The Food of the Romans

The cuisine of the Ancient Romans was simple and frugal.  Much of what we know about the food of the time comes from the work of Apicius. The staple of the Roman diet was a sort of wheat porridge (puls in Latin), made from legumes (fava beans, chickpeas and lentils), spelt and vegetables. Depending on one’s taste, the porridge was enriched with fava beans, cabbage, onions, cheese and a couple pieces of meat or fish.

Both farm-raised fresh and saltwater fish were very common. Records show that the Romans ate over 150 different varieties, from sea bream to mullet, sole, dentex, and trout. Fish was found on the tables of both the rich and the poor, who generally ate smaller, less expensive, cured fish. Even thought fish played a dominant part of the Roman diet, meat was also an important ingredient. Beef and pork were used most often, but deer, wild donkey, wild boar and dormouse were also eaten. The meat was either roasted, or stuffed and stewed, and served with various sauces.

In the occasion of the grand banquets of the rich, the meat and fish dished were prepared with more care. For these opulent dinner parties, the cooks would show off their kitchen skills, by serving meat-based dishes that were camouflaged to look like grilled fish or mythical figures. Many famous dishes from the Roman period were served at the epic Trimalcione dinner, described by Petronio in “Satiricon” and centuries later by Macrobio.

The Recipe

Apicius-style Roast Beef

Prepare and tie up a 1kg tender beef cut suitable for roasting, giving it a compact shape. Sprinkle with abundant coarse salt and roast in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes. At the end, the inside should appear reddish-pink.

Before serving the roast sliced, dissolve a spoonful of honey in the cooking liquid and pour over the meat.

The recipe comes from: A. DEL RE, A Cena da Trimalchione. I piatti della cucina romana imperiale, Milan, Viennepierre, 2005, BIGAB 9. 281. 11