Natalie Boyco

Ancient Roman Cuisine - Some Recipes

The following recipes are taken from an old Roman cookbook:
De Re Coquinaria by Marcus Gavius Apicius(1st century A.D.)
Recipes
ALITER BAEDINAM SIVE AGNINAM EXCALDATAM (Steamed
Lamb)
10 lamb cutlets
1 l white wine
100ml oil
2 big onions, diced
2 tblsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tblsp Liebstoeckl
1 tsp ground cumin
200ml Liquamen (or 2 tsp salt)
Put cutlets into pot, together with diced onion and spices. Add
Liquamen, oil and wine. Cook 45-60 minutes. Pour sauce into a pan
and thicken it with starch. Serve cutlets together with the sauce.
OVA SFONGIA EX LACTE (Pancakes with Milk)
8 eggs
600ml milk
100ml oil
a little bit honey
a little bit ground pepper
Mix eggs, milk and oil until you have a pancake dough. Fry in a pan and

serve topped with honey and a little pepper.

GUSTUM DE PRAECOQUIS (Starter with Apricots)
1kg firm ripe apricots or nectarines
200ml white wine
250ml Passum
Peppermint tea (portion for one cup)
Pepper, Liquamen or salt, cornstarch, a little vinegar and honey
Wash, cut and stone apricots. Put them with a little cold water in a pan.
Ground pepper and dried mint (that's where the tea bag comes
handy...), add Liquamen, honey, Passum, wine and vinegar. Pour into
the pan with a little oil. Cook approximately 20 minutes on small to
moderate heat. After it boiled add a bit of cornstarch to thicken the
sauce, sprinkle with pepper and serve.
PATINA DE PISCICULIS (Soufflee of Small Fishes)
500g boiled fillet of small fishes or whole sardelles
150g dried raisins (sultanas)
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tblsp Liebstoeckl
1 tblsp oregano
2 small diced onions
200ml oil
50ml Liquamen, or 1/2 tsp salt
some cornstarch
Mix raisins, pepper, Liebstoeckl, oregano, onion, wine, Liquamen and
oil together and put in a casserole. Cook until done. Then put small
boiled fish fillets or boiled small whole fishes into it. Thicken with a bit
of cornstarch and serve
PEPONES ET MELONES (Water and Honey Melons)

Half a honey melon peeled, diced

Half a water melon peeled, diced and stoned
500ml Passum
A little bit of honey (or Passum)
1 tblsp minced parsley
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
a little bit of Liquamen, or a dash of salt
Poleiminze, Silphium, vinegar, if wanted
Cook diced melons in a pan together with spices and herbs until done.
Sometimes Silphium is added.
DULCIA DOMESTICA (Housemade Dessert)
200g fresh or dried dates
50g coarsely ground nuts or stone-pine kernels
a little bit salt
honey, or red wine with honey (to stew)
Take the stones out of the dates and fill them with nuts or stone-pine
kernels. Sprinkle a bit of salt on the filled dates and stew them in
honey or honey-sweetened red wine. The dates have to be cooked in
on low heat until their paring starts to come off (approximately 5-10
minutes)