24 nanci recipes

Rosatum is an ancient Roman rose wine made with red wine, honey, rose water, and fresh rose petals. A fragrant, no-cook punch bowl drink for elegant gatherings.

Roman pickles brine fresh lettuce leaves with vinegar, dill, fennel, and salt for an ancient pickling method straight from Columella's first-century cookbook. Crisp, briny, and unexpectedly fresh.

Microwave bran muffins with dark molasses, buttermilk, and brown sugar ready in just 15 minutes. Tender, fiber-packed, and no oven required. Toss in raisins if you're feeling fancy.

Bread machine pain de mie with semolina flour and buttermilk for a tight, even crumb. A Pullman-style sandwich loaf that slices paper-thin for canapes and fancy sandwiches.

Liquamen, an ancient Roman fish sauce made from anchovies, oregano, salt, and grape juice. A quick stovetop recreation of the fermented condiment that flavored nearly every dish in ancient Rome.

Microwaved artichokes transform into edible bowls filled with tangy yogurt-dill sauce and crowned with tender poached shrimp for an elegant appetizer that looks restaurant-fancy but cooks in 45 minutes.

Nicomedes' anchovy, an ancient Roman culinary trick: blanched turnip slices shaped like anchovy filets, dressed with olive oil, salt, and poppy seeds to mimic fish without fish. Brilliant vegetarian party piece.

Salt-smothered chicken buried in a bed of red-hot rock salt with ginger, tangerine peel, and Szechuan peppercorn marinade sealed in the cavity. An ancient Cantonese technique that steams the bird to silken tenderness.