This Nutty Custard Recipe Uses Ancient Rome’s Preferred Sweetener
![walnuts with vintage nut cracker](/sites/default/files/styles/800xauto/public/2024-07/walnuts-with-nut-cracker.jpg?itok=Nqb6djvL)
Difficulty Level
Low
Cooking Time
30 minutes
Cost
Low
In ancient Roman times, walnuts were a favorite children’s plaything. Because of that association, it was customary to place baskets of them in newlyweds’ bedrooms as a symbolic end of childhood.
A version of this nutty custard recipe dates back to the ancient Roman cookbook De Re Coquinaria by Marcus Gavius Apicius. Honey — believed by many to be the most important sweetener in antiquity — was valued for its qualities as a food preservative. According to one Aesop fable
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