Edward-isums

How does cheesecake affect foreign policy?

          Have you ever sat in a room full of grumpy old business men? What is the one thing they all want?

Cake; preferable a good old fashion, heavy cheesecake. 

         Before cheesecake the leaders of our world could never agree on anything, but since cheesecake they can almost agree on everything. Meetings are so much more peaceful now and they only last a few days whereas before they could last months.

        The political history of cheesecake dates back to ancient Greece. It is believed to have been served to the athletes of the first Olympic Games in 776 B.C. They thought it had a good source of energy. 

"When the Romans conquered Greece, the cheesecake recipe was just one spoil of war." 

And 

" Marcus Cato, a Roman politician in the first century B.C., is credited as recording the oldest known Roman cheesecake recipe."

                                                   - History-of-Cheesecake

Libum, a early cheesecake

          So the next time you are hosting a foreign policy meeting, do not forget to make a cheesecake. 

        

          And for extra safety here is Marcus Cato's

LIBUM (SWEET CHEESECAKE)

Ancient Roman Libum Recipe
*2 pounds cheese well crushed in a mortar; when it is well crushed, add in *1 pound bread-wheat flour or, if you want it to be lighter, just 1/2 a pound, to be mixed with the cheese. Add *one egg and mix all together well. Make a loaf of this, with the leaves under it, and cook slowly in a hot fire under a brick.

Modern Roman Libum Recipe (serves 4)
*1 cup plain, all purpose flour
*8 ounces ricotta cheese
*1 egg, beaten
*bay leaves
*1/2 cup clear honey

Sift the flour into a bowl. Beat the cheese until it's soft and stir it into the flour along with the egg. Form a soft dough and divide into 4. Mold each one into a bun and place them on a greased baking tray with a fresh bay leaf underneath. Heat the oven to 425° F. Cover the cakes with your brick^* and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden-brown. Warm the honey and place the warm cakes in it so that they absorb it. Allow to stand 30 minutes before serving.

^*The Romans often covered their food while it was cooking with a domed earthenware cover called a testo. You can use an overturned, shallow clay pot, a metal bowl, or casserole dish as a brick.