Aliter Bulbos (Bulbs, Another Way) is a traditional Ancient Roman recipe for a classic accompaniment of boiled baby onions served in a thyme, oregano and date sauce. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ancient Roman version of: Bulbs, Another Way (Aliter Bulbos).
Aliter: bulbos elixos in pultarium pressos, mittis thymum, origanum, mel, acetum, defritum, caryotam, liquamen et oleum modice. piper adspargis et inferes. [Varro: si quid de bulbis dixi, «in aquam qui Veneris ostium quaerunt», deinde ut legitimis nuptiis in cena ponuntur, sed et cum nucleis pineis aut cum erucae suco et pipere.]
Translation
Another Way: Take boiled bulbs, press them [to remove excess liquid], and put into a dish. Add thyme, oregano, honey, vinegar, defritum, dates, stock, and a little olive oil. Sprinkle with pepper and serve.
Modern Redaction
In Apicius, as is common in Roman cookery the term 'bulbos' really does refer to bulbs and these could be the bulbs of tulip, narcissus, and daffodil. These are the 'bulbs' that seem to be referred to by Apicius. . Columella and Pliny the Elder reported that the buds or shoots of reeds were sometime called “bulbs" and sometimes “eyes." Platina included the squill (scilla) and sea onion in the term. Apart from the onion, the other bulbs in these lists contain contain toxic glycosides and CAN BE LETHAL. Only ever use onions in these recipes, DO NOT try the other bulb types. To keep with the 'bulbos' description use small or pickling onions.
Peel the shallots then bring a pan of lightly-salted water to a boil. Add the shallots and boil for about 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain the shallots, squeeze out any excess liquid and place in a serving dish.
In the meantime, combine the thyme, oregano, honey, vinegar, liquamen, defritum, vegetable stock and dates in pan. Bring to a simmer and cook until the dates break down and the sauce thickens. Whisk in the olive oil and pour over the onions then serve.
)
Click on the image, above to submit to Pinterest.