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When Gluttony Ruled! Volume 54 Number 6, November/December 2001by Deborah Ruscillo

Bones recovered from a Roman villa attest an age ofculinaryhedonismAlas and alack! What a nothing is man! We all shall be bones at the end of life's span, so let us be jolly for as long as we can. --Gaius Pompeius Trimalchio

Roman decadence is vividly portrayed in ancient literary sources and in depictions on vessels, frescoes, and mosaics. Feasting

was a significant part of Roman society, so much so that satires were written mocking the frivolity of such affairs. Augustus (r. 27

B.C.-A.D. 14) attempted to control public and private gluttony by enforcing severe laws against extravagant menus or exorbitant

spending for such events. But mere laws could not stifle the desire for delicacies and extravagant eating, especially among t he

elite of Roman society. The very people who established these laws were the first ones to break them!

The best known Roman author on cuisine is Apicius, who lived during the reign of Tiberius (A.D. 14-37). His recipes include

dishes such as camel heels, flamingo tongues, and roasted ostrich. But the most famous Roman feast is the lavish banquet

hosted by Trimalchio, an ex-slave accepted into high society because of his affluence and eccentricity, in Petronius'

novelSatyricon. The extravagant feast included such delicacies as dormice, sausages, peahen eggs, orioles, hares, capons, and

fish.

Recent excavations of an Augustan era Roman villa at Epano Skala, on the Greek island of Lesbos, attest the wide variety of

foods served at a Roman banquet, like that described by Petronius. Bones recovered from the villa include wild boar, suckling

pig, sheep, lamb, goat, kid, deer, hare, pheasant, goose, capon, and game birds such as thrush, starling, and woodcock.

Remains of lobster, crab, urchin, scallops, clams, mussels, sea snails, eel, red mullet, tuna, sea bream, sea bass, and scorpion

fish were also found in the villa's dump.

Eating well was not just a daily ritual, it was a philosophy and a way of life in Imperial Rome. Your reputation and acceptance in

the upper echelons of society was often determined by your abilities as a generous host and as a connoisseur. When you sit

down to dinner with friends this holiday season, remember that you should always consider doing a little extra for the comfortand enjoyment of your guests. After all, your reputation can only improve with attention to details! Consider also that a

zooarchaeologist may be wading through your garbage 2,000 years from now.

Deborah Ruscillo, a lecturer in the department of anthropology at theUniversity ofWinnipeg, has analyzed faunal remains from the Athenian

Agora, Kommos, Mytilene, and other Greek sites. Excavation of the Epano Skala site was a joint effort directed by professor Hector Williams

ofthe University ofBritish Columbia and A. Archontidhou-Argyri of the 20th Ephory of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities.

Cook like a Roman

Modern chefs can take the advice of many Roman authors, especially Apicius, who lived during the reign of Tiberius (A.D. 14-

37). But using Apicius' recipes can be difficult, because they sometimes call for costly or unusual ingredients and are often

abbreviated in terms of quantities and directions. Take his recipe for boiled ostrich: Pepper, mint, cumin, leeks, celery seed,

dates, honey, vinegar, raisin wine, broth, a little oil. Boil this in the stock kettle [with the ostrich, removing the bird when done

and straining the liquid]. Thicken with roux. Add [to the sauce] the ostrich meat cut in convenient pieces, sprinkle with pepper. If

you wish it more seasoned or tasty, add garlic [during cooking]. Without the interpolated instructions, your attempt to re-create

this Apician classic might go horribly wrong. With the price of ostrich what it is, you don't want your bird's success to depend on

trial and error.

http://www.archaeology.org/0111/abstracts/romans.htmlhttp://www.archaeology.org/0111/abstracts/romans.htmlhttp://www.archaeology.org/0111/abstracts/romans.htmlhttp://www.archaeology.org/0111/abstracts/romans.htmlhttp://www.archaeology.org/0111/abstracts/romans.htmlhttp://www.archaeology.org/0111/abstracts/romans.htmlhttp://www.archaeology.org/0111/abstracts/romans.htmlhttp://www.archaeology.org/0111/abstracts/romans.htmlhttp://www.archaeology.org/0111/abstracts/romans.htmlhttp://www.archaeology.org/0111/abstracts/romans.htmlhttp://www.archaeology.org/0111/abstracts/romans.htmlhttp://www.archaeology.org/0111/abstracts/romans.html

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Fortunately there are now several guides to classical cuisine that will be of more use in your own kitchen than the original Greek

or Latin recipes. Andrew Dalby and Sally Grainger'sThe Classical Cookbook(Malibu: The J. Paul Getty Museum, 1996) is a

handsome, user-friendly volume. Ilaria Giacosa'sA Taste of Ancient Rome(Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992;

translated by Anna Herklotz) also provides some history of ancient dining and delicious recipes. A pocket book, Jane Renfrew's

Food and Cooking in Roman Britain: History and Recipes(London: English Heritage, 1985) offers basic but interesting recipes.

If you want to try Apicius, there is Joseph Vehling'sApicius: Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome(New York: Dover

Publications, 1977).

Prepare yourself for a cooking and eating experience you will always remember. But, if you are planning to find recipes for

delicious Italian favorites, put away your pasta! Many of our beloved "Italian" ingredients did not exist in the Roman period.

Tomatoes, potatoes, coffee, corn, risotto, and spaghetti did not arrive in the region until considerably later! Classical cuisine is

not what you would expect, and this makes the art of ancient cooking even more intriguing.

Source:http://www.archaeology.org/0111/abstracts/romans.html

Last Accessed: 20110523

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