Sapa, in Latin, or Siraion (σίραιον), or Hepsema (έψημα), in Greek, is a grape syrup made from grape juice by boiling it and reducing it to 1/3 of its original volume. Many Greek and Roman authors mention it by name, including Hippocrates in the 5th cenutry BCE, but only Pliny the Elder (1st century CE) describes how it was made.
nam siraeum, quod alii hepsema, nostri sapam appellant, ingenii, non naturae, opus est musto usque ad tertiam mensurae decocto. quod ubi factum ad dimidiam est, defrutum vocatur.
Siraeum, by some called hepsema and in our country sapa, is a product of art, not of nature, made by boiling down must to a third of its quantity; must boiled down to only one-half is called defrutum.
Latin text and English translation from Harris Rackham. Pliny: Natural History; with an English Translation in Ten Volumes. Volume IV. Book XIV, Chapter 11, Paragraph 80. Loeb Classical Library. Harvard University Press, 1945. pp. 240-241.
Sapa was commonly used as a sweetener in many Greek and Roman recipes. Due to the reduction, it is sweeter than the original grape juice it was made from.
Bibliography:
Grape Syrup - Sapa, Siraeum (σίραιον), Hepsema (έψημα)
Ingredients
- 750 ml Grape Juice Red or White
Grape juice for winemaking is also an option — I’ve successfully made hepsema/sapa from muscat grape juice.
Thank you. I agree.
the original sapa was made by boiling grape juice into a concentrate, BUT Hippocrates said the best sapa was made using a lead pan.
boiling acetic acid in a lead pan causes the acid to react with the lead producing lead acetate or ‘lead sugar’ which was the actual source of the super sweetness that Hippocrates spoke of.
it was a favourite of prostitutes as it induced abortions.
that was the real historical sapa, Hippocrates seemingly was not as wise as he is credited for