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Turdos Aponcomenos (Thrushes, Seasoned by the Throat)
Turdos Aponcomenos (Thrushes, Seasoned by the Throat) is a traditional Ancient Roman recipe for a classic dish of small birds (thrushes originally, but partridges or poussin here) that are seasoned with spices blended with fish sauce (garum) and which are braised on a bed of leeks in olive oil and water flavoured with aniseed. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ancient Roman version of: Thrushes, Seasoned by the Throat (Turdos Aponcomenos).
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
40 minutes
Total Time:
60 minutes
Serves:
4
Rating: 
Tags : Sauce RecipesSpice RecipesGame RecipesFowl RecipesVegetable RecipesAncient Roman Recipes
Original Recipe
Turdos Aponcomenos (from Vinidarius' Apici Excerpta) xxix
Turdos Aponcomenos: Teres piper, lasar, bacam lauri, admisces cuminum, garum et sic turdum per guttur imples et filo ligabis. et facies ei impensam, in quo decoquantur, quae habeat oleum, sales, aquam, anethum et capita porrorum.
Translation
Thrushes, Seasoned by the Throat: Grind [together] pepper, laser and bay berries. Mix [in] cumin and add garum. Fill the thrushes, by the throat, with these seasonings and sew up [the openings] with thread. Now cook in a sauce made of olive oil, salt, water, aniseed and the heads of leeks.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
4 oven-ready partridges or poussin (Cornish hens)
1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 tsp asafoetida
2 laurel (bay) berries (or 2 juniper berries)
60ml liquamen (fish sauce)
100ml chicken stock
For Braising:
4 leeks, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
salt, to taste
300ml water, boiling
1/4 tsp aniseed, ground
Method:
Pound together the black pepper, asafoetida and laurel berries (or juniper berries) in a mortar. Work in the liquamen and chicken stock. Sew up the rear openings of the partridges tightly then pour in the sauce through the neck. Sew the neck flap tightly then invert the birds a few times to distribute the seasoning within them.
Place the leeks on the bed of a braising pan and sit the partridges on top. Whisk together the boiling water, olive oil and aniseed together and season lightly with salt. Pour into the braising tin then cover and place in an oven pre-heated to 180°C. Braise the birds for about 40 minutes, or until just done through.
Serve the braised birds accompanied by the leeks.
Find more recipes from Vinidarius' Apici Excerpta on this site's page dedicated to the Vinidarius Excerpts from Apicius with Translations.
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