lentils@chestnuts.ca

Translated by Barbara Flower and Elisabeth Rosenbaum, The Art of cooking by Apicius is a treasure trove. In the chapter on pulses there is a recipe for lentils with chestnuts which are seasoned with a mixture, pounded in a mortar, of pepper, cumin, coriander-seed, mint, rue, asafoetida root, and pennyroyal moistened with vinegar, honey and fish sauce (liquamen). Unfortunately we are not given proportions. Trial and error will prove which is the best combination.