Rutum

Rutum is a historical term used in Latin culinary literature to describe a thick syrup produced by reducing grape must or other fruit juice through simmering. In ancient Rome, rutum most often referred to a concentrate derived from grape juice and used as a sweetener and flavoring agent before the widespread availability of cane sugar. The practice of boiling down must to create syrups was common, and rutum is frequently associated with the broader category of reduced-juice products that also includes related preparations such as defrutum and sapa. The precise distinctions among these terms varied by author and era, and in some sources rutum, defrutum, and sapa are used somewhat interchangeably.

Production typically involved pressing grapes to extract must, filtering it, and then simmering it slowly until the liquid was reduced to a syrupy consistency. The resulting product could be consumed as is or used to flavor sauces, stews, desserts, or preserved foods. Some accounts mention adding honey or adjusting concentration to achieve the desired sweetness and texture.

Historically, rutum served as a key sweetener in Roman cuisine, functioning in ways similar to later sugar syrups. Its use persisted into medieval Europe in various forms, though the terminology evolved and imported sugar gradually displaced grape-sourced syrups in many regions. Today, rutum is primarily of interest to historians of food and classical cuisine, who study it through ancient texts and comparative culinary practices. Modern recreations of related syrups, such as defrutum, appear in historical cooking experiments and scholarly discussions.