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Aliter Ius in Avibus (Sauce for Birds, Another Way)

Aliter Ius in Avibus (Sauce for Birds, Another Way) is a traditional Ancient Roman recipe for a classic sauce of pepper, parsley, lovage, mint and saffron with nuts, honey, wine, vinegar and stock that's intended for serving with roast or boiled birds. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ancient Roman version of: Sauce for Birds, Another Way (Aliter Ius in Avibus).

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

20 minutes

Total Time:

40 minutes

Serves:

4

Rating: 4.5 star rating

Tags : Sauce RecipesSpice RecipesHerb RecipesAncient Roman Recipes



Original Recipe


Aliter Ius in Avibus (from Apicius' De Re Coquinaria) VI, v, 2


Aliter ius in avibus: piper, petroselinum, ligusticum, mentam siccam, cneci flos, vino suffundis, adicies ponticam vel amygdala tosta, mel modicum, vino et aceto, liquamen temperabis. oleum in pultarium super ius mittis, calefacies, ius agitabis apio viridi et nepeta. incaraxas et perfundis.

Translation


Sauce for Birds, Another Way: [Mix] pepper, parsley, lovage, dried mint and saffron. Pour over wine, add hazelnuts or roasted almonds, a little honey, wine, vinegar and stock. Put this mixture in a warming pan and add olive oil. Bring to a simmer and stir with a sprig of green celery and catmint. Make incisions in the bird and pour over the sauce.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1 tsp parsley, minced
1 tsp lovage seeds (or celery seeds)
1/2 tsp dried mint
pinch of saffron threads, crumbled
120ml white wine
4 tbsp roasted and ground hazelnuts or almonds
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp white wine vinegar
250ml chicken stock
1 tsp olive oil
1 celery stick
1 sprig of mint

Method:

Pound together the black pepper, parsley, lovage (or celery) seeds, mint and saffron. Moisten with the wine then mix in the ground nuts, honey, wine, vinegar and stock.

Pour the sauce into a pan and mix with the wine. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring with the celery and mint. To use, score the skin of a roasted bird, just before your are due to remove from the oven. Pour over the sauce and roast for a few minutes more. Serve the bird with the sauce.
Find more recipes from Apicius' De Re Coquinaria along with information on Apicius and his cookbook, all part of this site's Ancient Roman recipes collection.