Feast Your Eyes on THIS!

As we Americans prepare to sit down to Thanksgiving feasts, I thought it might be interesting to discuss Roman foods. And the first thing I'll say about them is that ancient tastes were MUCH different than those of today! 

Here is a listing of some preferred delicacies gracing the noble Roman table. Not all of them were bizarre, but I think it's safe to say that most people today might crinkle their noses at the mention of a few.

DORMICE: Yeah... as in MICE. The Romans actually farmed these little rodents, as they were considered such a delicacy. They were fattened with nuts, often served stuffed with pine-nuts, meats, or grains, then roasted. Sometimes they were dipped in honey, like a chicken nugget. According to Wikipedia, they're still considered yummy in places like Slovenia and Croatia. Thanks, but I'll stick with chicken.

FLAMINGO TONGUES: Actually, the entire bird was considered to be a fabulous course at banquets among the elite. However, the tongues of flamingos were the cats meow. They have a meaty surface that Romans simply loved. And apparently, they tasted fantastic! I'm still sticking with chicken.

GARUM: Garum was the ketchup of the Roman world. It was a fermented fish sauce, and since I happen to love fish, I thought (at first) that here was something I would give a try. However, after some research, I discovered that garum was made using fish intestines, and now I'm back to plain old chicken, again. Still, garum was popular not only in Rome, but the Greeks had already developed a form of it, and later on, the Byzantine people adored the stuff. There are many examples of amphorae (pottery vessels) that were used to store garum, and traces of the substance have even been discovered in Pompeii. 

JELLYFISH: Even though I'm sticking with chicken, many Asian societies still eat jellyfish, and so did the Romans. One popular way of serving it was to prepare it with eggs, according to Marcus Gavius Apicius, a foodie during the reign of Tiberius. Apicius left the world a good many recipes and from his writings, we are left with a great deal of information on eating habits in the Roman world.

EEL: Just like dormice, eels were often farmed and considered haute cuisine. In fact, they are still very popular in Asian cooking. However, if you were a Roman who (like me!) wouldn't stomach eating one, then it was much in vogue just to keep them as pets! In fact, Marc Antony's daughter is said to have owned a pet eel that she adorned with earrings! Julius Caesar, however, may have had a taste for eels. Two commentaries record that he purchased either two-thousand of the slimy snacks (according to Varro) or six-thousand (according to Macrobius) to feed the populace during his Triumphs. 

ICE CREAM: Yes, Romans enjoyed sweets. A sort of "iced-cream" was often served as a dessert, mixed with snow from the mountains, along with milk, cream, honey, nuts, and dates. 

If you're interested in more information on cuisine and feasting in the ancient world, several cookbooks are now available, translated from original recipes. I have one in my own cookbook collection. The Classical Cookbook by Andrew Dalby and Sally Grainger is loaded with recipes and intriguing information on things the ancients ate.

Bon appetit and Happy Thanksgiving!

Below is one of many mosaics which have been discovered, featuring foods enjoyed by Romans. They were a popular theme for triclinia (dining rooms) and it's fun to look at them and see both the familiar and the bizarre!