From the sands of the Shapierian desert comes this traditional recipe for a delicious dessert and snack made from bread, nuts, and dates.
Freshly Rolled Hais
1 1/3 c toasted fresh breadcrumbs 1/4 c ground pistachios
8 oz. Pitted dates 3 T butter
1/4 c ground almonds Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp sesame oil (Use Middle Eastern sesame oil if available, which is lighter and more delicate than Asian varieties)
This recipe can be done entirely with the food processor to grind all the ingredients and mix them. The end result is a date-colored mass of pliable dough. Dust your hands with powdered sugar as you roll the mix into balls – this greatly improves their appearance, and makes it easy to roll them out.
[This recipe was adapted from al-Baghdadi (The Baghdad Cookbook) written in the thirteenth century. I got it from David Friedman’s “Miscellany,” a collection of recipes suitably period (written before the 16th century) for the Society for Creative Anachronism.]