Making Rummaniyya, the Sauce

Making Rummaniyya, the Sauce

Transcribed from Medieval Cuisine of the Islamic World. This recipe was originally from
“Kanz al-Fawa’id fi tanwi al-mawa’id (“The Treasure of Useful Advice for the Composition of a
Varied Table”) by Unknown

This book was written in the thirteenth century. The culinary art of the thirteenth century reflects the
diversity of the Muslim peoples. The Crusades in Syria and Palestine, the invasion of the Maghreb by
the Arab tribe of Banu Hilal, and the Mongol invasion of Iraq brought new waves of immigration and
new eating habits.
Unlike the ninth or tenth century, the new Islamic food traditions now expressed an identity based on
cities, regions, ethnic groups, and sometimes religious affiliation.
Kanz was compiled in Egypt under the reign of the Mamluks in the middle of the 13th century. In it,
there are not only Egyptian and regional recipes but also of foreign dishes: Kishk from Khorasan,
recipes for a condensed yogurt product (qanbaris) from Mosul, Baghdad, and Damascus; a cheese of
Turkoman type; turnips in the Greek style; Frankish condiments (salsa) served with fish; and so on.”
(1)
Here is the original recipe:

16. Rummaniyya: Meatballs in Pomegranate Juice
The name rummaniyya means “dish with pomegranate.” It is found in a Liber de Coquinaria dating
from the late thirteenth or early fourteenth century, where it appears under the name romania.
It may be wondered whether the absence of oil from the recipe is a deliberate omission or merely an
oversight. Nor is salt mentioned. The difficulty in re-creating this recipe lies in finding a balance
between opposed flavors, sour and sweet; and in determining the right proportions of atraf tib
(pepper, cloves, ginger, and other spices) and mint leaves, which when dried have a rather intrusive
flavor. Anyone who wishes to try reproducing this autumnal dish can find rose water syrup (julab) at
Syrian-Lebanese markets.
Cut the meat into pieces, put in a pot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil while removing the fetid
scum. Next add small meatballs the size of a hazelnut. The quantity of broth must be reduced so that
when the cooking is done only a residue of light and velvety juice remains. In the meantime, take
some sour pomegranate juice, sweeten it with rose water syrup, and some mint leaves and pistachios
crushed in the mortar to thicken it, color it with a little saffron, and season with all of the {ingredients
of) atraf tib. Sprinkle with rose water and [diluted] saffron, and serve.

To assemble the Rummaniyya I took a half batch of meatballs and covered them in a home made beef
broth or maybe homemade goat broth (it's still May and I haven't decided yet) and boiled them until
there was little liquid left in the pot. Meanwhile I made the sauce. I modified a modern recipe I got for
Lamb Meatballs with Pomegranate Sauce from www.food.com/recipe/lamb-meatballs-withpomegranate-
sauce-368333#ixzz1p7eKSrih

Here is my recipe:

Serves 4 for the half batch of meatballs
8 oz (or 2 cups) pomegranate juice
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp rose water (I got the rose water from India Foods on Fairview. The brand was Dabur, red rose
water. Because different brands of rose water can have different strengths you may need to
adjust if you use a different brand.)

Mix these ingredients together until the sugar dissolves. To save time you can store them together in a
sealed plastic container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Put the juice mixture in a large pot and slow boil on medium heat for 5 minutes or so then added some Atraf al-tib (I only added a couple of pinches on the first try and will try a 1 tsp on the 2nd try for June.)
Then I added chopped mint (the notes in the translation of the original recipe say dried mint, probably
because pomegranates are ripe in the Autumn and Lamb matures for the slaughter in Autumn and I'm
guessing it was assumed that fresh mint would not be available, but the mint I grow makes it available from the end of April until the tops are killed of by frost. I used fresh, probably 1 ½ to 2 T chopped. If I had used dried mint half the amount should be used.)
Then I thickened the sauce with unsalted ground pistachios. (I ground them in a mortar and pestle and
probably used ½ to 2/3 cup for the half batch.) I stirred the sauce to remove the lumps and I probably
only cooked the sauce for one or two minutes then turned off the heat. I removed the meatballs from
the pot and put them in a serving platter with taller sides to hold the sauce then poured the sauce over
them. I sprinkled thin ribbons of fresh mint on top and sprinkled rose water on top. The medieval recipe calls for the use of saffron in the sauce but I don't have any.
I had a lot of rice with yogurt in the freezer left over from the April meeting so I just defrosted it and
warmed it, then mixed some fresh yogurt in it and served it with the Rummaniyya and Tahiniyya. I
figured since I make my own yogurt it would fit in with the home made sauces category and it was
made to go with the Rummaniyya that I didn't get finished for the April meeting. They do go well
together.

1. http://www.socialappetizers.com/islamic-food-history.html

For the Muslim Feast that we put on for the January 2013 Masked Ball event we altered the recipe to make it nut-free because we had a lot of nut-allergic people coming. The nut free version was liked as well if not more than the version that is thickened with pistachios. Here is that recipe:

1 1/2 TBSP rice flour
1 cup pure pomegranate juice
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp rose water
1 TBSP chopped fresh mint or 1 1/2 tsp crumbled dried mint
1/4 tsp salt
2 pinches Atraf at-tib

Follow the directions the same as for the nut version except add the salt and rice flour at the beginning of cooking the sauce and cook longer, stirring constantly until it is a thickened but perdurable consistency.