FOOD AND FIESTING OF THE ANCIENT ROMANS
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Personally, I feel so good going back into history and for being able to publish this post on the cuisine and eating habits of the ancient Romans, who were very advanced and progressive as compared to any other nations during their time… another culinary variety from me.
THE CENA
In the evening, the ancient Romans consumed the cena, the main meal of the day and some even lasted until late at night. The upper class conducted their business in the morning till noon.
In summer, it was popular to eat outside. Many houses in Pompeii had stone couches in the garden for a cena. People lay down on couches when they eat only on formal occasions, not for routine meals.
During a dinner for guests, musicians, acrobats, poets or dancers would perform and dinner conversation played an important role. Some of the lyrics/ poems even mentioned food ingredients.
Appetizers, called acetaria were pickled fruits and vegetables such as zucchini, olives, chicory, chard, broccoli, asparagus, artichokes, leeks, carrots, turnips, beets, peas, green beans, radishes, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuces, onions, cucumbers, fennel, melons, capers and cress.
Starters were salads and vegetable plants.
Peacock and swans were eaten on special occasions. Capons and poulards (spayed hens) were considered specialties too.
Fish was very expensive, the goatfish was considered the epitome of luxury, above all because its scales exhibit a bright red color when it dies out of water. . For this reason these fish were occasionally allowed to die slowly at the table, a fashionable display for the Romans. An unfashionable display of dying fish, will bore the guests.
Garum, a sauce from salted fish was widely used as a flavoring ingredient.
There were no side dishes, although bread was consumed by all classes following the introduction of wheat
Spices were used and available in abundance, such as basil, bay, dill, fennel, mint, parsley, rue and thyme
Desserts- Amongst fruits, grapes were the most preferred. Others were figs, dates, pomegranates, apples, apricots and multi berries.
In ‘PERSON” the term GOURMET refers to a person with refined or discriminating taste or to one who is knowledgeable in the art of food and food preparation. An epicure is similar to a gourmet, but the word may sometimes carry overtones of excessive refinement
Gourmand carries additional connotations of one who simply enjoys food in great quantities.
In “ FOOD” the term GOURMET may describe a high quality class of restaurant, cuisine, meal or ingredient, of special presentation, or high sophistication.
Apicius is the title of a collection of Roman cookery recipes, usually thought to have been compiled in the late 4th or early 5th century AD.
Apicius had long been associated with excessively refined love of food, from the habits of an early bearer of the name, Marcus Gavius Apicius . Apicius is often, but incorrectly, attributed to him. Actually, Apicius is a text ("On the Subject of Cooking"), of which the name of this cookbook was attributed.
Marcus Gavius Apicius is believed to have been a Roman gourmet and lover of luxury, who lived sometime in the 1st century AD, during the reign of Tiberius. Apicius advised that flamingo's tongue was of superb flavor. But, it was not to say that he was the first epicure.
Here are a few recipes from the above “webpage reproduction” of The Apicius on chicken (fowl) and one on fish. The ancient recipes were written in a very brief manner, unlike today’s recipes
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1. A Way of Cooking Crane, Duck or Chicken
Pepper, shallots, lovage, cumin, celery seed, prunes or Damascus plums- stones removed, fresh must, vinegar, broth, reduced must and oil. Boil the chicken in
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2. White Sauce for Boiled Fowl
Boil fowl and keep the juice (broth)
Pepper, lovage, cumin, celery seed, toasted nuts from Pontus (Turkish hazelnuts), or almonds, also shelled pine nuts,(all crushed), honey1, a little broth, vinegar and oil.
Cook , thicken and pour over the boiled chicken.
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3. Another white sauce
Cook the chicken in this stock: broth, oil, a bunch of leeks, coriander, satury; when done, crush pepper, nuts with 2 glasses of water2 and the juice of the chicken.
Retire the bunches of greens, add milk to taste.
The things crushed in the mortar add to the chicken and cook it together:
thicken the sauce with beaten whites of egg3 and pour the sauce over the chicken.
This is called "white sauce."
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4. Another Sauce
Pepper, lovage, parsley, celery seed, rue, pine nuts, dates, honey, vinegar, broth, mustard and a little oil. Crushed in the mortar.
Add to juice of chicken. Cook together. Thicken with egg whites.
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5. Guinea Hen
Prepare the chicken as usual; parboil it1; clean it2 seasoned with laser and pepper, and fry in the pan; next crush pepper, cumin, coriander seed, laser root, rue, fig dates and nuts, moistened with vinegar, honey, broth and oil to taste3.
When boiling, Thicken it with roux. strain. Then pour over the chicken, sprinkle with pepper and serve.
1 Half boil it2 Remove skin, tissues, bones, etc., cut in pieces and marinate in the pickle (seasoned with).
3 Immerse the chicken pieces in this sauce and braise them to a point.
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The preparation of most sauces began with spices and herbs, usually pepper, which often were combined with cumin, sometimes its difficult to determine whether they were to be fresh or dried, leaf or seed. Thereafter, being grounded in a mortar. Mortaria are ingredients crushed in the mortar, ready to be used
Fruits (plums, dates, raisins) and nuts (almonds, pine nuts, walnuts) were added (and often pounded as well). Also added were liquids, including garum, water, stock, milk, honey, oil and vinegar, both plain and reduced.
Thicken the gravy- the French term roux- Thickening usually was by wheat starch or rice flour, with fats or liquids to thicken the fluids. Thickening also included the yolks and whites of eggs, pounded dates, and steeped rice add to the water in which the food had been boiled like pigeons, crane, ostrich and chicken.
6. Alexandrine Sauce for Broiled Fish
Ius Alexandrinum in pisce asso
Pepper, dry onions [shallots] lovage, cumin, origany, celery seed, stoned Damascus prunes pounded in the mortar filled up2 with vinegar, broth, reduced must, and oil, and cook it.
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| Still life with fruit basket and vases (Pompeii, ca. A.D. 70) |
Any of you chefs, bloggers or visitors to this post would like to share your culinary skills and comments based on any of the Apicius recipes here- do put them in my comment box... Will definitely be fun to read your version and compare them with the ancient Roman culinary art...
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