When Savorys by Shenanchie was up and running last year, I made available an article I’d written about food and culture in medieval times. The following recipe was common at Christmas time during the Dark Ages:

Pine Nuts in Sugar 

(Nucibus Pineis Saccharo Conditi)

 

1 C pine nuts

1 C sugar

 

Melt the sugar in a clean, dry pan for about 10 minutes over medium-high heat. When the sugar is melted, add the pine nuts and stir to coat. Remove the pan from the heat and form the mixture into shapes similar to cylinders (let the mixture cool until you can handle it without burning yourself). Make each "cylinder" about 6" long and roughly 2" wide. Ready to serve.

Pine nuts are usually in season from October through early December in my area, although I prefer to bake them on a cookie sheet for about an hour and eat them warm. I love the nuts and wish they were available all year round. They are also good in salads and pasta dishes. However, buying them at the grocery store costs an arm and a leg – much like macadamia nuts.