Original Recipe
Dulciaria
Apicius, #294
Little home confections (which are called dulciaria) are made thus: Little palms or (as they are ordinarily called) dates are stuffed – after the seeds have been removed – with a nut or with nuts and ground pepper, sprinkled with salt on the outside and are candied in honey and served. [Vehling, pp. 172-3]

Ingredients:

• 32 whole dates, pitted
• 32 almonds
• 1 tablespoon black pepper, ground (or a mixture of strong spices)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup honey

Preparation Steps

• Roll almonds in spices to coat them.
• Stuff one spiced almond into each date.
• Spread the dates on a greased cookie sheet, sprinkle with salt, then drizzle with honey. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for 10-15 minutes.
• Serve warm, if possible.

Number of Servings
16 servings (2 dates each)

Notes

• Edwards suggests that Apicius may have used the word “pepper” to include any strong spice, such as cinnamon or nutmeg, hence the suggested substitution of those spices for the pepper.
• I have used a number of different combinatoins, including (most recently) a poudre fort containing black pepper, long pepper, cloves, and nutmeg.