Food of Classical Rome. Apicius.
NOTE: See also the files: Roman-Recipes-art, cb-rv-Apicius-msg, Italy-msg, Roman-hygiene-msg, garum-msg, salt-msg, Byzantine-msg, fd-Byzantine-msg.
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Stefan at florilegium.org
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Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 10:02:55 -0700
From: "E. Rain" <raghead at liripipe.com>
Subject: SC - RE: sca-cooks V1 #2404
Good morning from Eden,
Alys Katherine wrote re gunthar's request for info on Roman foods "If you're
not in any rush about the research, what might
be available in the records about Pompeii and Herculaneum?"
Along this line I'd suggest looking at 'Art, Culture, & Cuisine' by Phyllis
Pray Bober. (The University of Chicago Press, 1998.) ISBN 0-226-06253-8.
I've only had time to skim it so far, but the section on roman cuisine looks
like it has a lot of content re foods from both Pompeii & Herculaneum. My
first glance was intersecting enough that i plan to use it as a tour guide
for my visit to Pompeii later this year :->
Also if you have heating facilities for these "food booths" the tarentine
meatballs from apicius are VERY yummy.
Eden
Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2000 09:07:25 EDT
From: ChannonM at aol.com
Subject: SC - Roman Recipes LONG
Hello everyone,
Bear (I believe)posted earlier requesting info about Roman finger foods (I
think), here is my collections of recipes that have been mostly direct
redactions, some are adaptions based on other Roman recipes. If any of them
are of interest let me know, I'll post recipe. I've also included a
suggestion to use Vehling (gasp) in conjunction with an online Latin version
of Apicius, it's better than nothing for all it's worth.
I do have a document in the works that has tips on working with Roman food
(ie substitutions for garum) these tips have been gleaned from discussions on
various lists, personal experience and research. It's too long to put on the
cooks list, but could be available to the Florilegium if anyones interested.
I have to tweak a few things, but other than that, it's useable and as
documented as possible.
Moretaria
SalaCattabia
Flat Bread
Green Beans and chickpeas (An adapted hummous type dish)
Stuffed Chicken with Sauce ala Apicius
Ne Lactucae Laedant/A harmless salad
Ova Elixa/ Hard Boiled Eggs
Phaseoli Virides Frictae/ Fried Green Beans
Porcus Farcimina Mellitum/Honey Pork Sausage (an adaption of an iscia style
dish)
Frumentum/Barley Frumenty
Pernam et Ficus/Ham with Figs
Isicia Amulato ab Aheno/Rissoles with a Thick Sauce in a Metal Casserole
Alicam Vel Succum Tisanai
/Cracked Wheat
Dulcia Domestica/Homemade Sweets
Savillum/Cheesecake
In addition, I came across a reference in the Archaeology magazine,
November/December 1990 Dining with the Ancients-by Edith Evans
Some of her extrapolations are off slightly in my opinion but she mentions
the following that might be of interest to you.
" One example of a site where the study of bones gave an interesting insight
into food consumption was the main baths in the fortress of the Second
Aughustan Legion at Caerleon (Roman Isca) in Britain. The animal remains from
the lowest levels of the principal drain consisted overwhelmingly of chicken
bones with a lesser amount of mutton chops, suggestiong that guests at the
baths wer able to obtain snacks"
I can also recall a painting on a wall in Pompei, that was an advertisement
for the occupants ham, it appears the owner of the building or occupant was a
food vendor.I was concentrating on the food of the Roman Army and didn't hold
on to the reference, but it is very popular in books on Vesuvius and Pompei.
The full latin text of Apicius can be found at
you could use this in conjuction with the Vehling edition so you could at
least analyze the text as Vehling doesn't give the original latin.
here are two good Latin dictionaries on line;
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/lexica.html
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/searches.html
Here are a few websites on Roman food and related links
http://www.ancientsites.com/xi/interface/bb/readTopic.rage?BB=xi_data/Rome/
bb/main&TT=355
>http://www.ancientsites.com/~Caius_Livius
Here is a really fun reference for Moretaria (Roman cheese spread) that
someone posted on the Apicius list;
The following scene is from Aristophanes' _Peace_. In this scene,
Trygaeus, a crazy old man, is spying on the personification of War. War
makes a "myttotos" (which also happens to be the title of the greek poem
virgil's Moretum is said to be based on!), with each of the ingredients
allegorically representing a city of Greece. Fortunately he can't find
the pestle, required to mash it (and hence Greece) to a pulp.
This translation comes from Perseus online. The bracketed numerals
indicate line numbers if you want to track down the reference yourself,
say to compare the Greek.
War:Enters, carrying a huge mortar.
Oh! mortals, mortals, wretched mortals, how your jaws will snap!
Trygaeus:Oh! divine Apollo! what a prodigious big mortar! Oh, what
misery the very sight of War causes me! [240] This then is
the foe from whom I fly, who is so cruel, so formidable, so stalwart, so
solid on his legs!
War:Oh! Prasiae! thrice wretched, five times, aye, a thousand times
wretched! for thou shalt be destroyed this day.
(He throws some leeks into the mortar. )
Trygaeus: (to the audience. )This, gentlemen, does not concern us over
much; [245] it's only so much the worse for the Laconians.
War:Oh! Megara! Megara! how utterly are you going to be ground up! what
fine mincemeat are you to be made into!
(He throws in some garlic. )
Trygaeus: (Aside. )Alas! alas! what bitter tears there will be among
the Megarians!
War:(throwing in some cheese.)[250] Oh, Sicily! you too must perish!
Your wretched towns shall be grated like this cheese. Now let us pour some
Attic honey into the mortar.
(He does so.)
Trygaeus: (Aside.)Oh! I beseech you! use some other honey; this kind is
worth four obols;be careful, oh! be careful of our Attic honey.
War:[255] Hi! Tumult, you slave there!
Tumult:What do you want?
War:Out upon you! Standing there with folded arms! Take this cuff on the
head for your pains.
Tumult:Oh! how it stings! Master, have you got garlic in your fist, I
wonder?
War:Run and fetch me a pestle.
Tumult:But [260] we haven't got one; it was only yesterday we moved.
War: Go and fetch me one from Athens, and hurry, hurry!
Tumult:I'll hurry; if I return without one, I shall have no cause for
laughing. [etc.]
Not totally reverent, but amusing!.
Hauviette
Date: Sun, 2 Jul 2000 16:50:46 EDT
From: ChannonM at aol.com
Subject: SC - Re: sca-cooks V1 #2409
> excerpt from a fictional account of young cleopatra, Cleopatra VII,
> Daughter of the Nile Egypt 57 B.C.
> " The cook put ground meat onto a plate. Several small bowls on a
> sideboard held salt and other spices. He pinched some of each, then
> added a fistful of pine nuts to the meat, mixing it together with his
> hands. Then he patted the meat into two flat disks, each the size of his
> palm.
> "from a jar he poured olive oil into a pan that was heating on the coals.
> The oil spit when he dropped in the meat, then began sizzling.... I
> asked what our meal was called. It had tasted so good. 'The usual', she
> said, 'fried dormouse.' "
> question 1--- did they actually have an equivelent to hamburgers?! or is
> this just writer's license?
Actually this is very similar to "iscia" type recipes of the Roman food.
Here is my redaction for
Isicia Amulato ab Aheno/Rissoles with a Thick Sauce in a Metal Casserole
The recipe I chose to adapt does not designate which type of meat to use so I
decided to use beef. Beef was not a common meat as it was a work animal and
was rarely found to be other than a tough meat. However, beef is mentioned
in one recipe and veal in three more in Book V Bubula Sive Vitellina/Beef
or Veal, of the Apicius manuscript (Flower and Rosenbaum).
Original Recipe
Book II Section II-7Isicia Amulata ab Aheno sic facies/Rissoles with a thick
sauce in a metal casserole.
Make as follows;Pound pepper, lovage, origan, a little silphium, a pinch of
ginger and a little honey blend with liquamen, mix. Pour over the rissoles,
bring to boil. When boiling fast thicken cornflour*and serve. The dish should
be sipped.
* Flower & Rosenbaum, have substituted cornflour as the thickener of choice
in this recipe. Although I agree with their substitution, the period
thickener was amulum, a wheat or rye starch as corn was not available to the
Roman table.
The original recipe calls for the spices to be cooked in the broth and the
meatballs to be added. I have chosen to combine the spices, herbs and meat,
form into meatballs and cook in the liquid ingredients. This choice was one
to facilitate a successful feast dish for 100, however the choice is up to
the cook and I have used the method of the original recipe as well.
Redacted Recipe
2 lb ground round
3 TB fresh lovage chopped
2 TB fresh oregano chopped
1 1/2 tsp honey
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp anchovy paste in 2 cups beef broth (when working with this recipe, it
was impossible to have it "boil" with out more liquid. I chose to
incorporate the beef stock to accomodate this)
Combine the spices, herbs and ground meat. Form into 2 inch meat balls. In a
large skillet, heat broth and honey. Add meatballs and cook 10 minutes or
until the meat is no longer pink. Remove the meatballs and set aside. Add 2
tsp cornstarch to 1/2 cup cold water and stir into the broth. Bring to a boil
and stir until thickened. Place the meatballs on a platter and pour gravy
over. Serve garnished with parsley.
Hauviette
Date: Wed, 05 Sep 2001 10:07:17 -0700
From: Susan Fox-Davis <selene at earthlink.net>
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Subject: Roman Cookery Websites was Re: [Sca-cooks] Re: exchanging treats,
singles, etc.
Mari wrote:
> OOOhhh - obligitory foodie content - anyone have any good Roman cookery
> websites book marked???
Let's see...
"The Roman Orgy Page" actually part of an Apicius group, good links
[including sites in German and French]
http://www.mysunrise.ch/users/julien.courtois/orgy/index.html
Part of a Latin 2 online course, related pages are interesting too
http://www.dl.ket.org/latin2/mores/food/home.htm
MORETUM by Virgil - only one recipe, but what a source!
http://virgil.org/appendix/moretum.htm
Selene, Caid
Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 11:11:53 -0400
From: kattratt <kattratt at home.com>
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: Roman Cookery Websites
Mari wrote:
> OOOhhh - obligitory foodie content - anyone have any good Roman cookery
> websites book marked???
I have this...
http://www.lewis-kappes.com/LK/Pompeiiana/TheRomanCookery/SOTHEMEALS.htm
Nichola
From: "Kayah" <fairyelf at accessv.com>
To: <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Question to the group....
Date: Thu, 20 Sep 2001 22:41:31 -0500
> I doubt pirozhki or pierogies made out of sauerkraut is
> period because first of all sauerkraut is German and i'm not sure what the
> shelf life of sauerkraut is but traveling that far could have ruined it.
>
> Misha
In Poland, Sauerkraut has a very Polish name: Kapusta Kiszona (trans.
pickled cabbage).. I honestly don't know anything about its periodicity, but
regular cabbage was indeed VERY common for at least the past 1000 years, and
continues to be so :)
Kay
Date: Sat, 17 May 2003 21:35:56 -0400
From: johnna holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu>
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Roman Display, was Sugar Plate Again
lilinah at earthlink.net wrote: snipped--
> Indeed. We are aware that it isn't Roman. But i'm at a loss for what
> to do to make something rather special, other than serving good tasty
> food - and other than the sugar plate serving dishes and the "Peach
> Pits", the food will be "period". snipped
> But if anyone has any food display ideas for a Roman feast, i'd love to
> hear it. Anahita
You might try looking at books like
Emily Gowers. The Loaded Table. Representations
of Food in Roman Literature. This is more
gastronomy and not cookery. It doesn't have recipes.
There are a number of these that might give you some
ideas.
Patrick Faas' new book does have recipes:
Around the Roman Table. It might give you some ideas.
Johnnae llyn Lewis Johnna Holloway
Date: Sat, 10 Jan 2004 06:58:18 -0500
From: margali <mtraber251 at earthlink.net>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] pig newton / pernam
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
http://www.geocities.com/aruvqann/pernam.html
yay, i finally got my 'pig newton' article webbed=)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aruvqan, nicknamed Margali
Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2004 22:18:56 -0600
From: "Terry Decker" <t.d.decker at worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Book question
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
>>>
Does anybody have an opinion about A Taste of Ancient Rome by Ilaria Gozzini Giacosa
Elewyiss
<<<
It's not the be all, end all of Roman cookery, but it has a wider selection
of recipes than just Apicius. The recipes consist of a transcription of the
original text, a translation and an adaptation. There is also information
about the menus, dining and food sources. I find it a nice supplement to
more scholarly works.
Bear
Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2005 22:04:09 -0400
From: Johnna Holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] For those interested in Ancient Roman Dining
To: "mk-cooks at midrealm.org" <mk-cooks at midrealm.org>, Cooks within the
SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Jessica's Biscuit is offering the following
[www.ecookbooks.com]
Roman Dining :
A Special Issue of American Journal of Philology
by Gold, Barbara, editor
Paperback - 216 pages Published: June 2005
Price: $15.96 List: $19.95
You Save: $3.99 (20%)
This special issue of the American Journal of Philology illuminates the
nature and function of food and dining in the Roman world, offering
historical, sociological, literary, cultural, and material perspectives.
The articles collected here explore topics from diverse fields to
analyze Roman culture and material practice, including the dietary
practices and nutritional concerns of the Romans, dining and its links
to ideology during the early imperial period, public banqueting and its
social function in Roman society, and the emphasis placed on the waiting
servant in both domestic and funerary settings.
The American Journal of Philology is renowned for its role in helping to
shape American classical scholarship. Today the Journal has achieved
worldwide recognition as a forum for international exchange among
classicists by publishing original research in Greco-Roman literature,
and culture.
Additional Information: Black and White Illustrations
ISBN: 0801882028 Johns Hopkins University Press; Item Number: 07134
You can also find it here
http://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title_pages/8807.html
Johnnae llyn Lewis
Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2005 10:53:20 -0400
From: Johnna Holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks]Hagen books and others
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
<snip>
Alcock, Joan P. Food in Roman Britain. Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK and
Charleston, SC: Tempus, 2001. Alcock presents archaeological evidence
for what the Romans ate in Britain. This is not a recipe book.
Even earlier -- Wood, Jacqui. Prehistoric Cooking. Stroud,
Gloucestershire, UK and Charleston, SC: Tempus, 2001.
It covers what the prehistoric Celts ate. She talks about the problems
one encounters when attempting to recreate the life of a people who
left no written records.
Johnnae llyn Lewis
Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2005 11:30:20 -0400
From: Barbara Benson <voxeight at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] ancient Roman cookery
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
I also am fascinated by the Ancient Roman cuisine. I didn't realize
how fascinated I was by it until I looked at my cookbook collection
and realized that I had managed to accumulate quite a few books on the
subject, more so than any other specific period cuisine (except maybe
German).