The other day, I was wandering through one of our local big box stores, looking at all of the chocolate on display in preparation for Valentine’s Day, in huge heart-shaped boxes, when a long-standing dilemma came to mind. The symbol of the heart bears absolutely no resemblance to the actual organ, which is a weird, blobby muscle with lots of tubes coming out of it. (Trust me, I know. I’ve made Beef Heart Pie before.) So, what was with this odd symbol, and why is it so widely revered?

A little research provided the answer, which is even weirder than the question itself. The image we now know as a heart is, in fact, the seed of an ancient herb called Silphium, a seasoning so revered that it actually showed up on the coinage of the city where it was harvested.

The city in question is the ancient metropolis of Cyrene, in the vicinity of modern-day Shahhat, Libya. This was the richest city in northern Africa, and its trade stretched to Greece and Rome, largely due to this one particular export.

According to legend, Silphium first appeared some 2,500 years ago, after a “black rain” swept over eastern Libya. A Greek by the name of Battus and his men were led to a place called Apollo’s Fountain, beyond the fertile grounds of Israsa. The locals said the place had a “hole in the sky,” where rain fell copiously. The plant was growing everywhere, taking over all of the hills. Battus settled there and founded the city of Cyrene in 630 B.C.

It didn’t take long for people to discover Silphium’s particular properties as both a vegetable and a food for animals. They began exporting it, to great acclaim. The roots were eaten fresh, dipped in vinegar, and when fed to sheep, rendered the flesh particularly tender and succulent. Additionally, in its dried form, it made a nice seasoning for braised brains and roasted flamingo.

There was another use for the plant, which made it particularly valuable, especially in the context of this holiday — it was an extremely effective aphrodisiac, as well as a contraceptive. Of course, to the notoriously randy ancient Romans, this made it a very valuable commodity, and Julius Caesar stored some 1,500 pounds of stuff in the Imperial Treasury.

When the Romans conquered Cyrene in 96 B.C., harvesting of the plant began in earnest. It should be noted that the only place it grew was a strip of land measuring only 125 miles by 35 miles. Additionally, despite their best efforts, nobody was able to cultivate the crop, and everything had to be collected from the wild.

Naturally, this meant that the plant’s days were numbered. The historian Pliny reports that the Emperor Nero was presented with the last living specimen in the first century A.D., and, true to his hedonistic nature, he promptly ate it.

So, that’s it then. Some scientists think that the plant is not lost, but merely misidentified. I realize that these columns generally end with a recipe, but as Silphium is considered extinct, that’s going to provide a bit of a problem. So, here’s a recipe for a Creme Brulee, which you can serve in heart-shaped ramekins, in memory of this ancient condiment.

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STRAWBERRY CREME BRULEE

2 Cups half and half

1/3 Cup plus 1/4 cup sugar, divided

1 Tsp. vanilla extract

6 egg yolks

6 Strawberries, hulled

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Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Heat half and half in microwave or a small saucepan until warm to the touch, 2-3 minutes.

Beat egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl or 4-cup measuring cup with pouring spout. Whisk in warm cream.

Place 6 custard or soufflé cups in a 13×9-inch baking pan.

Pour egg mixture evenly into dishes.

Pour very hot water carefully around dishes to about halfway up sides.

Bake 35-45 minutes or until center feels set to the touch. (Check at 30 minutes, custards may bake quicker depending on temperature of half and half and water bath.) Carefully remove cups from water and cool. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

To serve, slice strawberries and arrange one on each custard (this can be done ahead and refrigerated until ready to serve). Just before serving, heat remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, tilting pan to melt evenly as sugar liquefies. Once sugar is melted, reduce heat to low and cook until very liquid and golden-brown. Quickly drizzle 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar mixture over strawberries on top of custards. Serve immediately. Makes six servings. (Recipe from Driscoll’s Strawberries.)

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