Taste This Roman Delicacy

Miriam and Phoebe celebrate their special occasions together with lunch at “The Flamingo’s Tongue, the smoke-filled restaurant... that seasons the neighborhood with the aroma of fried onions.”

Miriam tells us more in The Deadliest Lie:

After the Isis festivals, we’d crowd into the restaurant, where we’d dine with a view of the lighthouse and the thousands of ships moored in the Great Harbor, their bumboats swaying in synchrony with the lapping tide, their rubbery shadows quivering on the crinkled skin of the water.

In fact, in every story, they seem to savor its signature dish, marinated flamingo tongues in a spicy pepper sauce.

The ancient recipes for cooking flamingo, either by boiling or roasting, were designed to mitigate the gamey flavor of the meat. And so, the sauce was a spicy sweet and sour sauce. The Romans favored this dish for its originality and exoticism. Moreover, being that many birds had to be sacrificed to make a single serving, it was an extravagant display of the host's wealth.

The flamingo is a protected species now so I cannot encourage you to taste it, but pick up any Miriam bat Isaac mystery and you’ll be able to imagine eating it. Just click here.