Caroenum is a Roman liquid sweetener made by simmering grape must until it has been reduced by 1/3 of its original volume. Nowadays, substitutes are made in various ways. You may wish to compare Defritum, Caroenum and Sapa. Substitutes Reduce 500 ml of wine to 200ml. Add 2 tbsp honey, and salt to taste. Note:…
Grape Juice
Defritum
Defritum is a Roman thick syrup made from a form of grape juice known as grape must, which is unstrained grape juice, with skins, stems and seeds still in it. This was was boiled in a lead pot until it had reduced by one-half. Some food sources today see this as a predecessor to Balsamic…
Must
Must is unfiltered fruit juice that will contain the seeds, skins and stems. The juice is usually grape. Juice will naturally ferment and turn to alcohol: when keeping it at the “must” stage is desired, it must be either frozen, or pasteurized to prevent that. Must is used to make wine from. It is also…
Mustum Tortivum
Mustum Tortivum is a Roman term, denoting “must”, as in grape must, obtained from the second pressing of grapes that have already been pressed a first time. The first time, they were pressed by stomping. The second time, they were pressed with a mechanical press to squeeze any remaining juice out of them. First-pressed wine…
Sapa
Sapa is a syrupy sweetening agent made in Italy by simmering down grape juice to reduce its volume. In Italy today, it is called “Mosto Cotto” (cooked must.) You may wish to compare Defritum, Caroenum, Sapa and Wine Syrup. Cooking Tips To make your own: Crush grapes. Put crushed grapes and their juice in a…
Sparkling Grape Juice
Sparkling Grape Juice is drier and less sweet than grape juice. It’s made from white grape juice. The more expensive ones use natural carbonation: the grape juice is let ferment a bit to create natural carbonation, then it is flash-pasteurized. This kind of makes it somewhere in between wine and juice. The cheaper ones are…