Book of Days Tales

The Ides of March is a day on the ancient Roman calendar that corresponds to 15^th March. It was marked by several religious observances, and became notorious as the date of the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE. The death of Caesar made the Ides of March a turning point in Roman history, as one of the events that marked the transition from the historical period known as the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire.

Although March (Martius) was the third month of the Julian calendar, in the oldest Roman calendar it was the first month of the year. The holidays observed by the Romans from the first through the Ides often reflect their origin as new year celebrations. The Romans did not number days of a month sequentially from the first through the last day. Instead, they counted back from three fixed points of the month: the Nones (5^th or 7^th, depending on the length of the month), the Ides (13^th or 15^th), and the Kalends (1^st ) of the following month. The Ides occurred near the midpoint, on the 13^th for most months, but on the 15^th for March, May, July, and October. Thus for example, the Romans would not say “11^th of May” but, rather, “4 days before the Ides of May.”

This is a recipe for saffron chickpeas that is alluded to several times in ancient literature, and Apicius provides a recipe in De Re Coquinaria.  It originated in ancient Greece but was apparently quite popular in Rome for several centuries.  This is my adaptation of Apicius.  I decided to mash the end product because I am currently in a phase of serving fried fish on something mashed.  This dish would be at home in ancient Rome because fried fish was very popular.

© Saffron Chickpeas

Combine in a large saucepan 14 ozs/400 gm of dried chickpeas, ½ cup olive oil, ½ tbsp ground cumin, and ½ tbsp ground coriander. Cover with light stock and add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook the chickpeas until they are very tender (about 3 hours).  Top up the stock as necessary.

Towards the end of the cooking process let the liquid reduce and add ¼ tsp of powdered saffron.

Mash with a fork or use a food processor. I use a fork because I like the mash to retain some texture.

Use as a base for meat or fish, or serve as a side dish.