fd-Romans-msg - 12/6/06 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. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ 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 http://users.ipa.net/~tanker 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). Here is an interpretation of a Roman Dish that I served at my Norman-Sicilian feast. It went over like gangbusters. I dropped the number of spices used to adjust it towards what I felt was a later style (losing the things that were out of favor by the 12th century). But I do not believe adding stuff back in would do anything but make it taste better. And I used canola oil to cut down on the cost of Olive Oil that I had in the feast. Another Style for Roasts: Take 6 scruples of parsley, of laser just as many, 6 of ginger, 5 laurel berries, 6 scruples of preserved laser root, Cyprian rush 6, 6 of origany, a little costmary, 3 scruples of chamomile, 6 scruples of celery seed, 12 scruples of pepper, and broth and oil as much as it will take up. Recipe: 3 lbs Beef Roast 1 t Pickling Salt 3/4 t Black Pepper 2 t Ground Ginger 2 T Nuc Nam 1 t Dried Oregano 1 T Canola Oil Combine all ingredients except pepper and allow to marinate for several hours in refrigerator. Before cooking, add the pepper and seal tightly in aluminum foil pouch. Preheat oven to 350 F and roast for 1 hour and 25 minutes, or until you have reached desired internal temp. Glad Tidings, Serena da Riva Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2005 08:43:45 -0700 From: Susan Fox <selene at earthlink.net> Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] ancient Roman cookery To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org> Volker Bach wrote: >> If you've ever made anything with garum, I'd love to hear from you. >> >> Aurelia > > Me, I did. Regularly do. Not that being 'pre-period' is regarded highly in > central Drachenwald, but my secondary persona, Titus Flavius T.f. > Artemidorus is something of a gourmet. > Have you ever managed to get a Roman feast served? They're dead > against it in my Shire. > > Giano Sure. I was the court provisioner [lunch wagon, grin] for a king who was into Roman Stuff, who trusted me implicitly to make Nice Things and nothing nasty. If I had come up with wolf nipple chips and candied hummingbird tongues, I would have been summarily dismissed, don't you think? But it's not like cooks abandoned Apicius in the year 1000, after all. Try out some of the dishes on your Drachwalders and just don't tell them the documentation until after they have tried it. I suggest the ham and fig pie, nicknamed "Pig Newtons" [takeoff on popular cookie in the US, Fig Newtons], available in the Florilegium here: <http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-MEATS/ham-msg.html> The Vehling translation cites a graffito claiming it's so good that you will lick the dish it was cooked in. For garum, I use Nuoc Nam, which in is easily available in Southern California with its rich pan-Asian immigration. Just a dash will do, like a dash of any other condiment in a larger dish. Selene Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2005 14:14:10 -0700 From: lilinah at earthlink.net Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] ancient Roman cookery To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org Giano answered: > Have you ever managed to get a Roman feast served? They're dead > against it in my Shire. Whoa! Really? I made a somewhat expansive Greco-Roman feast a few years ago - no problem. A couple people (ok, three) were squeamish about fish sauce, but most people (close to 100) had no such problem. Here's my menu for around 26 dishes: **** Ab Ovo Ad Malum **** * Promulsis - Hors d'Oeuvres * - Panis : Fresh Bread (made by a Laurel for bread) - Caseum : Fresh Aged Cheese - Epityrum : Chopped Seasoned Olive Relish [Cato the Censor, de Agricultura, 119] - Ius cum Ovis Hapalis : Boiled Eggs in Pine Nut Sauce [Apicius, Book VII, Chapter XIX, Recipe 3] (the autocrat has asked me to cook this for his wedding dinner, which is not a period meal) * Gustatio - Appetizers * - Panis : Fresh Bread - Moretum : Garlic, Herb, and Cheese Spread [The Ploughman's Lunch, anonymous Latin poet] - Aliter Carduos : Herb Marinated Artichokes [Apicius, Book III, Chapter XIX, Recipe 2] - Ius in Cordulla Assa : Grilled Tuna with Date Sauce [Apicius, Book IX, Chapter X, Recipe 5] (i used fresh tuna i got from a Japanese fish market - a little less than 1 ounce per person, cuz it's expensive) * Intermezzo Primo * - Granita di Limone : Lemon Ice (Not really period, but it was *hot* that day and the hall was hot and stuffy, so i wanted something refreshing) Primera Mensa, Cena Prima First Course, First Table - Ius cum Pullo : Chicken with Plum Sauce [Apicius, Book VI, Chapter V, Recipe 1] - Acetaria : Mixed Greens Salad - Hypotrimma : Cheese Sauce [Apicius, Book I, Chapter XIX] - Boletos : Another Mushroom Dish [Apicius, Book VII, Chapter XIII, Recipe 6] - Erebinthoi Knakosymmigeis : Saffron Chickpeas [Piloxenus, The Dinner, quoted in Anthenaeus (circa AD170-239), The Partying Professors] * Intermezzo Secundo * - Granita di Melograno : Pomegranate Ice (Not really period, but it was *hot* that day and the hall was hot and stuffy, so i wanted something refreshing) * Primera Mensa, Cena Secunda * * First Course, Second Table * - Pernam : Ham with Figs in Pastry [Apicius, Book VII, Chapter IX, Recipe 1] (i ended up not wrapping the ham with figs in dough. I suspect that part of the reason for cooking it that way in Roman times was to make sure it was juicy and sweet, but our ham was already cooked and tender...) - Lucanicae : Smokey Sausages of Lamb [Apicius, Book II, Chapter IV] (should be pork, but the Prince keeps kosher so i wanted something he could eat. I couldn't find non-pork casings, so i formed the ground lamb into sausage shapes and baked them. We had a small earthquake while i was making these and there i was, trying to decide if i should flee downstairs to the street with raw lamb up past my wrists) - Sinapim : Mustard Sauce with Nuts [Columella 12, 57] - Cuminatum in Patina de Persicis : Peaches in Cumin Sauce [Patina: Apicius, Book IV, Chapter II, Recipe 34] (this was amazingly popular - really really really sweet delicious ripe peaches tossed with fish sauce and cumin seed - i toasted the cumin before i ground it - fabulous - but in large measure because the peaches were absolutely superb) - Cabbage in the Style of Athens [Mnesitheus (4th c. BCE), quoted by Oribasius, in Medical Collections, Book IV, Chapter 4, part 1 (4th c. CE); another version in Cato (c. 234-149 BCE) and quoted by Pliny the Elder (24-79 CE)] - Pulentium : Barley Polenta [Pliny, Naturalis Historia, 18, 73] (i couldn't find barley grits in any stores that used to carry them - i have since found i must order them directly from the producer. We gamely tried to grind the whole hulled barley i'd bought - didn't work too well, but the dish came out ok) * Seconda Mensa, Cena Prima * * Second Course, First Table * - Conditum Paradoxi Compositio : Spiced White Grape Juice Surprise [Apicius, Book I, Chapter I, Recipe 1] (since we can't serve wine) - Patina Versatilis : Pine Nut Patina - [Apicius, Book IV, Chapter II, Recipe 2] (the cook who made it does it like a delicate custard (Hi, Cordelia!). I'm certain this was not the Roman way, but her Patina is so incredibly delicious, which is why i asked her to do it. It was sucked up by the crowd - one person had, oh, i'm forgetting, like 5 helpings - or was it 8?)- Mustei : Sweet Must Cakes [Cato the Censor, de Agricultura, 121] (i found that the expensive must i bought tasted a lot like "raisin juice" which is cheap - next time i substitute it for must and put more into the recipe) * Seconda Mensa, Cena Seconda * * Second Course, Second Table * - Savillum : Roman cheese cake [Cato the Censor, de Agricultura, 84] - Almond Paste Peach Pits in Sugar Plate Chariots (not period, but i wanted some sort of sotiltie) - Fresh Fruit Salad (Period fruits, but cut up and tossed together, since whole fruits would be too much after all this food) My recipes and comments are at http://home.earthlink.net/~lilinah/2003-Mists_Bardic/2003-Greco- Roman0.html -- Urtatim (that's err-tah-TEEM) the persona formerly known as Anahita Date: Sat, 1 Oct 2005 07:22:52 -0700 (PDT) From: Aurelia Coritana <aurelia_coritana at yahoo.com> Subject: [Sca-cooks] a sampling of ancient Roma To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org These are the recipes I am planning for an upcoming meal with ancient Roman reenactors in my area. I hope you enjoy them! (Gustatio) BOILED EGGS WITH PINE NUT SAUCE 4 medium-boiled eggs 2 ounces pine nuts 3 tablespoons vinegar 1 teaspoon honey Pinch each of pepper and lovage (or celery leaf) Soak the pine nuts 3-4 hours beforehand in the vinegar. Medium boil the eggs and remove the shell. Mix all the sauce ingredients thoroughly in a blender. This exquisite sauce should be presented in a sauce boat so that each person can serve himself or herself, since the eggs cannot be sliced and placed on a dish in advance. OLIVES WITH HERBS 100g/3 oz whole green olives 100g/3 oz whole black olives 1 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp fennel seeds A bunch of fresh coriander leaves A sprig of rue 2 or 3 mint leaves 2 tbsp olive oil 3 tbsp white wine vinegar Grind the cumin and fennel seeds. Finely chop the coriander, rue and mint. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Serve. (Primae Mensae) PORK IN A FIG SAUCE 1 kg/2 lb pork 120 ml/4 fl oz olive oil Juice of half a lemon 1/4 litre / 1/2 pint sweet white wine 5 dried figs 2 tsp coriander seeds 2 tsp dried oregano 3 tbsp white wine vinegar A handful of fresh parsley Sea salt Cut the pork into 2cm/1" cubes, place them in a casserole and fry in a little olive oil until brown. Grind the coriander seeds and mix with salt and lemon juice in a bowl. Roll the pork in the spice mixture. Chop the figs and boil them in a saucepan for 5 minutes in a few tablespoons of water. Puree figs and water then add the wine, oregano, vinegar and fig stock to the pork. Cook the casserole for an hour and a half in an oven pre-heated to 180c/350f/Gas mark 4. Just before serving, sprinkle the finely chopped parsley over the pork. (Accompaniments to the main course) BEETS WITH LEEKS IN WINE Whole beets 3 thinly sliced leeks Ground pepper Cumin Beet stock Sweet raisin wine Cook beets, drain and keep the liquid. Slice the beets. Put them in a saucepan with leeks. Grind pepper and cumin. Add to the leeks and beets. Then add stock and sweet wine. Pour this sauce over the vegetables, bring to a boil, then simmer till leeks are cooked. MUSHROOMS IN HONEY 25 g/1 oz dried mushrooms 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 tbsp clear honey Sea salt (optional) Cover the mushrooms with boiling water and soak for half an hour. Add the vinegar and honey and simmer, covered, for half an hour. Season with salt if desired and serve hot. CHICK PEAS WITH CHEESE 200g/6 oz chick peas 100g/3 oz parmesan cheese A pinch of saffron Sea salt Soak the peas overnight. Drain them and put them in a saucepan with 2 pints of water, the saffron, and the salt. Boil them for 40 minutes or until tender and then drain of the water. Finely grate the cheese and stir it in with the peas. Serve while still warm. (Secundae Mensae) FETA CHEESECAKE 1 1/2 pounds feta, well drained 3 tablespoons flour 5 tablespoons honey 4 egg yolks rind of 1/2 orange rind of 1 lemon 1 tablespoon good wine 4 egg whites 2 tablespoons raisins 4 tablespoons toasted pistachios or walnuts Beat together the cheese, flour, honey, yolks, rinds, and wine for 8 minutes - until fluffy and well mixed. Add the raisins and nuts. Beat the whites stiff and fold gently in. Butter and flour a spring form pan. Spoon batter into the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes - until the crust is golden brown. Let it cool in the oven another 40 minutes without opening the door. Remove from the oven. Cool in the pan and then remove the rim. Decorate as desired. ~Aurelia Aurelia Coritana Date: Sun, 2 Oct 2005 08:20:35 -0500 From: "Terry Decker" <t.d.decker at worldnet.att.net> Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] a sampling of ancient Roma To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org> I got curious about this recipe because it is more complex than Cato's Savillum and doesn't match the white tort recipes I've seen. Also the addition of orange to a Roman recipe is a red flag on the historical accuracy. The recipe appears on the Antique Roman Cookery in February 1999. The author has this to say about it: "In a message dated 2/5/99 4:42:46 AM Central Standard Time, hibou at ... writes: > Where is this recipe from? It includes oranges which AFAIK were > unknown to the ancient Romans. This was adapted from a recipe mentioned in a book I read, which cited Pliny as the reference. I admit I have been unable to find it in any of Pliny's works, but it is still a tasty (if smelly) cheesecake. I did adapt it slightly for modern use - I used orange instead of pomegrante because pomegranate is diffilcult to get in all parts of the US. Lemon was known at that time -although it was probably more bitter than what we use now. Nodigio" The problem with this response is Pliny doesn't give recipes (other than by accident) and I don't remember any references to cheesecake. The most commonly quoted Roman cheesecake recipe is from Cato and is much simpler than this recipe. From the available evidence, I would say the recipe does not represent a true Roman recipe. Bear > I've lost track of my source for that feta cheesecake - It was a website > that I was darned sure I had bookmarked. I'll see if I can track it > down for you, though... > > Aurelia Date: Mon, 03 Oct 2005 06:20:04 -0400 From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" <adamantius.magister at verizon.net> Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] a sampling of ancient Roma To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org> On Oct 3, 2005, at 12:39 AM, Stefan li Rous wrote: > Aurelia said: >> These are the recipes I am planning for an upcoming meal with ancient >> Roman reenactors in my area. I hope you enjoy them! >> >> (Gustatio) > > Thanks. But I'm confused. Are you Aurelia? Or Gustatio? Or is the > latter not a name? Or is one for your Roman reenactment group and > Aurelia is your SCA name? Someone named Aurelia is presumably female, so her name probably wouldn't end in an "o". Unless someone stated otherwise, I'd assume, taken somewhat out of context as it is here, that the word "Gustatio" is being used to designate the first, or "appetizer" or "aperitif" course of a Roman dinner. Usually salads, boiled eggs with a sauce, things with anchovies, that sort of thing. Generally the course that follows is the prima mensa, which can get confusing, as it is sort of like following hors d'oeuvres with a first course. Adamantius Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 00:21:14 -0400 From: "King's Taste Productions" <kingstaste at comcast.net> Subject: [Sca-cooks] Roman food for kids - long, was: demos, Help To: "'Cooks within the SCA'" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org> >>> I have been asked to do a cooking demo at my son's school. They want Roman. Any suggestions? Jana <<< I have done a couple of Romano-British feasts for my students. Here are some of my notes. Yes, Stephan, you may. Christianna Simple food ideas for what to bring to a Romano-British Feast (handout for parents) hazelnuts, walnuts, pine nuts crabapples, raspberries, blackberries Apples, grapes, figs, pears, plums, cherries Turnips, cabbages, lettuce, peas, lentils, carrots, artichokes, cucumber, asparagus, parsnip, celery Salmon, trout, crab Beef, pork, lamb Dates, almonds, olives Grape juice, apple juice, cider Simple Roman Recipes (handout for students and parents) Stuffed Dates 6 dates per person shelled almonds, hazelnuts or pine nuts (1 per date) pepper and salt 3 tablespoons honey Buy pitted dates or remove the pits. Stuff one nut and a little pepper into each date. Roll the dates in salt, then heat the honey in a frying pan, heat the dates in the honey. Can be served hot or cold. Chick-peas in Saffron 'And then chick-peas marinated in saffron, plump in their tender youth' [Piloxenus "The Dinner" quoted in Anthenaeus (circa AD170-239)] 200 grams dried chick-peas Generous pinch of saffron Sea salt Soak the chick peas overnight. Drain them and put them in a heavy pan with 1 litre of water and salt. Bring to the boil, add the saffron, stir and simmer, covered, very gently for at least one hour. Taste to check on saltiness. Serve Warm. Braised Cucumbers (Cucumeres) 'When scraped and cooked in olive oil, vinegar and honey, cucumbers are without doubt more delicious' [Pliny's "Natural History" (circa AD 23-79)] 1 large cucumber 3 tbsp white wine vinegar 3 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp clear honey Sea salt (optional) Peel and cut the cucumber into thick slices. Pour the white wine vinegar, olive oil and honey into a heavy pan and cook the slices of cucumber gently in the sauce until they are tender, shaking the pan occasionally to redistribute the cucumber slices and ensure even cooking. Serve hot as a side dish. Granita di Limone - Lemon Ice (you can cheat and buy this at the store!) ROMAN BANQUET MENU (served in class) GUSTUM VERATILE (Appetizers) Olives, Pita Bread Moretum (Herb and Cheese Spread) Aqua Granata (Pomegranate Water) CEUROS (From the Garden) Cymas Et Caulicules (Young Cabbage Sprouts) Tisana Farrica (Rice, Lentils, Chickpeas, and Herbs) POLYTELES (Sumptuous Dishes) BOLETO FUNGOS (Seasoned Mushrooms) ASSATURAM SIMPLICEM (Roman Roast) PULLUS CUM ANETHI (Chicken with Dill Sauce) DULCIA (Sweets) Dried Apricots, Dates, and Cherries ROMAN BANQUET Ingredients AQUA GRANATA (Pomegranate Water) - POM pomegranate juice and water ASSATURAM SIMPLICEM (Roman Roast) - fresh beef brisket, sea salt, black pepper, wildflower honey BOLETO FUNGOS (Seasoned Mushrooms) - button, French Horn and shiitake mushrooms, Pacific mushroom broth, cilantro, white peppercorns, white wine vinegar, red wine, red vermouth CUCUMERES (Braised Cucumbers) - organic cucumbers, white wine vinegar, wildflower honey, e.v. olive oil, fresh mint sprigs CYMAS ET CAULICULES (Young Cabbage Sprouts) - broccoli, cauliflower, scallions, cumin, cilantro DRIED FRUITS AND NUTS - Dried Apricots, Cherries, and Pine Nuts Moretum (Herb and Cheese Spread) garlic, cilantro, Italian flat-leafed parsley, celery leaves, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Pecorino Romano cheese, salt OLIVES -Kalamata, Orando Gaeta PITA BREAD - Commercial Wheat PULLUS CUM ANETHI (Chicken with Dill Sauce) - chicken cooked in aromatic broth, dill seed, brown mustard, figs, red wine. TISANA FARRICA (Rice, Lentils, Chickpeas and Herbs) brown rice, brown lentils, French green lentils, chickpeas, olive oil, salt, chopped fresh cilantro, Italian flat-leafed parsley, fennel bulb and leaf, scallions Foods in Roman Britain (handout for younger students) Foods native to Britain before the Romans Salmon, eels, trout, pike, crab, lobsters cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, red deer, roe deer, wild ox, wild boar otter, beaver, hare grouse, ptarmigan, greylag goose, whooper swan milk (but not cheese, according to Pliny) honey, hazelnuts, walnuts, pine nuts, beech nuts, acorns crabapples, raspberries, bilberries, blackberries, elderberries, wood strawberries wheat (emmer), spelt, oats, barley, rye (developed more under the Romans) asparagus, wild chives, Celtic bean, sea kale, sea holly, hogweed, bracken, chestnuts, wild garlic, wild cabbage, sea spinach, chard, mallow, fat hen, purslane, nettle, lily bulbs, puffball mushroom Foods introduced to Britain by the Romans Pheasants, peacocks, guinea fowl, rabbits, fallow deer Apples, grape vines, fig, walnut, medlar, mulberry, damsons, pears, plums, cultivated cherries, sweet chestnut Parsley, borage, dill, fennel, mint, thyme, garlic, leek, onion, shallot, rosemary, sage, savory, sweet marjoram, radish, thyme Turnips, cabbages, lettuce, endive, peas, lentils, carrots, artichokes, cucumber, asparagus, parsnip, celery Imported Commodities Dates, almonds, olives, wine, olive oil, pine nuts, fish sauce (liquamen or garum), pepper, ginger, cinnamon Foods and Farming (handout for older students) Foods introduced to Britain by the Romans Pheasants, peacocks, guinea fowl, fallow deer Apples, grape vines, fig, walnut, medlar, mulberry, damsons, pears, plums, cultivated cherries, sweet chestnut Parsley, borage, dill, fennel, mint, thyme, garlic, leek, onion, shallot, rosemary, sage, savory, sweet marjoram, radish, thyme Turnips, cabbages, lettuce, endive, peas, lentils, carrots, artichokes, cucumber, asparagus, parsnip, celery Imported Commodities Dates, almonds, olives, wine, olive oil, pine nuts, fish sauce (liquamen or garum), pepper, ginger, cinnamon Enclosed Game Parks The Romans were probably the first people with the idea of enclosing vast tracts of land for game parks. They kept and hunted deer, wild boar, and bears. They used dogs to help them hunt. They kept snails in jars for cleaning and fattening, and kept dormice in pottery vessels and fed on acorns and chestnuts. They built columbaria or pigeon houses to keep wood pigeons Farming Techniques Scientific management of livestock Turnips introduced as winter feed for livestock improvements in tools such as hammers, saws, axes, planes Benefits of Free Food for poor citizens Irrigation Kitchens & Cooking Complex Roman recipes required more cooking technique than the simpler stews, roasts and pottages of the prehistoric cooking tradition. They used a raised brick hearth, with cooking vessels raised on gridirons and tripods. Ovens were built for baking and roasting. Stoves were heated with wood or charcoal. Wooden spoons were common. Food was ground up and mashed with a mortar and pestle. Bronze graters, saucepans and strainers were used, along with bronze pans that were coated with silver because bronze can have a toxic reaction with certain foods. Some pans were made of lead. Pans included a round pan called a patella; a patera was a hemispherical pan; a patina was a deep pan. An olla was a wide-mouthed container for cooking food. When a commercially-purchased bottle was empty of whatever it had originally contained, it was kept and reused to store food in the kitchen. Because pots were not glazed, they would sour as they aged, so the Romans threw a lot of them away. Read More About Food in Roman Britain (handout for parents and students) Apicius - The surname of several men in Ancient Rome, of whom at least two were known for setting a good table. Marcus Apicius lived around 100 B.C., and M. Gabius Apicius, who lived under Augstus and Tiberius, 80 B.C. to 40 A.D. This collection of recipes was augmented many times, the latest additions coming from sometime in the 3rd century. Flower, Barbara & Rosenbaum, Elizabeth, Translators. Apicius, The Roman Cookery Book. Peter Nevill, Ltd, London & New York: 1958. Vehling, J.D., Translator. APICIUS: COOKING AND DINING IN IMPERIAL ROME Dover edition, printed in 1977, an unabridged edition of the work originally published in 1936. Generally considered inferior to the F&R translation noted above. (noted as [V. AP] and [F&R AP] on the menu) Ancient Arts On-Line: The Roman Cookery Page http://www.ancientartsonline.com/theromancookingpage.htm Dalby. Andrew Siren Feasts, A History of Food and Gastronomy in Greece. Routledge, London & New York: 1996. Dalby. Andrew Empire of Pleasures, Luxury and Indulgence in the Roman World. Routledge, London & New York: 2000. Dalby. Andrew. Dangerous Tastes: The Story of Spices. University of California Press, Berkeley & Los Angeles: 2000. Dalby, Andrew and Grainger, Sally. The Classical Cookbook. British Museum Press, London: revised edition 2000. Faas, Patrick. Around the Roman Table: Food and Feasting in Ancient Rome. Translated by Shaun Whiteside. Palgrave Macmillan, New York and Hampshire UK: 1994, 2003. Giacosa, Ilaria Gozzini. A Taste of Ancient Rome. Translated by Anna Herklotz. University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London: 1992. Grant, Mark. Roman Cookery: Ancient Recipes for Modern Kitchens Interlink Pub Group July 2000 ISBN: 1897959397 Renfrew, Jane. Food & Cooking in Roman Britain. English Heritage, 1985. ISBN 1 85074 534 x Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 00:29:54 -0400 From: "King's Taste Productions" <kingstaste at comcast.net> Subject: RE: [Sca-cooks] Roman food for kids addendum To: "'Cooks within the SCA'" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org> I should have mentioned the service style as well. We collapsed the legs on three tables (for 16 or so diners) and put tablecloths on them. We asked all of the children to bring a big pillow to lounge on. On the table were games, dice, table settings. They sat on the floor and overflow cloths, and leaned on the pillows (we ended up with lots). The parents helped me serve, the kids thought that being served at table (on the floor) by their parents was the coolest thing ever! One of my kid's father is a medieval professor, and he brought Cato "On Agriculture" and read a passage in Latin and then in English during the meal! I thought it was cool. I announced each course and talked about the foods. They were all expected to try each dish, although not to finish it. They just had to taste. I served the first course and came out and all anyone had touched was the white bread. I said "You did not come here today to eat lunch, you came to learn about new things you have never tried before. I'd be willing to guess that everyone here knew what white bread tasted like before today, right?" (lots of nodding heads). :) Overall, both groups have loved it. The older group I did it for was teens - 13 - 16, the second group was younger - 5-9. And all the parents and siblings that could get there. Christianna <the end> Edited by Mark S. Harris fd-Romans-msg Page 21 of 21