Still from Toffaheya (Apple Stew) Recipe VideoRAWI Publishing
Recreating historical recipes engages our senses in an exploration of the past and allows us to immerse ourselves in imaginary ancient kitchens. But are the aromas and flavours we savour exactly what our ancestors experienced? Very often, ancient recipes are vague: ‘Prepare chicken as usual’ is the start of many a medieval recipe, leaving the modern reader to wonder at what was considered ‘usual’ in the 10th c. The quantities and ingredient ratios are either left to our imagination or stated in unfamiliar measures. Cooking times are often vague and may involve labour- or time-intensive steps such as fermenting for days! Many of the ingredients are difficult to decipher: foods might not be known to us or might long since have disappeared. With all these variables, how can we ever be sure that the dishes taste the same?
Historians like to follow recipes to the letter—even if the details are not there. We rely on ancient tools and pots, for example, and perform chemical analyses to try to understand food, plant and animal remains. This allows us to better understand the cooking process, the time and labour needed, and hopefully achieves a result close to the original.
For Rawi magazine’s issue on Egypt's culinary history, we collaborated with a team of historians, archaeologists, and modern-day chefs to recreate several recipes from Egypt’s 7000 years of culinary history. Our aim was to stay as true to the original as possible while also adapting the recipes to modern-day ingredients and techniques for today’s adventurous cooks.
Lentil Purée Recipe (2020)RAWI Publishing
The first written recipe in Egypt?
Written recipes start appearing in Egypt a little over 2,000 years ago. This one for lentil purée was originally written in Greek and is the earliest recipe that archaeologists have been able to recover. It is a testament to the continuous presence of lentils in their various forms throughout Egyptian history and until today. Dill, used in the recipe, is not a herb commonly added to lentils in today’s Egyptian kitchen, but it’s not a bad idea to take some inspiration from the past!
Toffaheya Recipe (2020)RAWI Publishing
Sweet and Savoury: A 600-Year Old Apple and Beef Stew
During the 14th c., sweet and savoury dishes such as this one were a local speciality that visitors to Egypt found unusual. When we recreated this recipe, we were very surprised at its flavour. Certain elements were reminiscent of southeast Asian cuisine, a testament to the culinary influence of trade with India during medieval Egypt.
For more on ancient Egyptian recipes and where they come from, check out this story on the only surviving recipe from ancient Egypt.
