Roman cooking 8th of may BIS project

The oldest collection of recipes to survive from antiquity, De Re

Coquinaria ("The Art of Cooking") is attributed to Marcus Gavius Apicius, the
famed epicure who flourished during the reign of Tiberius early in the first
century AD. The recipes themselves were not compiled until late in the fourth
or early in the fifth century and derive from a variety of sources, although
about three-fifths are Apicius' own, some of which are quite elaborate.
Entree Group 1: Roman soup

Latin: Amulatum aliter

Ossucla de pullis exbromas. Deinde mittis in caccabum porros, anethum, salem.

Cum cocta fuerint, addes piper, apii semen, deinde oryzam infusam teres,

addes liquamen et passum uel defritum, omnia misces et cum isiciis inferes.

English: Chicken soup

Disjoint a chicken and bone it (you can use chicken cubes) . Place the pieces in a
stew pan with leeks, dill and salt water or stock. (you can use chicken stock
cubes instead). When well done add pepper and celery seed, thicken with rice
(cooked).

leeks!
Main course Group 2: Meat balls

Latin: Isicia omentata

Pulpam concisam teres cum medulla siliginei in uino infusi. Piper, liquamen, si

uelis, et bacam mirteam extenteratam simul conteres. Pusilla esicia formabis,

intus nucleis et pipere positis. Inuoluta omento subassabis cum careno.

English: Pork meat balls

Finely cut pulp of pork is ground with the hearts of winter wheat (bread
without crust) and diluted with wine. Flavor lightly with pepper and broth and
if you like add a moderate quantity of myrtle berries also crushed, and after
you have added crushed nuts (pine) and pepper shape the forcemeat into small
balls. Cook in grape juice.
Side dish Group 3 : Peas

Latin: Pisam sive fabam Vitellianam

Pisam siue fabam coques. Cum despumauerit, mittis porrum, coriandrum et
flores maluarum. Dum coquitur, teres piper, ligusticum, origanum, feniculi
semen, suffundis liquamen et uinum, <mittis> in caccabum, adicies oleum. Cum
ferbuerit, agitas. Oleum uiridem insuper mittis et inferes.

English: Beans ‘Vitellius way’

Peas or beans in the style of Vitellius prepare thus: The peas or beans are
cooked, when carefully skimmed, add leeks, coriander. When done, crush
pepper, origany, and fennel seed moistened with broth and put it into a sauce
pan with grape juice, adding oil, heat thoroughly and when boiling stir well.
Sweet dessert Group 4 : Apricots

Latin: Gustum de praecoquiis

[Duracina primotica pusilla.] Praecoquia purgas, enucleas, in frigidam mittis, in

patina componis. Teres piper, mentam siccam, suffundis liquamen, adicies mel,

passum, uinum et acetum. Refundis in patinam super praecoquia, olei

modicum mittis et lento igni ferueat. Cum ferbuerit, amulo obligas, piper

aspargis et inferes.

English: Apricots

Clean hard-skinned early fruits (apricots). Remove the seeds and keep them
cold in a pan. Crush pepper and dry mint, moistened with broth, adding honey,
raisin wine (white grape juice), and vinegar; pour this over the fruit in the pan,
adding a little oil. Stew slowly on a weak fire, thicken the juice with roux [rice
flour or other starch diluted with water] sprinkle with pepper.
Sweet dessert Group 5: Eggy bread

Latin: Aliter dulcia

Siligineos rasos frangis, et buccellas maiores facies. In lacte infundis, frigis [et]
in oleo, mel superfundis et inferes.

English: eggy bread

Cut white bread without crusts in big slices (3 cm). Dipping in milk, baking in oil,
adding honey. Ready to serve!
 Did you know????

Romans loved to cook with garum. It was the mayonaise of the ancient world.
Garum was a fermented fish sauce used as a condiment in the cuisines
of ancient Greece, Rome, and later Byzantium.
Liquamen was a similar preparation, and at times they were synonymous.
Although it enjoyed its greatest popularity in the Roman world, it was earlier
used by the Greeks.

Making of liquamen
What is called liquamen is thus made: the intestines of fish are thrown into a
vessel, and are salted; and small fish, especially atherinae, or small mullets,
or maenae, or lycostomi, or any small fish, are all salted in the same manner;
and they are seasoned in the sun, and frequently turned; and when they have
been seasoned in the heat, the garum is thus taken from them. A small basket of
close texture is laid in the vessel filled with the small fish already mentioned,
and the garum will flow into the basket; and they take up what has been
percolated through the basket, which is called liquamen; and the remainder of
the feculence is made into allec.
– from the 10th century Byzantine manual Geōponika: Agricultural pursuits, Vol.
II, pp. 299–300; translated from the Greek by Thomas Owen; London 1806.