Recipe for savillum

Savillum is the Roman version of cheesecake. It is a honey cake that is very easy to make. Here is the recipe:

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Ingredients

500g ricotta (or brousse cheese)
125g flour
2 eggs
180g honey
Poppy seeds
5 drops of nuoc-mâm sauce (to replace the Roman “garum”, a fish sauce that was added to season dishes), or if you don’t have any, a pinch of salt will do.
One organic lemon (this is a twist to the Roman recipe because lemons were only available in China at that time and so were not used in Roman recipes, but… it’s a delicious addition!)

Step 1

Mix the ricotta with the flour and add the eggs, 150g honey and a drop of nuoc-mâm sauce or the pinch of salt.
Add the finely grated lemon zest and lemon juice.

Step 2

Grease an oven dish and spoon the mixture into it,
cover with a terracotta dish (or aluminium foil) and bake for 40 min.

Take the dish out of the oven and add the rest of the honey,
sprinkle with poppy seeds then put it back in the oven for a further 10 min.
Check that the cake is cooked in the middle,
and bake for a few minutes longer if necessary.

Step 3

This dessert should be enjoyed warm, with a spoon.
Bon appetit!