Saturnalia Cookies
Satunalia Cookies
Saturnalia was a celebration of the god Saturn and the harvest. Saturn was the God of time and the crops, not unlike Kronos, the Greek Titan. In fact, we get the name Saturday from “Saturn’s day”.
And, ruins of the Temple of Saturn can still be seen in the Roman Forum today! Romans often used temples as places to store money and Saturn’s temple held the government’s money, also know as the state treasury.
The Saturnalia celebration runs from December 17th to the 23rd. During this time, the Romans celebrated the crop yield and gave each other gifts of gold. It was a “world turned upside down” meaning that masters would serve their slaves. For example, a master might do the cooking and cleaning and slaves were allowed to drink wine during this time.
These honey cookies were a traditional Roman cookie that could be made very simply with common household items. We can imagine a Roman matron making this simple treat for her household.
Romans also placed a bean in one of the cookies. If you got the cookie with the bean in it, you were the “Saturnalia Princeps” or the Leader of Saturnalia. This meant it was your job to act silly and stir up trouble. You could make fun of people, dress crazy and act wild. This tradition was carried on in the Middle Ages as well when people made “king cakes”. They would place a ring in the cake and who ever received it in their slice of cake was known as the Lord of Misrule. A few people still celebrate this tradition today!
Follow the directions below to make the cookies or watch the step by step video!
I hope you enjoy baking and eating these fun, festive cookies!
Ancient Roman Sesame Honey Cookies
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature; extra melted butter for dipping
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup sesame seeds
This is a modern adaption of the original recipe. While I enjoy the more authentic version of the cookies, I think modern kids will appreciate this one a little more. Note, sugar is a “New World” food, so the Roman would have used honey rather than ground white sugar like we often use in modern cooking.
Instructions
In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients.
In a second bowl, mix the softened butter, honey and eggs with an electric mixer (I know the Romans did it by hand).
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease two baking sheets.
If you want to play “Saturnalia Princeps” now is the time to add a bean to one of your cookies.
You can make dough balls, roll out an “S” for Saturnalia, make circles or even get creative and make silly figures. Can you guess what Star Wars inspired character I made?
Flatten each ball slightly on the sheets.
Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown. Be sure not to overcook or they will be dry.
When ready, remove cookies from baking sheets. While warm, dip in bowl of melted butter and then roll in sesame seeds. Cool on a wire rack.