Gourd Appetizer
Origin: Rome, Italy
Source: Apicius, 400
Ingredients
- gourds (bottle gourd)
- pepper
- cumin
- silphium (silfi; = laser root, asafoetida-like)
- rue
- liquamen (fermented fish sauce)
- vinegar
- defrutum (boiled-down grape must)
Instructions
- Arrange cooked, pressed gourds in a pan.
- Grind pepper, cumin, a little silphium and rue; temper with liquamen and vinegar.
- Add a little defrutum for color; pour the sauce over the gourds.
- Boil two or three times, remove, and sprinkle with ground pepper.