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Re: "laser" From: Bunny Date: 11/24/2021, 8:57 AM To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com On 11/23/2021 8:15 PM, Bunny wrote: Hi Phaed: You mentioned that you might be able to help me with the “modern” translation of some of these Ancient Roman spices. The one spice that I am totally mystified (& see in recipes over & over again) is called “Laser”. I have found a couple of different possible names, but since I am not sure about these sources, I would absolutely prefer a different opinion!!!
Hi Bunny,
"Laser", or "laserpitium", or "laserwort", was a wild giant fennel plant called "silphium". It apparently only grew in one place, the ancient Greek city of Cyrene, which was near present-day Shahhat, Libya. It could not be cultivated and it was so popular that it was harvested to extinction many centuries ago. The only substitute, and a poor one at that, is a spice from the Middle East called "asafoetida." Some supermarkets and health food stores have asafoetida, and you can order it online from Amazon.com.
I thoroughly researched and wrote a detailed article about silphium a few years ago. See this page: 8-7-2017
You can also find a few bits about it on these sites:
The Mystery of the Lost Roman Herb
Phaed