ND SERVED [4].

[1] _Dulcia_, sweetmeats, cakes; hence _dulciarius_, a
pastry cook or confectioner.

The fact that here attention is drawn to home-made sweet
dishes may clear up the absence of regular baking and
dessert formulae in Apicius. The trade of the
_dulciarius_ was so highly developed at that time that
the professional bakers and confectioners supplied the
entire home market with their wares, making it
convenient and unprofitable for the domestic cook to
compete with their organized business, a condition which
largely exists in our modern highly civilized centers of
population today. Cf. "Cooks."

[2 + 3] Tor.

[4] Still being done today in the same manner.

[295] ANOTHER SWEETMEAT
_ALITER DULCIA_

GRATE [scrape, peel] SOME VERY BEST FRESH APHROS [1] AND IMMERSE IN
MILK. WHEN SATURATED PLACE IN THE OVEN TO HEAT BUT NOT TO DRY OUT;
WHEN THOROUGHLY HOT RETIRE FROM OVEN, POUR OVER SOME HONEY, STIPPLE
[the fruit] SO THAT THE HONEY MAY PENETRATE, SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER [2]
AND SERVE.

[1] Tor., Tac., Lan. _musteos aphros_; Vat. Ms., G.-V.
_afros_; List. _apios_, i.e. celery, which is farthest
from the mark. Goll. interprets this a "cider apple,"
reminiscent, probably, of _musteos_, which is fresh,
new, young, and which has here nothing to do with cider.

_Aphros_ is not identified. Perhaps the term stood for
Apricots (Old English: Aphricocks) or some other African
fruit or plant; Lister's celery is to be rejected on
gastronomical grounds.

The above treatment would correspond to that which is
given apricots and peaches today. They are peeled,
immersed in cream and sweetened with sugar. Apicius'
heating of the fruit in milk is new to us; it sounds
good, for it has a tendency to parboil any hard fruit,
make it more digestible and reduce the fluid to a creamy
consistency.

[2] The "pepper" again, as pointed out in several other
places, here is some spice of agreeable taste as are
used in desserts today.

[296] ANOTHER SWEET DISH
_ALITER DULCIA_

BREAK [slice] FINE WHITE BREAD, CRUST REMOVED, INTO RATHER LARGE
PIECES WHICH SOAK IN MILK [and beaten eggs] FRY IN OIL, COVER WITH
HONEY AND SERVE [1].

[1] "French" Toast, indeed!--_Sapienti sat!_

[297] ANOTHER SWEET
_ALITER DULCIA_

IN A CHAFING-DISH PUT [1] HONEY, PURE WINE, RAISIN WINE, RUE, PINE