Recipe Manuscript

Tisana: Vel Sucum

Name: Tisana: Vel Sucum
Prep time: PTPT15M
Cook time: PTPT1H
Yield: 4
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 100 g pearled barley; 1.5 liters water; 50 g peeled broad beans (or substitute fava beans); 1 small bunch dill (or 1 teaspoon dried dill); 1 small dried onion; A few lettuce leaves (about 3-4 leaves); Optional: 2 chicken feet (for richness, can omit); 1 small bunch fresh coriander, chopped; 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns; Pinch of dried lovage (or substitute celery leaves); Few leaves pennyroyal (or substitute fresh mint); 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds; 1 tablespoon wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce

"Tisane: Or Juice"

1475

From the treasured pages of Apicius - De re coquinaria (handwritten excerpts)

Written by Apicius

Renaissance (1400 - 1700)European Intermediate Dinner Lunch Other

Original Recipe • 1475

Original Manuscript(circa Renaissance, 1400 - 1700)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

Tisana: Vel Sucum

"TISANA : VEL SVCVM. Tisanam vel sucum tisanam sic facies. tisanam mundam pridiem infundes. impones super ignem. cum bullierit multoties. faba & aneti modicum. fasciculum cepam siccam lactucas & pedes ubi coquantur. ut sucu mittes coriandrum tritum et facies ut ferveat. et bene ferveat. feres in alio caccabum tisanam. ne in fundum tangat ut coloretur. et teres piper. Ligusticum pulegii aridi modicum cumina & sese fractum ut bene tegantur. suffundis aceti. defricti liquamen. refundis in caccabum. sed coloretum. ut Romae fundis. Percolatum plus adicies."

English Translation

"TISANE: OR JUICE. You make tisane or tisane juice as follows. Soak clean barley the day before. Place it over the fire. When it has boiled several times, add a little broad bean and dill, a bundle of dried onions, lettuce, and feet (of some animal) until they are cooked. When you have extracted the juice, add ground coriander and let it boil. And let it boil well. Pour the tisane into another pot so that it does not touch the bottom in order to color it. Then grind pepper, lovage, a little dried pennyroyal, cumin, and crushed sesame so that they are well blended. Pour in vinegar, defrutum (reduced wine), and liquamen (fish sauce). Return it to the pot, but colored. As is done at Rome, pour it out. Add more after straining."

Note on the Original Text

The recipe is written in abbreviated Latin, often omitting quantities, cooking times, and temperatures – cooks of the era were expected to interpret and adapt. Words like 'tisanam mundam pridiem infundes' mean to soak clean barley overnight, and ingredients like 'faba & aneti' are simply beans and dill. The mysterious 'liquamen' refers to Roman fish sauce, a staple for umami flavor, while 'coloretur' suggests clarifying or coloring the broth by careful straining. Spellings such as 'tisanam' (barley porridge), 'super ignem' (over the fire), and 'bullierit' (bubbling/boiling) reflect both the classical and medieval heritage of these recipes, meant for experienced cooks rather than beginners.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Apicius - De re coquinaria (handwritten excerpts) - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Apicius - De re coquinaria (handwritten excerpts) (1475)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Apicius

Era

1475

Publisher

Venice

Background

A delectable compendium of ancient Roman cookery, this collection invites you to taste the flavors of antiquity through ten tantalizing sections based on Apicius’s famed De re coquinaria. Savor recipes, tips, and culinary wisdom penned in a fine Italian hand for the epicurean elite of the 15th century.

Kindly made available by

University of Pennsyllvania

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe comes from a 15th-century Italian manuscript of the famed Roman cookery book attributed to Apicius, "De re coquinaria." These ancient recipes were compiled and transmitted through the Middle Ages, often in monastic or scholarly circles, and serve as a rare window onto Roman daily life. The barley tisana is a nourishing, porridge-like soup reflecting Roman taste for practical, healthy, and restorative fare, drawing on both vegetables and the distinctive use of herbs and fish sauce. The manuscript was penned in the last quarter of the 15th century, at a time when interest in classical texts flourished in Renaissance Italy, and such compilations would have been both scholarly curiosities and practical guides for elite kitchens.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

In Apicius’s day, this recipe would have been prepared in sturdy pottery or bronze cooking pots (caccabum or similar), placed over an open hearth or wood-fired brazier. The herbs and spices were crushed using a mortar and pestle. Barley and legumes were strained through coarse cloths or woven sieves, and all work was done with wooden or metal spoons and ladles, with no modern strainers or colanders. The finished tisana would be ladled from these pots into individual bowls or shared vessels for service.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

Servings

We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!

Ingredients

3.5 oz pearled barley
6 1/3 cups water
1.75 oz peeled broad beans (or substitute fava beans)
1 small bunch dill (or 1 teaspoon dried dill)
1 small dried onion
A few lettuce leaves (about 3-4 leaves)
Optional: 2 chicken feet (for richness, can omit)
1 small bunch fresh coriander, chopped
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
Pinch of dried lovage (or substitute celery leaves)
Few leaves pennyroyal (or substitute fresh mint)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce

Instructions

Begin by soaking 3.5 oz of pearled barley in water overnight to clean and soften it.
The next day, place the barley in a saucepan with 6 1/3 cups of water over medium heat.
Bring it to a boil and let it bubble severel times.
Add 1.75 oz of peeled broad beans and a small bunch each of fresh dill (or a teaspoon dried), 1 small dried onion, a few washed lettuce leaves, and optional chicken feet for richness.
Continue simmering until the beans and greens are tender.
Add a small handful of chopped fresh coriander and allow the mixture to boil vigorously.
Take a separate bowl and strain off the resulting barley broth (tisana) to avoid sediment staining the liquid.
Crush together 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, a pinch of dried lovage (or celery leaves), a few dried pennyroyal leaves (or fresh mint for safety), and 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds.
Moisten the spice mix with 1 tablespoon wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce (in place of garum or liquamen).
Return the broth to the pot, mix in the spiced mixture, bring to a final boil, strain again for clarity if desired, and serve hot.

Estimated Calories

120 per serving

Cooking Estimates

Soak the barley overnight to soften it. Cooking takes about an hour, mainly to simmer the barley and beans until tender. Chopping and preparing the herbs and vegetables will take about 15 minutes. Each bowl contains around 120 calories, and this recipe serves 4 people.

As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.

We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.