by LJM Owen
2.While the ash is baking, prepare the duck and the salt crust.
3.Rinse the duck, pat it dry, then prick the skin all over with a fork. Season inside and out with salt and pepper. Heat a large non-stick frying pan (or add a little oil) to a medium to high heat, and sear the duck on all sides until brown. This may take 10 or so minutes. Set aside to cool.
4.Once the ash from the first step is ready, make the crust: combine the flour, ash, salt, pepper, egg whites, rosemary, thyme, and coriander, and mix until the dough holds together. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 2 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
5.Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, gas mark 6). Remove the crust from the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured surface until it looks large enough to wrap around the duck, plus some.
6.Place the duck breast-side down and fill the cavity loosely with approximately half of the blood orange and grapefruit segments, star anise, chillies, fennel seeds, cumin, pepper and salt.
7.Encase the duck in greaseproof baking paper, then place in the centre of the dough, breast side down. Wrap the ash salt crust around the duck, pinching to seal.
8.Place the duck, seam side down, on a baking sheet and bake for 2½ hours.
9.While the duck is cooking, bring the blood orange juice, wine, vinegar and the remainder of the spices to the boil. Simmer until reduced by three-quarters, add the rest of the blood orange and grapefruit segments and warm through, then set aside.
10.To serve the duck, use a sharp knife to cut through the salt crust, peel it and the underlying paper away and discard. Ensure all juices and the contents of the cavity are kept and added to the sauce.
11.Reheat the sauce gently, cut the duck into quarters and place the quarters in the pan with the sauce and move about gently to coat them. Simmer gently for 5 minutes.
12.Remove the duck pieces from the sauce and arrange on a serving platter. Reduce the sauce a little more to your desired thickness and season to taste, then spoon over the duck and serve with your choice of vegetables. Clafoutis cerise, a baked cherry custard, with cream makes an excellent dessert to follow.
Glossary of Technical Terms
archaeology the study of the buildings, graves, tools and other objects that belonged to people who lived in the past, in order to learn about their culture and society
cartouche in archaeology, an oval or oblong enclosing a group of Egyptian hieroglyphs, typically representing the name and title of a monarch
cartonnage an ancient Egyptian mummy case made of tightly fitting layers of linen or papyrus glued together
cranial of the skull
dentition the number, type and arrangement of teeth in a person or animal
gene a unit of heredity that is transferred from a parent to their offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring
mandible in a person or animal, the lower jaw bone
maxilla the upper jaw bone that supports the upper teeth and forms part of the eye sockets and nasal cavity
mummy (especially in ancient Egypt) a body of a human being or animal that has been ceremonially preserved by removal of the internal organs, treatment with natron and resin, and wrapped in bandages
palaeogenetics the study of the past through the examination of preserved genetic material from the remains of ancient organisms
palaeopathology the branch of science concerned with the pathological conditions found in ancient human and animal remains
pelvic girdle (in vertebrates) the enclosing structure formed by the bony pelvis, providing attachment for the hind limbs or pelvic fins
peri-mortem at or near the time of death; in peri-mortem injuries, bone damage occurring at or near the time of death, without any evidence of healing
philology the branch of knowledge that deals with the structure, historical development and relationships of a language or languages; in North America, literary or classical scholarship
post-cranial of or relating to the part of the body below the head
pseudoscience a collection of beliefs or practices mistakenly regarded as being based on scientific method
sarcophagus a stone coffin, typically adorned with a sculpture or inscription and associated with the ancient civilisations of Egypt, Rome, and Greece
species a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding
Historical Notes and Additional Reading
Historical Notes
The politics, familial relationships and culture of the late Nineteenth Dynasty portrayed in this novel are all based on extensive research. Tausret was indeed the final Pharaoh of the Dynasty, and her strength, courage and tenacity are attested by the work she managed to undertake in the maelstrom of post-Ramesses the Second Egypt.
Records of Tausret’s exact parentage are yet to be recovered, though given her role in the court of the late Nineteenth Dynasty, in all probability she was a sister of Seti the Second. Seti’s grandfather, Ramesses the Second, married and had at least one daughter with his own daughter, Bintanath. I have chosen to cast that daughter/granddaughter of Ramesses the Second as Tausret’s, Seti’s, Tiy’s and Neith’s mother. This gnarled, interwoven family tree is representative of many families throughout the New Kingdom dynasties.
Khaenweset the Restorer, first known Egyptologist and Elizabeth’s historical crush, was a formidable administrator and the Crown Prince of Egypt for some years before pre-deceasing his father, Ramesses the Second. Hori the Vizier, Khaenweset’s grandson, served as the chief bureaucrat of the country under Seti the Second, Siptah, Tausret, Setnakhte and Ramesses the Third. Hori was, if nothing else, a survivor.
Rightly or not, Chancellor Bay is a notorious figure. He might have been Siptah’s uncle, though that is not certain. What is definite is that he was executed as an enemy of the state in the fifth year of Siptah’s reign. As Siptah was still a young teenager at that point, the most likely candidate for executioner was Tausret.
Descriptions of the mummies of Tut-Ankh-Amun and the Pharaohs of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Dynasties are based on minute examinations of scans, x-rays and records of the actual mummies. The only bit I made up was the tubercle.
Pentaweret, the screaming mummy, was real. The Golden Tomb wasn’t, though it could have been.
Additional Reading
Dodson, A. and Ikram, S. (2008) The Tomb in Ancient Egypt, Thames & Hudson, New York
Hawass, Z. and Saleem, S. (2015) Scanning the Pharaohs: CT Imaging of the New Kingdom Royal Mummies, The American University in Cairo Press, Cairo
Robins, G. (1993) Women in Ancient Egypt, Harvard University Press, Harvard
Tyldesley, J. A. (1995) Daughters of Isis: Women of Ancient Egypt, Penguin Books, St Ives
Watterson, B. (2013) Women in Ancient Egypt, Amberley Publishing, London
Wilkinson, R. (ed.) (2012) Tausret: Forgotten Queen and Pharaoh of Egypt, Oxford University Press, Oxford
Questions for Book Club Discussions
1.The Dr Pimms series provides insight into the lives of forgotten women leaders in the ancient world.
Thinking back to history classes at school, or histories you have read since, do you remember reading about many women leaders? Before reading Egyptian Enigma, had you heard of many female Pharaohs?
2.The novel contains extensive forensic information on the mummification process and detailed descriptions of many well-known mummies of Pharaohs, including Ramesses the Second and Tutankhamun.
What did you find to be the most interesting aspect of mummies or mummification?
3.In the novel, one character experiences depression, and it is not picked up by her family members for some time.
Do yo
u think it is a common occurrence for loved ones to miss signs of mental illness and mental distress? What did you think was going on with Mai before Elizabeth realised it was a depressive episode?
4.Scientific testing has shown that an ancient Egyptian contraceptive from at least 5000 years ago was effective, yet for the majority of people over time it seems contraception was unknown.
How do you think the world might be different if humans had always had access to effective contraception?
5.In the novel, you discover that one character’s life was greatly impacted by the marital status of her parents when she was born. In some societies, the marital status of someone’s parents determine almost everything about the life they will lead.
How much do you think it would impact the life of a newborn in your country today?
Acknowledgements
It’s been a long, difficult year. Writing, as ever, has been my escape, and something I’ve only been able to do through the support and assistance of so many. My deepest thanks to every single person who read a draft, made me a cup of tea, encouraged me to continue, shared a funny picture or helped me to adjust further to this new role in life called ‘author’.
Thank you particularly to Dr Kara Cooney, Associate Professor of Ancient Egyptian Art and Architecture at UCLA, and Jane Caro, social commentator and fellow historical novelist, who agreed to make cameo appearances in Egyptian Enigma. Thanks also to Dr Carolyn Tate of Texas Tech University for her stellar work on the reinterpretation of Olmec visual culture.
My thanks also to Linda Zaharee and Carol Debiak, who both bought character naming rights at Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention, supporting essential literacy programs in the process.
As ever, the delivery of the book into the hands of Pimms readers required a significant team effort, including cover designer Josh Durham (whose covers I fall in love with every time), interior designer Shaun Jury, project management and editing team Clive Hebard and Hazel Orme, marketing and PR ace Kirstin Corcoran and our guiding star, commissioning editor extraordinaire, Angela Meyer.
Coming soon
Dr Pimms, Intermillennial Sleuth
Book Four: Mongolian Mayhem
1. Library crypts
2. One girl, one road, one bag of gold
3. A forgotten empress
4. Thighed food
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Copyright © L.J.M. Owen 2018
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First published 2018
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ISBN: 9781760407919 (paperback)
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