MYTH

In the heart of ancient Egypt, within the opulent palaces along the Nile, a culinary secret was hidden, reserved only for the eyes and palates of the pharaohs, the earthly incarnations of the god HorOs. This secret was known as "TERRE DI HOROS," a delicacy of dried and smoked olives under the blazing Egyptian sun, a recipe that transcended the mere concept of food to touch that of the divine.

According to an ancient papyrus (3200 B.C.), Pharaoh Narmer was the first to introduce the TERRE DI HOROS into royal ceremonies. The text details the harvesting of olives in the sacred gardens along the Nile Delta, consecrated through a smoking ritual led by the priests of Ra. These olives, once dried and smoked, were powdered with gold, symbolizing eternity and purity, and consumed to season the richest dishes of the Pharaoh's guests.

Another papyrus from the same period tells of how the TERRE DI HOROS food was served exclusively on the most solemn occasions, such as celestial banquets in honor of Horos. It was believed that this sacred union of olives and gold conferred divine strength to the Pharaoh, strengthening his bond with the Gods and ensuring prosperity and protection for his kingdom.

Later in years (1400/1000 B.C.), during the inauguration of the Luxor Temple, Pharaoh Amenhotep III offered the TERRE DI HOROS to the Gods as the supreme gesture of devotion, an event documented in the carvings along the temple walls. This gesture symbolized not only the union between the celestial and the earthly but also the importance of this divine food produced from the Nile Delta's cultivations, meant to nourish the Gods themselves.

Legend has it that the sacred lands where these holy olives grew were guarded by sphinxes and visitable only by Pharaohs and their most trusted priests. Only during the equinoxes, moments of perfect balance between day and night, could the olives be harvested and prepared according to the ancient recipe, a ritual embodying the fusion between the cosmos and the earth. The TERRE DI HOROS thus represent not only a gastronomic pleasure reserved for a few but a bridge between men and Gods, a powerful symbol of the Pharaoh's majesty and spirituality.