A Feast in Ancient Rome
Martin Jones' New Book Offers Insight into Roman Cuisine
Ever wondered what they ate at a feast in ancient Rome? Exotic dishes? Rich desserts? Food similar to that of modern Italy - or an entirely different cuisine? Well, a fascinating chapter in Feast by Martin Jones (pub. Oxford University Press £12 99) gives an insight into the sort of meals eaten by the ancient Romans.
Vast Empire
Of course the Roman empire was vast. At its greatest expanse, under the Emperor Trajan, it stretched from Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq), across northern Africa and into the north of Britain. This gave the Romans access to a wide variety of exotic foods - the best of which they imported to their towns and forts whenever possible, though of course they had to adapt their diet to local conditions.
Feast
In Feast, Martin Jones describes the variety of foods found by archaeologists at a former Roman stoneworking settlement in ancient Egypt. There were cereals and pulses; walnuts and almonds; green vegetables such as cabbage, chicory and lettuce, and an enormous variety of fruits including pomegranates and watermelons. Meals must have been heavily flavoured as lots of spices and herbs were found - perhaps necessary to disguise the taste of the local donkeys and camels they also ate.
Figs in Colchester
Archaeological findings from the Roman fortress at Colchester, in Essex in England, show how the diet was adapted to northern conditions. It included eggs and meats - hare, goat, pork, duck and goose; fish such as eel, herring, mackerel and stickleback; and seafood - mussels, oysters, scallops and even cockles. There were all sorts of fruits as well. Archaeologists found walnut shells, olive stones, mulberry pips and seeds from grapes, raspberries, figs and elderberries. There were even date stones. Many of these were obviously imported from far afield.
A Dish of Dormice
The excesses of Roman living were such that they were parodied by some contemporary writers. In Feast, Martin Jones writes about a theatrical meal described by a Roman writer who had spent time at Nero's court. The menu includes dormice sprinkled with honey and poppyseed, sausages with damsons and pomegranate seeds, peppered fish and a ‘Zodiacal arrangement’ of chickpeas, testicles and kidneys, figs, cheesecake, sea scorpion and lobster. Mmm. It's different. This extraordinary feast was accompanied by mead and vintage wines.
Feast does not solely focus on the cuisine of ancient Rome. It's a wide ranging study looking at why humans share food. And although it's an academic book, it's extremely readable and will certainly interest anybody who's got an interest in anthropology, archaeology and food. Martin Jones essentially looks at the history of the meal - from how chimpanzees eat together to the modern TV dinner. You won't find any recipes, but there are some fascinating nuggets of information.
Read how to to make Roman granita.
