Itria – Sesame Seed Biscuit & Basyniai – Fig and Walnut Cakes: Ancient Roman Sweets

Course: Mensa Secunda (Final Course / Dessert)
Origin: Ancient Rome
Served: Itria cooled; Basyniai warm
Event: Push for Pennsic 2004 – Early Roman Feast

Originally published: June 29, 2025 | Updated: June 3, 2026

Updated 6/3/2026: This post has been refreshed to current Give It Forth standards with expanded historical context, clearer recipe formatting, feast service notes, dietary notes, FAQ, internal links to the Roman feast series, and structured recipe data.

What are Itria and Basyniai? These two Roman-inspired sweets were served as part of the mensa secunda, the final course of the feast. Itria is interpreted here as a honeyed sesame-and-nut sweet, while Basyniai are small fig-and-walnut pastries fried in oil and finished with warm honey.

Itria and Basyniai in the Roman Feast

The final course of a Roman-style meal was not always a modern dessert course in the strict sense. Roman diners enjoyed fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, honeyed sweets, cakes, and small confections, but sweet and savory flavors could appear throughout the meal. A final course might refresh the palate rather than act as a heavy sugary ending.

For the Push for Pennsic 2004 – Early Roman Feast, these two sweets were served alongside assorted fresh and dried fruit and sugared nuts. Together, they offered the kind of small, rich, portable treats that work beautifully at the end of a large feast.

Both recipes are practical for event cooking. The sesame sweet can be made ahead, portioned into small bites, and served cooled. The fig-and-walnut pastries are best warm, but the filling and dough can be prepared in advance, making final service easier.

🏛️ Roman feast note: These sweets were part of the mensa secunda, served after the more substantial dishes of the feast. They pair especially well with fruit, nuts, grape juice, apple juice, lemonade, or other light beverages for a modern event table.

Historical Background

Sesame and honey confections were beloved across the ancient Mediterranean. Greek and Roman foodways both made use of small sweets made from seeds, nuts, dried fruits, and honey. These were compact, rich, and easy to portion, making them especially useful for feast service.

The Greek pasteli and Roman iritia or itria bear some resemblance to seed-and-honey sweets, although ancient food terms can shift in meaning depending on source, period, and context. For this feast, Itria was interpreted as a honey-bound sesame-and-nut confection: simple, fragrant, and portioned as small bites for the end of the meal.

Basyniai reflects another familiar ancient pattern: fruit and nuts enclosed in simple dough, fried in oil, and finished with honey. Figs, walnuts, olive oil, and honey were all well-suited to Roman-style sweets. The result is rustic rather than delicate, but rich, memorable, and feast-friendly.

These sweets also help modern diners understand that Roman final courses were not necessarily the same as modern desserts. A Roman-inspired ending could include fruit, nuts, honeyed cakes, fried pastries, and small confections rather than a single large cake or pudding.

⚖️ Humoral note: Later medieval dietary theory often treated nuts as rich and substantial, dried fruits as warming and nourishing, and honey as warming and drying. Although these are Roman-inspired sweets rather than medieval recipes, the practical balance is clear: dense nuts and figs are lifted by crisp pastry, toasted sesame, and warm honey.

Itria – Sesame Seed Biscuit

Course: Mensa Secunda (Final Course / Dessert)
Origin: Ancient Rome
Served: Cooled, at the end of the meal
Event: Push for Pennsic 2004 – Early Roman Feast

Modern Interpretation

This version uses sesame seeds, chopped mixed nuts, and clear honey. The seeds and nuts are toasted first to deepen their flavor, then bound with simmered honey and shaped while still warm enough to handle.

The finished sweet is closer to a honey-sesame confection than to a modern baked biscuit. It is rich, sticky, nutty, and best served in small portions alongside fruit and other final-course sweets.

Ingredients

• 1 cup sesame seeds
• 3/4 cup chopped mixed nuts
• 3/4 cup clear honey

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Spread the sesame seeds and chopped nuts on a baking sheet.
3. Toast until lightly golden and fragrant. Watch carefully, as sesame seeds can darken quickly.
4. Place the honey in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, skim if needed, then simmer gently for about 7 minutes.
5. Stir the toasted sesame seeds and nuts into the hot honey and mix well.
6. Spread the mixture into a lightly greased tray and allow it to cool until it can be handled safely.
7. Shape into small balls or bite-sized portions.
8. Wrap in small pieces of parchment or paper if desired.
9. Serve cooled at the end of the meal with fruit, nuts, and other small sweets.

Cook’s note: Honey confections are easier to handle if you lightly oil your hands or utensils. Let the mixture cool just enough to shape, but do not wait until it hardens completely.

Basyniai – Fig and Walnut Cakes

Course: Mensa Secunda (Final Course / Dessert)
Origin: Ancient Rome
Served: Warm
Event: Push for Pennsic 2004 – Early Roman Feast

Modern Interpretation

This version uses a simple flour, olive oil, and water dough wrapped around a walnut-and-fig paste. The cakes are fried until golden and then drizzled with warmed honey.

For a feast, the filling and dough may be prepared in advance. The pastries are best fried closer to service so they can be served warm, crisp, and honeyed.

Pastry Ingredients

• 7 ounces flour
• 2 ounces olive oil
• 3 ounces water

Filling Ingredients

• 3 ounces walnuts
• 1 ounce dried figs
• Olive oil for frying
• 3 ounces honey, warmed

Instructions

1. Combine the flour, olive oil, and water in a bowl.
2. Knead until the dough is smooth, then cover and let rest for 1 hour.
3. Grind or finely chop the walnuts and dried figs together until they form a thick paste.
4. Roll the dough thinly and cut into 2 1/2-inch rounds.
5. Place about 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of half the rounds.
6. Top each filled round with another round of dough and seal the edges firmly.
7. Heat olive oil in a pan and fry the cakes until golden.
8. Drain briefly, then drizzle with warmed honey.
9. Serve warm at the end of the meal.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve Itria cooled in small portions with fresh and dried fruit.
• Serve Basyniai warm, drizzled with honey shortly before service.
• Pair both sweets with sugared nuts for a fuller mensa secunda.
• For a smaller Roman-inspired meal, serve these after Krambe, Lucanicae, or Erebinthoi Knakosymmigeis.
• Offer small portions. Both sweets are rich.

Camp and Feast Notes

Event Cooking Notes:

• Itria travels well: Make ahead, portion, wrap, and pack in a sealed container.
• Basyniai are best warm: Prepare the dough and filling ahead, then fry closer to service if possible.
• Honey is sticky: Use parchment, waxed paper, or lightly oiled trays for easier handling.
• Portion small: These are rich final-course sweets. Bite-sized servings work best.
• Label allergens: Both recipes contain nuts or seeds, and Basyniai contains wheat.
• Hot oil caution: Basyniai require frying, so they are best for sites where safe hot-oil cooking is practical.

🥕 Dietary Notes

• Vegetarian: Both recipes are vegetarian as written.
• Vegan: Not vegan as written because both recipes use honey. A vegan version could use date syrup or another liquid sweetener, though this changes the historical character.
• Gluten-Free: Itria is gluten-free if all ingredients are free from cross-contact. Basyniai are not gluten-free as written because they use wheat flour.
• Dairy-Free: Both recipes are dairy-free as written.
• Nut Allergens: Itria contains mixed nuts, and Basyniai contain walnuts. These should be clearly labeled at events.
• Seed Allergens: Itria contains sesame.
• Camping/Event Use: Itria is very camp-friendly. Basyniai require frying and are better for sites where safe hot oil use is possible.

Sources and Further Reading

• Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome by Apicius, translated by Joseph Dommers Vehling – Project Gutenberg
• Apicius: De Re Coquinaria – LacusCurtius
• Cooking Apicius by Sally Grainger – Prospect Books

Itria and Basyniai FAQ

Are Itria and Basyniai authentic Roman recipes?

They are Roman-inspired interpretations based on ancient Mediterranean ingredients and culinary patterns: sesame, nuts, figs, honey, oil, and simple doughs. The exact reconstruction involves interpretation, especially because ancient recipe names and forms do not always map neatly onto modern categories.

Can I make Itria ahead of time?

Yes. Itria is the better make-ahead recipe of the two. Shape the sesame-and-nut mixture into small portions, wrap if desired, and store in a sealed container.

Can Basyniai be baked instead of fried?

They can be baked as a modern adaptation, but frying gives a texture closer to the intended rich, oil-cooked pastry. If baking, brush lightly with oil and drizzle with warm honey after baking.

What should I serve with these Roman sweets?

Serve them with fresh fruit, dried fruit, sugared nuts, or other small final-course dishes. They are rich, so small portions work best.

Are these good for SCA or camping events?

Itria is excellent for camping and event service because it can be made ahead. Basyniai are best when warm and require frying, so they are better suited to events where safe hot-oil cooking is possible.

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🍷 Want more recipes from this feast?

Explore the other dishes served at the Early Roman Feast – Push for Pennsic, July 9–11, 2004:

• Early Roman Feast Hub
• Cucumeres (Braised Cucumber)
• Lucanicae (Grilled Sausages)
• Epityrum (Olives)
• Moretum (Herbed Cheese Spread)
• Piadina (Roman Flatbread)
• Petaso paro Mustacei (Smoked Ham with Sweet Wine Cakes)
• Erebinthoi Knakosymmigeis (Chickpeas with Saffron)
• Krambe (Roman Cabbage)

AI Assistance Disclosure: Historical transcription, formatting, and redaction support were provided with the help of AI tools for research and editing. Some images were created or edited with AI tools. All historical interpretation and final text are curated and verified by the editor of Give It Forth.