BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

BAR Test Kitchen: Greek Tuna Steaks

Summer is a good time for simple, easy meals. Who wants to spend a lot of time in the kitchen when there is so much to do (or when it’s so hot out!)? This Test Kitchen turns to a simple recipe from ancient Greece—something easy to prepare and enjoy on a warm summer’s night.

Our recipe for tuna steaks comes from the Greek comedy writer Alexis (c. 375–275 BCE) as quoted by Athenaeus (late second–early third centuries CE). Alexis was one of the foremost writers of Greek comedy, but, of his supposed 245 plays, only about 1,000 lines survive. According to Plutarch, Alexis lived to the ripe old age of 106 and died while being crowned on stage. This recipe comes from one of his plays as quoted by Athenaeus in his Deipnosophistai (“The Gastronomers”), Athenaeus’s only preserved work. In it, Athenaeus spins a tale of a symposium in which a number of learned men meet to discuss food and other exciting topics.

The Greeks preferred simple food with minimal spices. As such, only one of our ingredients presents a challenge: silphium. Silphium was a spice used not only in cooking, but also for perfume, medicine, and as an aphrodisiac. It was grown only in Cyrenaica (modern Libya) and was so valuable that the plant was commonly pictured on Cyrenian coinage. Unfortunately, it went extinct during the reign of Nero (54–68 CE). As Pliny the Elder (24–79 CE) explains, shepherds allowed their sheep to overgraze the silphium stalks; the last known plant was supposedly sent to Nero for his table.

Some believe that silphium was simply high-quality asafoetida, which is what we will use in our recipe. Asafoetida can be hard to find in most grocery stores today, but is readily available from Indian or southeast Asian grocers or online.

For BAR’s recipe, we adapted a variation appearing in The Classical Cookbook, an excellent source for anyone looking to try more ancient recipes.^[1] The result was a delicious meal to enjoy on a warm evening. Bon appétit!
 

Greek Tuna Steaks (BAR’s variation)

Ancient Recipe

“This young salted tuna first: it cost two obols. It has to be rinsed very well. Then, seasoning a small casserole, placing the slice in it, pouring white wine over, adding a coating of oil, and then simmering, I shall make it as good as marrow, finally tinselling it generously with silphium.”

 

Ingredients :

 

2 tuna steaks

White wine to cover

Salt and pepper (to taste)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves minced garlic (if not using more in place of asafoetida)

3 drops asafoetida tincture or 1 clove garlic (crushed) and a pinch of onion powder

 

Instructions :

 

(1) Place tuna steaks in skillet.

(2) Barely cover the steaks with white wine, then season with salt, pepper, minced garlic, and olive oil.

(3) Cover and cook for about 20–25 minutes, until the steaks are done (time will vary based on thickness).

(4) Before serving, add the asafoetida (or crushed garlic clove and onion powder) to the liquid and reduce a little.

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Notes:

[1] Andrew Dably and Sally Grainger, The Classical Cookbook (Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 1996), p. 49.

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Read more in Bible History Daily:

BAR Test Kitchen: Samaritan Hummus

BAR Test Kitchen: Samosas

BAR Test Kitchen: Babylonian Unwinding Stew

All-Access member, read more in the BAS Library:

 

Baking Bread in Ancient Judah