So far in our journey
through the archaeology of food, we have been examining evidence that has been
indirectly inferred by archaeologists. Ingredients, methods of production, and
even food preferences can be determined by examining evidence that exists in
the archaeological record. Through work done by a few researchers, modern cooks
can bring together ingredients used by people of the past and try to put a dish
together based on some known cultural methods of descendent populations or
items present in the archaeological record. Through a bit of creativity, we can
make something that will appeal to the modern pallet while tipping our hats to
the ancients.
This all sounds nice, but
didn’t any people in the distant past leave behind recipes for the food they
cooked? In large part, the simple answer is “no”. A lot of the long-dead people
that archaeologists study didn’t see the need to put down in writing how they
cook their food, since it would be so culturally engrained that they would
assume ingredients and methods are common knowledge. To make matters even
trickier is the fact that a lot of these folks didn’t have systems of writing
or a high rate of literacy. Additionally, with societal divisions of labor,
it’s hard to imagine that the best cooks would also be the most literate and
therefore be capable of leaving behind any kind of recipes for us to use in
modern times.
If things weren’t
complicated enough, archaeologists face a record that’s been looted, partially
destroyed, and likely deteriorated. Depending on what materials information was
written on (if writing even existed at the time), it is often unlikely that it
could have survived to the modern day. As you can see, the prospective
archaeological gourmet has a lot standing between them and a tasty ancient
meal. Luckily, against the odds, some stone tablets left behind by the
Mesopotamians shed light on what people from that society would have eaten.
These tablets give us a
wealth of knowledge as to what was eaten by Mesopotamians and how they went about
cooking it. As you can probably imagine, a lot was cooked over fire or coals
and either stewed or roasted. Mesopotamians apparently enjoyed unleavened
bread, small game birds, truffle-like fungus, and a wide variety of foods that
we still appreciate today. The research
I read by Bottéro actually included translations of several recipes, although
their modern usefulness is debatable.
A big challenge in
cooking from ancient recipes is that there is a lot of cultural
common-knowledge that has simply been lost. This can include cooking steps that
were implied or left out, as the contemporaries of the author wouldn’t need
that extra information to successfully make a dish. Another issue is that some
ingredients are unknown, as there was no direct translation for the word on the
tablet. The best we can do in this case, as is common with archaeology, is make
our best efforts at an educated guess. In all possibility, the ingredient may
not even exist any longer due to extinction or its falling out of favor and disuse.
Bearing all that in mind,
here is the tablet inscription I chose to base this week’s blog on:
"Kippu Stew:
If you want to cook kippu in a stew, then
prepare them as you would agarukku. First, clean them and rinse them in cold
water and place them in an open pot. (Is this done to braise them in water?)
Then put the pot back on the flame (after the initial braising) and add some
cold water to it and flavor it with vinegar. Next, crush (together) mint and
salt and rub the kippu with the mixture. After this, strain (?) the liquid in
the kettle and add mint to this sauce. Place the kippu back into it. (We assume
they will cook for a moment.) Finally, add a bit more cold water and turn the
entire mixture into a pot water and turn the entire mixture into a pot
(in order to complete the cooking). To be presented and then dished out."
As you can see above, the
translator had to make a few guesses in how the Kippu was cooked. Even by
reading a recipe, we lack the cultural base to readily interpret it. Still, one
thing is clear: the ingredients. “Kippu” was interpreted by the author to be
some sort of game bird. Along with that, mint, salt, and vinegar were used.
Starting from there, we can get a good feel for how to turn this into something
that the modern man can make. The following is my own spin on this recipe, the
results of which were simply delicious.
Roasted “Kippu” in Mint
Sauce
What you’ll need:
2 Cornish Game Hens
2 Lemons
1 Package of Fresh Mint
2 Cloves of Garlic
2 tsp. of Kosher Salt
2 TBSP Honey
½ Cup Water
1 TBSP Vinegar
5 Leaves of Fresh Sage
(Optional)
10 Leaves of Lemon Balm
(Optional)
2 TBSP Flour
Alright let’s get
started! So I decided that Cornish Game Hens would be the best proxy I could
find for Kippu, but you can also feel free to use quail, duck, pheasant, or
whatever else you have available for this recipe. Because I’ve got an herb
garden in my yard, the mint, lemon balm, and fresh sage were easy to come by,
but most stores have fresh packaged herbs available the produce section. Ask
your local grocer. You can also use the dried stuff, but the difference in
flavor is like night and day. I’ve heard some people even say that using dried
herbs is the equivalent of putting pencil shavings on your food, by contrast.
If you insist, however, trade out about a tablespoon of dried mint for the
fresh stuff and about a teaspoon of sage. If you’re able to find dried lemon
balm (good luck!) do the same thing, about 1 teaspoon.
To start off, we’ll want
to grind together our mint, garlic, salt, and optional herbs. For this you can
use a magic bullet or food processor or even a blender, however I find that the
mortar and pestle works well for this. Much like in the grinding of barley for
bread, that kosher salt is going to be important for helping break down the
herbs. If you’re using dried herbs, add just a little water to the mix, about a
teaspoon or two. What you’re left with will be a highly pungent, savory paste
that we’ll use throughout the recipe.
Now go ahead and take
your thawed “kippu” and rinse it off, making sure to clean out the cavities.
Dry it off by lightly patting the skin with paper towels. Next take about half
of your green mint paste and rub it all over the game hens, making sure that
every part of their little dead bodies are covered, paying special attention to
the drumsticks and breasts. Make sure to reserve the other half of your herb
emulsion, we’ll need it for the sauce. Cut your lemons into quarters and stuff
them inside the cavity of the birds, squeezing some of the juice onto their
surface to get just a hint of lemon on the skin.
Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit and cook them for about an hour
in the oven on a broiling pan. Make sure to check the birds with a thermometer
before pulling them out. You’ll want the internal temperature of a Cornish Game
Hen to be about 170° before it is safe to eat. If your Kippu are at the proper temperature,
pull them out and reserve their drippings in a small sauce pot.
Now it’s time to make the sauce! Put
the sauce pot on a burner set to a medium heat and add ½ cup water and the rest
of the your paste. Once it’s reached a low boil, go ahead and add the honey,
making sure to stir the sauce so it dissolves and doesn’t stick to the
bottom. Add the vinegar at this point. Finally, let the sauce boil while you
mix your 2 TBSP of flour in a cup or small bowl with about ¼ cup of water. Make
sure the mixture is a smooth, thin paste with no lumps. Add this mixture to the
boiling sauce and keep stirring it gently. At this point, raise the heat on
your burner a little (use your own discretion) and wait for the sauce to
thicken. Give it a taste and feel free to add more salt, vinegar, or honey as
you see fit- it should have a bit of a zip to it. Never serve a bland sauce!
Finally, you’re ready to serve your
roasted “Kippu”. Place it on a plate and cover liberally with the sauce.
Garnish with mint leaves for a special touch. It’s best to enjoy good food with
good company so invite a friend, family member, or that special someone in your
life over to enjoy this new twist on an ancient classic. Bon appetit!
Reference for Further Reading:
The Cuisine of Ancient
Mesopotamia
Jean Bottéro
The Biblical
Archaeologist , Vol. 48, No. 1 (Mar., 1985), pp. 36-47
Published by: The
American Schools of Oriental Research
