“The Feast in the House of Levi” (detail), Paolo Veronese. Used here as period context for a Renaissance savory pie.

Del Brodo Saracenico – Saracen Chicken with Fruits & Almonds (Redon, 1998)

Del brodo saracenico appears in medieval Italian sources and in modern redaction by Odile Redon et al. (1998). It marries roasted capon or chicken with wine, tart “acid juices,” toasted bread, almonds, dates, raisins, and a gentle spice blend—classic agrodolce (sweet-tart) Renaissance vibes with an evident Mediterranean/Arabic influence.

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📜 Original Historic Recipe

Latin (Liber de Coquina, late 13^th c.)

De brodio sarracenio: pro brodio sarraceno, accipe capones assatos et ficatella eorum cum speciebus et pane assato tere bene, distemperando cum bono vino et succis agris. Tunc frange membratim dictos capones et cum predictis mite ad bulliendum in olla, suppositis dactilis, uvis grecis siccis, amigdalis integris mondatis et lardo sufficienti. Colora sicut placet.

English (modern translation)

“Saracenic broth: to make Saracenic broth, take roasted capons and their livers with spices and toasted bread, pound them well, diluting with good wine and acidic juices. Then cut the capons into pieces and cook in a pot with the ingredients mentioned before, placing on top dates, Greek raisins, whole peeled almonds, and sufficient lardo. Color as you like.”

Note: Source and translation discussion in the references below.

🍽️ Modern Redaction – Del Brodo Saracenico

Serves: 6–8  |  Active: 35 min  |  Total: ~1 hr 15 min

Ingredients

• 1 capon or chicken (3.5–4.5 lb), patted dry and salted
• 1/3 cup blanched almonds, whole
• 1/3 cup raisins (Greek currants if available)
• Handful of dates and prunes, pitted and halved
• 2 slices firm bread (e.g., manchet or sourdough), toasted
• 1 cup dry white wine
• Juice of 1–2 lemons (or verjuice), plus juice of 1 orange
• 1 oz salt-pork fatback or bacon, 1/8" dice
• 1 apple and 1 pear, peeled, cored, and chopped
• Salt, to taste

Spice blend: 1/4 tsp each ground nutmeg & black pepper; a pinch of ginger & cloves.

Method

1. Heat oven to 425°F / 220°C. Salt the capon/chicken and roast on a rack until browned (about 35–45 min; it will finish gently in the pot). Avoid overcooking so the joints stay intact.
2. Toast bread; crumble it into a bowl and moisten with the wine plus citrus juices. Stir in the spices.
3. Carve the bird into serving pieces (reserve the liver if available). In a wide pot or casserole, render the diced salt-pork/bacon over medium heat.
4. Add the chicken pieces, then pour in the wine-citrus-bread mixture. Add dried fruits, almonds, apple, pear, and (optional) minced chicken liver. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
5. Simmer 15–20 minutes, basting to coat. Check salt; the sauce should be spoonable, glossy, and sweet-tart with warm spice.
6. Serve in shallow bowls with plenty of broth, fruit, and nuts over top.

🧭 Context, Technique & Notes

• Period technique: The pounded toasted bread + wine + “acid juices” is a classic thickened broth/sauce base. Dried fruits & almonds deliver the familiar Italian agrodolce profile.
• What’s “Saracenico”? A period label pointing to perceived Arabic/Mediterranean flavors (citrus/verjuice, sweet spices, dried fruits), not a claim of strict Islamic practice—note the original’s lardum.
• Course placement: Works beautifully in a second course where “wet and light” dishes shine; also fits a poultry remove in a roast course when you want a sweet-savory counterpoint.
• Make-ahead: Roast the bird and prepare the sauce base a day ahead. Reheat gently to avoid breaking the sauce.

🔄 Modern vs. Historic (Quick Compare)

• Historic: Capon, livers, lard, wine + acid juices, toasted bread, dates, raisins, whole peeled almonds; “color as you like.”
• This redaction: Keeps wine + citrus, dried fruits, almonds, and pork fat; adds modest spice blend from Redon-style interpretation; includes fresh apple/pear to amplify fruit notes and broth body.

📌 Why “Saracenico”?

When medieval and Renaissance Italian recipes use the word Saracenico (Saracenic), it isn’t meant literally in the sense of “from the Saracens.” Instead, it was shorthand for “exotic” or “Arabic-influenced” food.

• Cultural shorthand: In medieval Europe, “Saracen” was a broad term used for Arabs, Muslims, and, more generally, peoples of the eastern Mediterranean. Recipes tagged alla saracenica or saracenico usually signaled foreign inspiration.
• Flavor profile: These dishes often combined
  • Sweet–savory pairings (meat + dried fruits, almonds, spices)
  • Acidic balance (wine, citrus, or verjuice)
  • Exotic spices (nutmeg, ginger, cloves)
  All of these echoed Arabic, Andalusian, or Sicilian-Islamic culinary styles familiar in Italy after centuries of contact.
• Historical context: By the late 13th century, Italian courts were full of cross-Mediterranean influences. Sicily in particular carried the Arab-Norman legacy. Recipes layering fruit, nuts, spice, and meat often gained this “Saracenic” label.
• Not religiously accurate: The Liber de Coquina recipe even calls for lardo (pork fat)—not permitted in Islamic cooking. The name reflects a European interpretation of Arabic-style flavors, not authentic Islamic practice.

⚖️ Humoral Notes (kitchen-table summary)

Chicken is generally mild and moderately moist; wine and citrus are hot/dry; dried fruits add moist sweetness; almonds are temperate, slightly moist. Overall, the dish tends toward balanced when served with bread or rice—good for broad audiences when you moderate the spice heat.

🍲 Menu Placement – Pottage Course

Del Brodo Saracenico is really a brothy, stew-like dish (meat simmered in a liquid base thickened with bread, enriched with fruits & almonds). That makes it squarely a pottage course dish in period menu planning.

📖 Why “Pottage course”?

• Form & texture: Served in broth, eaten with a spoon (or soaked up with trenchers/bread).
• Period placement: Pottages were typically the second course, after appetizers (spiced, light “openers”) but before heavy roasts.
• Balance: The dish’s agrodolce profile (sweet-sour, fruit + spice) makes it a refreshing, somewhat lighter “wet” dish, counterbalancing drier roasts in a feast.
• Alternatives: It could also appear as a remove (sub-course) in a poultry/roast course, but the bread-thickened broth and abundance of fruit puts it more in the pottage family.

🥕 Dietary Suggestions & Substitutions

• Gluten-free: Use gluten-free rustic bread for the sops/thickening.
• Dairy-free: No dairy as written.
• Pork-free: Use beef suet or olive oil + a pinch of smoked salt.
• Vegan “camp” variant: Replace chicken with hearty mushrooms (portobello + oyster), use rich vegetable stock; for body, add a small spoon of almond butter when you add the toasted bread.
• Allergens: Tree nuts (almonds); gluten (bread). Swap almonds for toasted pumpkin seeds if needed.

Badge: 🥕 ( Dietary suggestions included in this post )

Sources & Further Reading

• Odile Redon, Françoise Sabban, Silvano Serventi, The Medieval Kitchen: Recipes from France and Italy. University of Chicago Press, 1998.
• Liber de Coquina (late 13th c.). “De brodio sarracenio.” Latin text & discussion in modern commentary/translation online; see reference below.

📖 This recipe is part of the Ceilidh 2001 – Fourteenth-Century Italian Feast .
Explore all dishes from this reconstructed 14th-century Italian banquet.