Ancient Recipe: Braised Flamingo (Roman, 5th century CE)
"Epicures regard my tongue as tasty. But what if my tongue could sing?" ~ A flamingo in Martial's Epigrams laments his wasted potential
View ArticleAncient Recipe: Asparagus Patina (Roman, 4th century CE)
Asparagus patina is made like this: Put in the mortar asparagus tips. Crush pepper, lovage, green coriander [cilantro], savory and onions; crush, dilute with wine, liquamen [fish sauce] and oil. Put...
View ArticleAdventures in Spit-Roasting
“Therefore death to us is nothing, nor concerns us in the least, since nature of mind is mortal evermore.” ~ Lucretius, De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things), Book III Last week, I went back to my...
View ArticleAncient Recipe: Parsnip Fries with Wine Sauce (Roman, 5th Century CE)
“Then there is the carrot. ‘This vegetable,’ says Diphilus, ‘Is harsh, but tolerably nutritious, and moderately good for the stomach; but it passes quickly through the bowels and causes flatulence. It...
View ArticleAncient Eaters: Marcus Gavius Apicius, the Other Other One (Roman, 1st...
“He spent countless sums on his belly.” ~ Apicius described by Athenaeus of Naucratis in his Deipnosophistae (The Philosopher’s Dinner), 3rd century CE Roman men were known by a personal name, a...
View ArticleAncient Recipe: Snails with Pepper and Cumin (Roman, ca. 5th century CE)
“They need little food, and require no one to feed them…the cook usually doesn’t know whether they are alive or dead when he is cooking them.” ~ Marcus Terentius Varro, De re agricultura (On Matters of...
View ArticleAncient Recipe: Patina de Rosis [Baked Brains & Roses] (Roman, ca. 5th...
“Take roses fresh from the flower bed, strip off the leaves, remove the white from the petals and put them in the mortar; pour over some fish sauce and rub fine. Add a glass of fish sauce and strain...
View ArticleFrom Eggs to Apples Episode IV: Ancient Rome (Peach Patina with Cumin/Wine...
Did you know that the Western custom of starting a meal with salad and ending with a sweet dessert comes from the Ancient Romans? In this episode, we talk about Ancient Roman desserts and make two...
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