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Bucellae cum Lacte Caprino (Bred Morsels with Goats' Milk)

Bucellae cum Lacte Caprino (Bread Morsels with Goats' Milk) is a traditional Ancient Roman recipe for a bread and milk sauce served as a cold dip. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ancient Roman version of: Bucellae cum Lacte Caprino.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

100 minutes

Total Time:

120 minutes

Serves:

4

Rating:

Tags : Sauce RecipesBread RecipesMilk RecipesAncient Roman Recipes

Original Recipe

Bucellae cum Lacte Caprino (from Anthimus' De Observatione Ciborium Epistula)

Anthimus was a Byzantine Greek from the early 6th Century CE who served as an ambassador to the king of the Franks. During this time he wrote a treatise in cookery known as De Observatione Ciborium Epistula (A Little Letter on the Observance of Foods) that reflects both Byzantine and Frankish influences. Though post-Roman Anthimus' recipes reflect the Roman influence and origins of Byzantium and thus it could be argued that Anthimus' recipes do belong in this collection.

The bucellae in the title of this dish is probably best translated as 'morsels' so this dish is simply morsels of bread in boiled goat's milk. The boiling gives the milk a distinct tang and if you add enough bread you can end up with a tangy sauce which is a great accompaniment to vegetables. This recipe, it was clear, was developed in an attempt to make goat's milk more digestible. The consistency can be varied from more liquid to gruel-like to almost a solid depending on how much bread is added to the milk. In some respects this is an ancient equivalent of bread sauce.

Translation

Bread Morsels with Goat's Milk

This is prepared with round stones that are heated in the fire until glowing and then plunged into the milk without any fire. When the milk boils, remove the stones and put into the milk pieces of finely-chopped white bread that has been baked and well leavened. Let this cook slowly on the stove, but in an earthenware rather than a bronze pot. When this has been boiled after the bread has been added, let it be eaten with a spoon. For it is better eaten like this, since the dish gives nourishment; but if plain milk is drunk, it passes straight through and lingers hardly at all in the body.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

250ml Goats' Milk
100g white bread

Method:

Remove the crust from the bread and cut the remainder into small pieces. Meanwhile pour the milk into a saucepan and gently bring to the boil.

Add the bread to the milk and boil together for about 40 minutes or until the mixture thickens to the consistency of double cream.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor and blend until the food. Pour the resulting mixture into a bowl and place in the fridge for about an hour. Serve chilled as a dip.

I find that adding a few twists of pepper and a little finely-chopped mint livens this dip up.