Lora was a lower-quality wine made by Romans from grapes that had already been pressed once for wine. It used the waste products such as grape skins, stalks and seeds (which grappa is made from today.) The Romans called such waste “vinaceum.” If defritum was being made at the same time, skimmings from that could…
Roman Food
Lucanicae
Lucanicae were thin smoked Roman sausages that originated in a region in the south of Italy that was known as Lucania (today, Basilicata.)Ground pork was seasoned with cumin, laurel berries, parsley, pepper, rue, savoury and liquamen. The mixture was then ground again to blend it all well, then chopped fat, pine kernels and peppercorns were…
Mallow
Mallow is a perennial plant that grows from 4 to 6 feet tall, with a spread of about 2 feet. (1.2 to 2 metres tall, spread of 600 cm.) It grows best in marshy, damp soil, and propagates through its roots. There are several different Mallow plants. Some are grown primarily as ornamentals in gardens….
Meditrinalia
The 11th of October is Meditrinalia. It was a minor Roman festival celebrating what they felt were the health-giving properties of wine.
Mint Sauce
Mint Sauce is a British sauce, though it is also widely popular throughout the English-speaking world. It is a traditional accompaniment to lamb. Great European chefs see red when English-speakers ask for this green sauce in a restaurant. The Europeans see Mint Sauce as a nasty English-speakers’ invention, even though it isn’t: it’s one of…
Morel Mushrooms
Morel Mushrooms grow in Asia, Europe, North America, and even Turkey. They appear in the wild in spring, not always growing back in the same place as the year before. The cap is tall rather than round (1 to 4 inches tall / 2.5 to 10 cm), and honeycombed. They look like an upside-down cone….
Moretum
“Moretum” was a Roman cheese spread, made from cheese and garlic, coloured green from the fresh herbs in it as well, and bound together with oil. It was usually served with bread. The example of it is usually taken from a poem called “Moretum” by Virgil (70–19 B.C.), though other poets such as Sveius and…
Mulsum
Muslum was a Roman tipple made by mixing honey into white wine. It was a great Roman favourite, and was served with meals or as a refreshment on its own. It was also used as a libation to the gods. Historical food reconstructionists suggest adding a ½ cup (4 oz / 125 ml) of honey…
Muria
Muria was a fish sauce like garum. It was less expensive than garum as it was made from tuna instead of mackerel. Because it was not as dear, it is more likely to have been used instead of garum by common folk or soldiers in their supplies. In some places in the Empire and at…
Mushrooms
Mushrooms are not really vegetables because they’re not really plants. Most plants use sunlight to “photosynthesize” to create their own food (the sunlight provides the energy for plants to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose.) Mushrooms can’t do this; instead, they get their food from other plants, usually dead ones, but not always (some…
Mustacae
Mustacae was a Roman dessert served at the end of rich meals. The small, individual, unleavened mustacae cakes were thought to help digestion. The cakes were made from anise, bay leaves, cheese, cumin, lard, and wheat flour, wetted with grape must. The cheese was probably a fresh, cream-type cheese. Grape must is very sweet and…
Mustard
Mustard is a spreadable condiment whose taste can be anywhere from mild and subtle, to tart, to hot. After the Romans, Europe lost the habit of making prepared mustard. Mustard makers started to re-appear in the 1200s.
Mustard Seed
There are three kinds of mustard seed: white, brown, and black. They each have different flavours, uses and markets.
Mustum Tortivum
Mustum Tortivum is a Roman term, denoting “must”, as in grape must, obtained from the second pressing of grapes that have already been pressed a first time. The first time, they were pressed by stomping. The second time, they were pressed with a mechanical press to squeeze any remaining juice out of them. First-pressed wine…
Ogliarola Leccese
This olive, grown in Apulia, Italy, is a good oil producer, like all Ogliarola cultivars. This olive, and Cellina di Nardò olives, are used to make PDO Terra d’Otranto olive oils. History Notes Locals believe that this cultivar is the “Olea Iapygia” cultivar that the Romans had, mentioned by Pliny.
Onions
Onions © Paula Trites Onions are a plant bulb used in cooking for the flavour they add to food. Their taste can range from savoury to hot to sweet. If a recipe just calls for “onion”, it means a “Globe Onion”, which is the variety, yellow (aka brown) or white, that has become our unsung,…
Pancakes
Pancakes © Paula Trites Pancakes are a form of Quick Bread cooked on top of the stove, usually in a frying pan. French Pancakes are big, flat Pancakes made from a thin batter. They are called “crêpes.” North American Pancakes are big, but risen and fluffy inside. They are risen either with yeast or, more…
Parnsips
Parsnips © Denzil Green Parsnips are related to parsley, carrots and celery. They seem to rate with turnips in many people’s books, which is that you either love them a lot, or hate them even more. They are one of the few vegetables that you don’t want to harvest before a frost: they need a…
Passum
Passum was a sweet, slightly thick syrup made by the Romans from partially-dried grapes. Partially-drying the grapes first made them sweeter. Some sources say Passum could also be made from must, but that would make in effect make it defritum or sapa, or that it could be made from wine, but that would make it…
Pepper
Pepper © Randal Oulton Pepper is a spice grows on a vine that grows anywhere from 12 to 20 feet (3.5 to 6 metres.) It has a woody stem, and produces white flowers which in turn produce peppercorns as fruit. Peppercorns start off green, and when ripe, turn red. Different colours of peppercorns and pepper…
Porcini Mushrooms
Dried Porcini Mushrooms © Denzil Green Porcini Mushrooms are pale brown with a meaty texture and a rich, woodsy flavour. They don’t have gills underneath the cap; they have pores instead. The caps can be anywhere from 1 to 10 inches wide (2.5 to 25 cm.) They are still collected from the wild; efforts to…
Roman Food
This entry is about food in Rome, the ancient empire. There will be at some point a separate entry on food in modern-day Rome, the city. Rome was founded, historians believe, by 625 BC (though the Romans themselves believed their city was founded in 735 BC.) The last Emperor (Romulus Augustus) was tossed out in…
Roman Salt
The Romans mined salt from deposits in the ground, then dissolved it in water, making a brine solution that would be boiled in large uncovered pans over fire. To help the salt come together and form crystals, they would add some kind of coagulating agent such as blood, and to help any organic matter float…
Saturnalia
Saturnalia, the 17th of December, was a fun Roman holiday. People wore red hats, lit candles, feasted, played games such as charades, and decorated with holly. Gifts were exchanged, and sent to customers and clients.