Native Name: Pullum Frontonianum Cultural Background: Named for the orator Fronto in the Apicius collection, this braised chicken dish reflects the sweet-savoury layering typical of more refined Roman cooking, with dates and honey balancing the saltiness of garum and the sharpness of vinegar. Tips: Browning the chicken well before braising builds a deeper base flavour […]
Native Name: Gustatio Frigida Cultural Background: Prandium, the Roman midday meal, was usually light and often eaten cold or standing up, made up of leftovers from the night before. A platter of hard-boiled eggs, olives and salted fish was a common prandium in both modest and comfortable households, needing no cooking fire to reheat. Tips: […]
Native Name: Porcus Troianus Cultural Background: The most theatrical dish in the Roman culinary record: a whole roast pig stuffed with sausages and small game, named for the Trojan Horse because of the surprise concealed inside it. Described by the writer Macrobius as a showpiece of excess, it was reserved for the grandest banquets and […]
Native Name: Aliter Baedinum vel Agninum Cultural Background: The Apicius collection includes several variations for cooking kid goat and lamb, generally titled 'aliter' (another way), showing how the same core method – long braising with wine, cumin and a thickened finishing sauce – was adapted with whatever meat was on hand. Tips: Low and slow […]
Native Name: Lucanicae Cultural Background: Named for the Lucania region of southern Italy, these smoked, spiced sausages were hugely popular street food in Rome, grilled over charcoal by vendors and flavoured with cumin, fennel and pine nuts – the word survives almost unchanged in the modern Italian 'luganega' sausage. Tips: Chilling the mixture before cooking […]
Native Name: Patina de Piscibus Cultural Background: Patina dishes were a broad family of layered or simmered preparations recorded extensively in Apicius, often built around fish, eggs and vegetables bound with a light sauce. This soup-style version reflects how coastal Roman households turned the day's catch into a simple, savoury pot. Tips: Keep the heat […]
Native/Reconstructed Name: Remu Djeret (reconstructed; skewered fish) Cultural Background: Quick-grilled fish, likely sold from riverside stalls and market stands, would have been an accessible, portable food for workers and travelers passing through Nile Valley towns. Skewering and grilling over an open fire was a practical, fast method suited to feeding busy market crowds rather than […]
Native/Reconstructed Name: Remu Aashet (reconstructed; grilled fish) Cultural Background: Fish from the Nile — perch, catfish, and mullet among them — was a dietary staple for most Egyptians, so central to daily life that some fish were also revered in religious contexts even as others were eaten daily. Tomb reliefs frequently depict fishing scenes and […]
Introduction: Casado, meaning 'married man', refers to the balanced combination of rice, beans, salad, plantain and a protein that make up this quintessential Costa Rican lunch plate, said to resemble the well-rounded meals a married man might expect at home. Cultural Background: Casado, meaning 'married man', refers to the balanced combination of rice, beans, salad, […]
Introduction: Fresh fish grilled over open coals is a common street-side and roadside offering across the Cook Islands, sold from small stalls near the harbour and at island night markets. Cultural Background: Fresh fish grilled over open coals is a common street-side and roadside offering across the Cook Islands, sold from small stalls near the […]