enactment group The New Varangian Guard. I haven't read through the document in it's entirety yet.
Eat, Drink, and Be Merry (Luke 12:19) Food and Wine in Byzantium (Society for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies) I am waiting for a copy of this book to arrive through interlibrary loan.
Every day life in Byzantium: Nutrition -From Macedonian Heritage site. Short written and audio (real player) presentation with manuscripts available for enlargement. The manuscripts are quite interesting and several are lovely as well.
Flavours of Byzantium by Andrew Dalby. $45.00 ISBN: 1903018145. I am currently reading this work. It is very readable, quite interesting and included several primary texts. Good to Excellent reviews are available from several sources including Brynn Mawr Classical Review. Highly Recommended.
A late Roman Spice Chest- by David Dendy Francesco Sirene, Spicer. Excellent overview based on 5th century primary resources
Siren Feasts: A History of Food and Gastronomy in Greece by Andrew Dalby. A precursor to Flavors of Byzantium. It contains a chapter on Byzantine cuisine.
Spicefinder- by David Dendy Francesco Sirene, Spicer. An index of alternate names for spices and herbs, including historical variations, names in languages other than English, and the scientific Latin names. Sources are listed.
Stefan's Florilegium fd-Byzantine-msg file. A collection email discussion group messages relating to Byzantine Food. A mixed bag of postings are included. Note: several posted URLS are from several years ago and no longer are in service.

For the Emmaus Faire Cooks Challenge

A trial run of recipes to take to Crown

My two major Byzantine food resources are hardly cookbooks. Since this will be my first attempt at recreating any Byzantine foodstuffs, I’m going with the redactions of Henry Marks in _Byzantine Cuisine_. Much of the work for Byzantine food is or must be speculative based on lists of medicinal food uses with scant other references and virtually no actual recipes and definitely no quantities or complete ingredient lists in a recipe.

I brought the following in quantities to serve approx. 30 people (I figured not everyone will eat day board and not everyone will eat the dishes I brought—hence enough for about 30 folks.)

Appetizer: Tadziki (garlic yogurt dip) served with appropriate fresh vegetables

Redaction from: Marks: page 156 from Paviout
Note: Reduce garlic a wee bit. The dip was too garlicky for some folks.

Documented vegetables eaten in Byzantium. Potentials for dipping into the tadziki. ☼ = those I set up before the hungry ☺ = those most eaten the by the hungry

☼ Radishes (Seth)
Onions (Seth)
☼ Green Onions
Cucumbers (Seth)

☼ ☺ Carrots (Dalby) Mushrooms (Seth) ☼ ☺Asparagus (Seth)

Parsnips (Seth) Artichokes (Seth)
Beets [White beets] (Seth)

☼ Kohlrabi (Prodomic Poems) ☼ Eggplant (Prodomic Poems) ☼ Turnips (Prodomic Poems)

Cauliflower (Prodomic Poems)
☼ ☺ Celery (Dalby)

Dessert: Koponlazoutos (phyllo dough with honey, almonds and spices)

Redaction from: Marks: page 148 from Koukoule

This dish went over smashingly well.

Since then, additional research on this dish has shown it to be a bit controversial. Koukoule translated the recipe as using phyllo dough. Perry asserts the sheets in the dish is not phyllo at all but almond paste.

I've not yet tried to make a version of this dish with almond paste, but will eventually. It has been suggested that a comparison of both methods and documentation may make for an interesting competition entry for me. Maybe I'll do this. We'll see.

Perry, Charles. "The Taste for Layered Bread among the Nomadic Turks and the Central Asian Origins of Baklava," A Taste of Thyme: Culinary Cultures of the Middle East. Sami Zubaida. Tauris Parke Paperbacks: London. 2000. pg. 87-91. ISBN: 1860646034.

Beverage: Sekanjabin (cooling mint drink)

Redaction from: Cariadoc
Note: There are no period recipes, but reference do exist. Oxymel is as close as it gets as far as a recipe is concerned.

Good as always. Just about every drop was drained from the cooler.

☼ Radishes (Seth)	Onions (Seth) ☼ Green Onions	Cucumbers (Seth)
☼ ☺ Carrots (Dalby)	Mushrooms (Seth)	☼ ☺Asparagus (Seth)
Parsnips (Seth)	Artichokes (Seth)	Beets [White beets] (Seth)
☼ Kohlrabi (Prodomic Poems)	☼ Eggplant (Prodomic Poems)	☼ Turnips (Prodomic Poems)
Cauliflower (Prodomic Poems)	☼ ☺ Celery (Dalby)