Oxyporium
XXXII. OXYPORIVM: cumini uncias II; zingiberis unciam I; rutae uiridis unciam I; nitri iscripulos VI; dactilorum pinguium iscripulos XII; piperis unciam I; mellis uncias VIIII; cuminum uel Ethiopicum aut Siriacum aut Libicum aceto infundes, sicca, et sic tundes. postea melle conprehendis. cum necesse fuerit oxygaro uteris.
Oxyporium: two ounces of cumin; one ounce of ginger; one ounce of green rue; six scripuli of natron; twelve scripuli of plump dates; one ounce of pepper; nine ounces of honey. Soak the cumin — whether Ethiopian, Syrian, or Libyan — in vinegar, dry it, and pound it thus. Afterwards bind it with the honey. When needed, use it with oxygarum.
An oxyporum was a digestive taken with or after a meal. This recipe is duplicated in Apicius 3.18.2, which suggests serving it alongside lettuce “for the digestion and to ease wind and to prevent the lettuce from doing harm”. Another oxygarum for digestion in given in 1.34, and Columella records several more.
Exact quantities are given for everything but the vinegar and fish sauce, which is unusual for ancient culinary recipes but common in medicinal recipes. I’ve used a 2:1 honey to vinegar ratio, which is common in other recipes. Oxygarum, a contraction of vinegar and fish sauce, is usually equal parts vinegar to fish sauce, but modern fish sauce is perhaps stronger than what the ancient Romans used so I’ve reduced the quantity of fish sauce somewhat.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- ½ tsp dried rue
- Half a date, finely chopped
- 60g honey
- 30ml vinegar
- 20ml fish sauce
Method
Mix all the ingredients together and let sit for half an hour, then strain through a sieve if desired. Serve with lettuce as a salad dressing, or consume alongside lettuce by the teaspoon.