BRODO NERO SPARTANO | Il melas zomos

In this episode, we'll follow a Spartan's "construction" to discover what Sparta's specialty really tasted like: the famous melas zomos (μέλας ζωμός), or "black broth." More than just a simple recipe, it was so closely linked to their way of life that, according to tradition, only a true Spartan could appreciate its flavor! Through the testimonies of Plutarch, Xenophon, Aristotle, and other ancient authors, we'll try to reconstruct, fragment by fragment, one of the most controversial and mysterious dishes in history. And, of course, we'll taste it, to answer the question: was this infamous melas zomos really as disgusting as many ancient Greeks claimed? Or has its fame been exaggerated over the centuries? ⚔️🩸🛡 -------------------------------------- 🗒 Ingredients: • 200 g pork pulp • 300 ml pork blood (Alternatively pureed liver) • 1 teaspoon lard • Half an onion • ½ liter water • 1 bay leaf ⏲️ Cooking times and other instructions: Cook the pork for 45 minutes in water, add the blood, and cook for another 20 minutes, stirring often. -------------------------------------- 📚 If you're curious to learn more, here are some books or texts I browsed, which inspired me, or which I drew from for this episode: ● Constitution of the Spartans, Agesilaus | Xenophon; ● The Virtues of Sparta | Plutarch; ● The Lives of Lycurgus and Numa | Plutarch; ● The Deipnosophists, or the Scholars at the Banquet | Athenaeus of Naucratis; ● Sparta | Laura Pepe; ● Sparta | Ernst Baltrusch; -------------------------------------- 🎞 Chapters: 00:00 Intro 02:17 Lycurgus 04:31 Born to Spartan Mothers 06:37 Spartan Childhood 08:16 Early Adolescence 09:30 Coming of Age 09:58 Adult Life 10:35 Fidizi 13:09 Menu 13:49 MELAS ZOMOS 16:25 Preparation 17:41 Tasting . . . . . . . . . . #history #recipe #curiosity #greece #sparta #300 #italy #food #chef #barbero #gastronomy