Continuing our National Honey Month celebration, we offer a centuries old honey treat. Here is a recipe from Savorist (and preservationist) Monica King.

Honey is Ancient

National Honey Month was only started in 1989 by the National Honey Board in an effort to promote American beekeepers and honey. But honey has been used for thousands of years. Here is more honey history.

Cleopatra and Honey

In Ancient Egypt, the Pharaoh Cleopatra, used honey in her beauty regime. One of Cleopatra’s secrets, and her most famous, was her ritual bathing in milk and honey. Both of these ingredients naturally soften the skin, exfoliate, and leave a fresh, sweet scent. You can do this yourself by adding two cups milk and half cup honey to your bath water.

Personally, it is Cleopatra’s sweet tooth that I can relate to. Cleopatra’s favorite treat was a sweet honey ball called “Dulcis Coccora” also known as “Tiger Nut Sweets.” A recipe was found on a broken piece of Egyptian pottery reported to date to 1600 BCE (that’s almost 4000 years ago!).  There are a number of adaptations of the recipe floating around in the world, and this is the one I use.

Dulcis Coccora

1 pound pitted dates
water as needed
2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground cardamom
4 tablespoons chopped walnuts
honey – to coat
1 cup ground almonds and/or pomegranate seeds

Step 1. Mash dates with enough water to form a rough paste. The amount of water depends on how moist the dates are. Don’t use tap water, filtered water gives a better taste. You can use a food processor.

Step 2. Add the cinnamon, cardamom, and chopped walnuts and blend well.

Step 3. Roll into walnut sized balls. You may need to wet your hands so it doesn’t stick to your fingers.

Step 4. Pick the balls up with a slotted spoon and dip in a bowl of honey to coat them.

Step 5. Have a plate of finely chopped almonds and/or pomegranate seeds.

Step 6. Set on a parchment paper to air dry for several hours before sealing in a container.

About the Nuts

Editors Note: Cleopatra had access to walnuts and almonds. It most likely was the Persian walnut (Juglans regia) also called the English walnut. These Persian walnuts would have been imported and exotic, but the almonds were (and are) quite common in the region.

Pecans can be used, but having made this tasty dish with pecans, I have to say that I prefer it made with the walnuts. Walnuts offer crunch plus a bit of a contrasting flavor, whereas the pecan flavor is mostly hidden.

Southwestern Dulcis Coccora

Why not put a local spin on Cleopatra’s recipe and make it with locally sourced plants. Instead of dates, try these native fruits:

wolfberries (related to gogi berries)
hackberries
agarita berries
prickly pear fruit.  We peel the fruits, scoop the seeds out, and put them in the dehydrator.  And yes, we need to compile a post about doing this.

You could roll the chopped fruit ball in different “toppings.” Instead of chopped almonds or pomegranates, try these variations:

saguaro seeds
barrel cactus seeds

harvesting and processing barrel cactus seeds – a series on our YouTube series channel

chia seeds
Maybe add a kick of heat with a (very light) dusting of crushed chiltepin. Or – to be on the safe side – powdered Hatch chili.

Don’t forget, using different honeys such as mesquite or a catclaw acacia will also give different flavor to the honey ball.

Our Honey Cookbook

We have this great little cookbook (IMHO) for sale when we are out there making our public appearances.  Since there is already Christmas things in some stores – I will add this – our little cookbook is priced low enough to make a nice stocking stuffer! If you go to the book sale site and want to order more than one copy – just click on the “Special Orders” tab. (which should work soon.  There is a bug and I am working on it.)

Using Honey in New and Savory Ways offers 36 pages of tips for using honey in your cooking, as well as in all manner of dishes. A steal at only $6!

We hope you will help support some local Southwest folks!
From the review:
“Honey is for more than desserts – and this book can help! Using honey in cooking savory dishes helps engage all your taste buds and adds a layer of added flavor to everyday dishes – plus holiday fare.”

Beekeeper?  We offer volume discounts – because if you sell in local markets you might want to offer some of these books as well.

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Disclaimer

The authors of this website have researched the edibility of the materials we discuss, however, humans vary in their ability to tolerate different foods, drinks, and herbs. Individuals consuming flowers, plants, animals or derivatives mentioned in this blog do so entirely at their own risk. The authors on this site cannot be held responsible for any adverse reaction. In case of doubt please consult your medical practitioner.