''Lauzinaj,'' also spelled ''lawzinaj'', ''lawzinaq'', ''luzina'' (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''losenges'', ''lesynges'') is an almond-based confection known from medieval

Arab cuisine Arab cuisine ( ar, المطبخ العربي) is the cuisine of the Arabs, defined as the various regional cuisines spanning the Arab world, from the Maghreb to the Fertile Crescent and the Arabian Peninsula. These cuisines are centuries old an ...

. Described as the "food of kings" and "supreme judge of all sweets", by the 13th-century ''lauzinaj'' had entered

medieval European cuisine Medieval cuisine includes foods, eating habits, and cooking methods of various European cultures during the Middle Ages, which lasted from the fifth to the fifteenth century. During this period, diets and cooking changed less than they did in th ...

from the Andalusian influence, returning

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...

and Latin translations of cookery books.

History

References about the

confection Confectionery is the art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categories ...

abound in

Arabic literature Arabic literature ( ar, الأدب العربي / ALA-LC: ''al-Adab al-‘Arabī'') is the writing, both as prose and poetry, produced by writers in the Arabic language. The Arabic word used for literature is '' Adab'', which is derived from ...

. It is mentioned by the 10th-century poet Al-Ma'muni, and

Sahnun Sahnun ibn Sa'id ibn Habib at-Tanukhi () (c. 776/77 – 854/55) (160 AH – 240 AH ) was a jurist in the Maliki school from Qayrawan in modern-day Tunisia. Biography His original name was Abdu Salaam Ibn Said Ibn Habib () He gained the nickna ...

, a ''

qadi A qāḍī ( ar, قاضي, Qāḍī; otherwise transliterated as qazi, cadi, kadi, or kazi) is the magistrate or judge of a '' sharīʿa'' court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and mino ...

'' who advises one of his students that the reward for long hours of studying law is the prospect of earning enough wealth to eat

pistachio The pistachio (, ''Pistacia vera''), a member of the cashew family, is a small tree originating from Central Asia and the Middle East. The tree produces seeds that are widely consumed as food. ''Pistacia vera'' is often confused with other sp ...

filled ''lauzinaj''. Two versions of the dish are known from medieval texts: #''Lauzinaj mugharraq'' or "drenched lauzinaj", some scholars believe this dish is earlier version of the Ottoman dish ''

baklava Baklava (, or ; ota, باقلوا ) is a layered pastry dessert made of filo pastry, filled with chopped nuts, and sweetened with syrup or honey. It was one of the most popular sweet pastries of Ottoman cuisine. The pre- Ottoman origin of the ...

'' (though Charles Perry has written that "it was not much like baklava"). It was made by filling thin pastry dough with a mixture of ground almond (and sometimes other nuts like

walnut A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true ...

rosewater Rose water ( fa, گلاب) is a flavoured water made by steeping rose petals in water. It is the hydrosol portion of the distillate of rose petals, a by-product of the production of rose oil for use in perfume. Rose water is also used to flavour ...

, and sometimes luxury flavorings like

mastic Mastic may refer to: Adhesives and pastes *Mastic (plant resin) *Mastic asphalt, or asphalt, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid * Mastic cold porcelain, or salt ceramic, is a traditional salt-based modeling clay. *Mastic, high-grade con ...

ambergris Ambergris ( or , la, ambra grisea, fro, ambre gris), ''ambergrease'', or grey amber is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull grey or blackish colour produced in the digestive system of sperm whales. Freshly produced ambergris has a mari ...

, or

musk Musk (Persian: مشک, ''Mushk'') is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial sub ...

. #''Lauzinaj yabis'' was made with ground almonds cooked in boiling honey or sugar until reaching a taffy like consistency. The raw version, closer to

marzipan Marzipan is a confectionery, confection consisting primarily of sugar, honey, and almond meal (ground almonds), sometimes augmented with almond oil or extract. It is often made into Confectionery, sweets; common uses are chocolate-covered marzi ...

in consistency, was made by blending the almonds with sugar and flavoring with

camphor Camphor () is a waxy, colorless solid with a strong aroma. It is classified as a terpenoid and a cyclic ketone. It is found in the wood of the camphor laurel ('' Cinnamomum camphora''), a large evergreen tree found in East Asia; and in the k ...

, musk and rosewater. The finished confection was molded into animal or other shapes, or cut into squares and triangles.

Preparation

One historic recipe is given in the 10th-century that describes how to make ''lauzinaj'' by blending crushed sugar and almonds with rosewater, and rolling it in thin dough, similar to ''

sanbusaj A samosa () or singara is a fried Indian pastry with a savory filling, including ingredients such as spiced potatoes, onions, and peas. It may take different forms, including triangular, cone, or half-moon shapes, depending on the region. Sa ...

'' (samosa) dough, but ideally even thinner. The poet

Ibn al-Rumi Abū al-Ḥasan Alī ibn al-Abbās ibn Jūrayj ( ar, أبو الحسن علي بن العباس بن جريج), also known as Ibn al-Rūmī (born Baghdad in 836; died 896), was the grandson of George the Greek (Jūraij or Jūrjis i.e. Georgius) ...

compared the dough to grasshopper wings. The finished pastry would be drenched in rosewater-flavored

simple syrup Inverted sugar syrup, also called invert syrup, invert sugar, simple syrup, sugar syrup, sugar water, bar syrup, syrup USP, or sucrose inversion, is a syrup mixture of the monosaccharides glucose and fructose, that is made by hydrolytic sacch ...

and garnished with crushed pistachio.

References

{{reflist Confectionery Arab cuisine Medieval cuisine Almond desserts