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Mykai (Mushrooms in Honey)

Mykai (Mushrooms in Honey) is a traditional Ancient Roman recipe for dish of mushrooms cooked with red wine vinegar and honey and which were typically served to accompany game dishes. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ancient Roman version of: Mykai.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

30 minutes

Total Time:

50 minutes

Serves:

2

Rating:

Tags : Ancient Roman Recipes

Original Recipe

Mykai (Diphilus, as quoted in Athenæus' Deipnosophistae)

Athenæus was born in Naucratis, Egypt circa 180CE. He is remembered chiefly for his his compilation Deipnosophistae (The Deipnosophists [which is most often loosely translated as The Partying Professors). Writing in Greek, the book itself is a dialogue in which a variety of characters debate a wide spectrum of topics. Luxury, diet, health, sexual relationships, music, humour and Greek lexicography all come under discussion, but the focus is on food, wine and entertainment. There are numerous descriptions of meals and the curses involved in those meals. So detailed are many of these that a modern redaction of the food can easily be created. Though Egyptian Athenæus was a learned member of the Roman empire (Greek being the second language of the Roman Empire) and it is fair to assume that the food described by Athenæus would have been known across the Empire. It is also good to have someone apart from Apicius as a source of recipes!

Translation

For which reason mushrooms should in particular be prepared with vinegar, or a mixture of honey and vinegar, or honey and salt alone.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

25g dried mushrooms
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
pinch of salt
1 tbsp clear honey
sea salt to taste

Method:

Place the mushrooms in a bowl and cover with boiling water, allowing them to soak for an hour. Pour this mixture into a saucepan, add the honey and vinegar and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for half an hour.

Season with salt and serve. This mushroom mixture goes particularly well with game. For more people simply multiply the amounts above by the number of guests.