Classical Rome

[Pete]

Another concept that fascinates me is how the food of Rome, itself, must have changed as Rome's empire expanded into new territories. How different the diets must have been for a Roman citizen at the beginning of the empire and at the end of it.

[monpetitchoux]

Poireau, where were you when I was taxing the patience of my Latin teacher in high school with neverending questions about how the Romans prepared their grain? We were always translating about feasts where there was an abundance of grain to be had. I wanted to know what grains they were, how they were eaten or prepared and why it was so important that they were mentioned but vegetables were not. And why it was written up in history as grain and not a grain product (like bread or porridge, say). The teacher finally said that it was wheat and that they boiled it, I suspect, just to shut me up. It wasn't until I translated Seneca in college that I found out.

Fascinating thread. Thank you for starting it and for providing the lesson.

[Pongi]

MORETUM

Ingredients (serve 4)
1 tuft lettuce (better if Romana lettuce, of course! )
1 bunch arugula
1 celery stalk
1 onion
1 leek
1 egg yolk
1 garlic clove
1 handful fresh parsley leaves
1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds
11 oz white wheat flour
olive oil
salt and pepper

Make the dough with the flour, 3 tbsp oil, a pinch of salt and water enough to make it smooth. Work well, make a ball and keep it aside, covered with a linen.
Cut the celery, leek, onion and lettuce in thin slices and mix in a bowl.
Process in a blender the parsley, garlic, arugula, coriander seeds, salt, pepper and a half glass oil to a sauce.
Season the vegetables with the sauce and mix well.
Roll out 2/3 of the dough and put it into a round baking dish. Put the filling in and cover the surface with stripes made with the remaining dough. Brush some egg yolk on the dough.
Bake at 350° for 30 mins. Serve warm or cold.

This recipe is described in a small poem, just titled MORETUM, which was formerly attributed to Virgilio and then, more likely, to the less known poet Septimius Serenus. According to this poem, this was one of the favourite morning snacks of the Roman peasants before going working in the fields.

And now...let's follow this recipe through the centuries!

Pongi

[Pongi]

PLATINA'S "TORTA ALLA BOLOGNESE"

In 1475, Bartolomeo Sacchi, called the "Platina" from the city of Piadena (near Mantova) where was born, published the book "De Honesta Voluptate et Valetudine" (About the Honest Pleasure and the Good Health) which is the first printed cookbook in the world.
This is a recipe from that book...

Ingredients (serve 6)
18 oz white wheat flour
5 oz lard
10 oz spinach, blanched and well drained
7 oz Stracchino cheese
4 oz Ricotta cheese
4 eggs
2 oz butter
3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 pinch saffron
salt, pepper
butter and flour for the mould

Make the dough with the flour, lard, a pinch of salt and the necessary water. Keep aside for 1 hour.
Mix in a bowl the three cheeses with the eggs, salt, pepper, saffron and the melted butter. Mince the spinach and add them to the mixture.
Roll up 2/3 of the dough and put it into a buttered round baking dish. Pour the filling in. Roll up the remaining dough to another sheet and cover the pie. Brush some egg yolk on the surface.
Bake at 350° for 50 mins. Serve warm or cold.

Coming to our times, this recipe is almost the same of a typical vegetable pie from Emilia Romagna, the SCARPAZZONE or ERBAZZONE.

Can also remind the most famous vegetable pie of my region, the Liguria: the TORTA PASQUALINA.
The recipe is much more complex (in example, being it an Easter dish, it's supposed to be made with 33 puff pastry layers, like Jesus Christ's age...) but the ingredients are almost the same: a dough filled with spinach, eggs, cheese and herbs.

So, this is an example of how much the Latin cooking has influenced the present Italian cooking!

BTW: thanks for this interesting thread, Poireau...and welcome!

Pongi

[Athenaeus]

Originally posted by Pete
Another concept that fascinates me is how the food of Rome, itself, must have changed as Rome's empire expanded into new territories. How different the diets must have been for a Roman citizen at the beginning of the empire and at the end of it.

I couldn't agree more.

A detail that I find fascinating is that the literary tradition of Greece starts with an epic poem, "Odyssey".
The one of Rome starts with a " cooking " book, " De agricultura" of Cato.

In his book, Cato, gives some usefull tips on how to maintain a farm and suprisingly enough for a conservative general he was, he attaches numerous recipes.
Cato, declared that he hated everything Greek. Funny because his recipes were translations, mot a mot, of the recipes that they were attributed to the most famous Greek gastronomer, Archestratus.

The point to remember here is that Cato, introduced the idea of the good year for a wine ( I don't know the term, maybe cape chef can help).
For example a good year for the Roman wines was the year 121 BC, according to Pliny

So, from the book of Cato ,in the first years of Romas Imperium to the comedies of Martiallis, in the Late Roman Period you can observe this evolution of the Roman Culinary tradition.

Another interesting detail that distinguishes the Greeks from the Romans when it comes to food, is that a Greek would brag if he bought a fine product in the market in a good price, after long hours of bargaining.
A Roman would brag that he paid a fortune to purchace a fine product to honour his guests in a symposium.

[cape chef]

What a wonderful thread poireau,

Athenaeus, I will indeed try to find this word of Cato.

How far back can the symposium be traced?

I have just read that the Homeric poems, whose composition spans various periods
Of the Greek middle ages, recount not only meetings in which people both eat and drink,
But also on occasions on which wine drinking is a distinct activity following the meal.

In the first book of Iliad, after the mass sacrifice in Apollo’s honor to celebrate the restitution
Of Chryseis to her father and the subsequent banquet, the young men fill their mixing bowls, or Kraters, with wine and pass them around.

Then after singing hymns of praise, they fall asleep…

In one of my books it says in Homers world, counsils of war overlapped with comensality and entertainment, often made lively by story telling and heroic songs accompanied on the lyre.

Also <A> , what exactly is a “Hellenic” symposium?

Sorry I got off track a little Poireau, I know you were discussing ancient Rome

[Dear Abby]

My dear Poireau,

Dear Abby finds this topic to be simply enthralling. Do tell her more. She is wondering about the roles of males and females in the preparation of foods in ancient Rome.

Dear Abby just knew that this would be a lovely place to learn about many interesting topics. She is so excited to be here!

Abby

[Pete]

Pongi, great recipes!! I can't wait to try them out. Thanks!!

[poireau]

Monpetitchoux

You question is very critical for Roman History.
Who hasn't heard of the motto " Bread and Circuses" ?
Well, my dear friend, those grains are nothing but corn.The corn that was distributed for free to the citizens of Rome.This is known in History as the " Corn Dole"

In the year 132 AD, tribune Gaius Gracchus established by law the distribution to a very low price or free of charge, of a certain quantity of corn to all or to a section of the people of Rome.
This Law is known as the "Cracchan Law"

I suspect that in your textbooks at school you have been reading about this Law and the reactions it caused.
maybe you were reading the famous speech of Cicero : " Gaius Cracchus brought forward a corn law. It was agreeable to the masses, for it provided food in abundance without work. Every just man must be against this Law which encourages the people to idleness".( Tacitus , Historias III 79-80 )

This law was fossilized by Julius Caesar and it was in action until the last days of the Empire.

Please do not think that Romans did not appreciate good bread and were interested only in free bread. This is wrong.

Romans were strongly interested in good white bread.

But this, is another story

[Athenaeus]

Thanks Poireau

it's good to have you here. Roman history is not my forte and you seem to know many things about this period

[Pete]

Poireau, I assume that by "corn" you do mean the most common grain of the area. That was the originally translation of corn before being connected the the maize of the America's. Corn (maize), for the most part, was not known to the rest of the world until the Columbus and those who followed. It is interesting to note though that popcorn had made it to China and India before the arrival of Europeans in the New World, but I believe not that long ago.

[poireau]

Dear Pete.

The word "Corn" is an historical term. It was introduced in the Science of History by the Anglo-saxonic school of History, ( established in St.Anthony's College in Oxford)
The term corn was adopted unanimously by the French School of Social History which analysed the most important institutions of Roman Empire.
As you suspected, the word is used to describe every seed that produces flour and therefore bread.

[Pongi]

During the first centuries of the Roman history, bread was made only at home; the first Pistores (bakers) opened their shops in 168 B.C.
The "panem et circenses" free food donation dates back to the Imperial period, and was made not only of bread but also oil, meat and other foods. It's reported that in 369 A.C. it was still about 3 lbs food each person. Apart from the ordinary donation, there were also extra meat donations due to the great amount of animals (elephants, gazelles and so on) killed during the circus shows.
As for the food prices, we can get some info from the Emperor Diocletian's Price Edict (302 A.C.). A Castrensis Modium (about 13-14 kg or 30 lbs) of grain costed 100 denarios; 1 kg (2 lbs 2 oz) pork meat, 36 denarios; 1 kg dried cheese, 24 denarios; 1 kg dried fish, 18; 1 kg oil, 16. Consider that a medium-low daily salary (in example of a craftsman) was about 50 denarios.

Romans made many types of bread:
-Triticum Siligeo, white wheat flour bread;
-Panis Secundarius, "grey bread", made with a poorer quality flour, but also appreciated by rich people;
-Panis Autopyres, made with whole wheat flour...and, like now, appreciated because of its laxative properties;
-Panis Plebeius, "black bread", eaten by the poor people.

As for sweet breads, Pista and Laganae, I have already said something about them...

Pongi