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Background to our dishes at Roma
Oxtail soup
A Roman Classic, ‘Coda alla Vaccinara’ Oxtail Stew
This Roman classic is typical of the city’s cucina povera (peasant cuisine). Slaughter men (vaccinari)
used to be paid with the hide, offal and offcuts of the animals they butchered, which led to the creation
of many rustic yet flavoursome dishes. Trattorias in the Roman neighbourhoods of Trastevere and
Testaccio, where slaughterhouses and tanneries once existed, still serve this hearty stew. Celery is a
key ingredient and is used in the soffritto (flavour base) and again towards the end of cooking to bulk
out the stew, while currants lend an agrodolce (sour-sweet) note
Steamed mussels & clams ‘de re coquinaria’
Served with rich ‘lovage’ dipping sauce as they were eaten in Rome under the reign of emperor
Tiberius. Lovage ‘Levisticum officinale’ adds a pungent yet pleasant lift to the dipping sauce.
Salt cod fishcake
A modern dish from Patella Arida
We have taken salt cod, cumin , coriander & oregano and created a simple dish that suggest Roman
Comfort.
Hay smoked mackerel with juniper brined lemons
Sorrel was used in Ancient Rome as a salad or pot herb & gives a nice sour note to the fish.
The anchovy relish is a smoother way of serving Garum, the ketchup of the Roman Empire. This sauce
& its milder version, Muria were mass produced in factories by the Romans & sprinkled on anything
savoury.
Hare & pistachio terrine with fig chutney
Romans introduced brown Hares to Britain & they would have been hunted with dogs, figs were popular
with all meats in Roman cuisine & added a sweetness to game.
Columella dressing
Taken from the writings of ‘Lucis Iunis Moderatus Columella 4Ad to 70AD’
Columella’s work ‘Des Rustica’ in twelve volumes has been completely preserved & forms an important
source on Roman Agriculture. Romans loved salads - Columella’s writings suggest the Romans were
much like we are today in their search for delicious and inventive salad combinations
Tiger prawns ‘busara’
The name is not particularly Roman. This is a sauce for shellfish from ‘de re conquinaria’ with a small
twist.
Hay cooking - lamb & pork belly
The baking on hay doesn’t necessarily give the meat a huge flavour but keeps it moist & gives it a nice
earth taste
Clay baked dishes
Cotechino with lentil casserole and pork belly alla Apicius are looking as traditional as possible with
some modern slants.
Researched from - Apicius - De re Coquinaria – On the subject of cooking, believed to have been
th
th
written in 4 or 5 Century.
TheancientRomandietincludedmanyitemsthatarestaplesofmodernItaliancuisine.PlinytheElder
discussedmorethan30varietiesofolive,40kindsofpear,figs(nativeandimportedfromAfricaand
theeasternprovinces),andawidevarietyofvegetables(JacquesAndrélisted54cultivatedand43
wildvegetablesinancientRome)Someofthesevegetablesarenolongerpresentinthemodern
world,whileothershaveundergonesignificantchanges.Carrotsofdifferentcolorswereconsumed,
butnotinorange
SomefoodsconsideredcharacteristicofmodernItaliancuisinewerenotused,Inparticular,spinach
andauberginewereintroducedlaterfromtheArabworld,andtomatoesandcapsicumpeppersonly
appearedinEuropefollowingthediscoveryoftheNewWorldandtheColumbianExchangeThere
werealsofewcitrusfruits.
Butcher'smeatwasanuncommonluxury;seafood,game,andpoultry,includingducksandgeese,
weremorecommon.Pork(especiallysausage)wasverycommon.Onhistriumph,Caesargaveapublic
feastto260,000humilioreswhichfeaturedallthreeofthesefoods,butnobutcher'smeat.JohnE.
Stambaughwritesthatmeat"wasscarceexceptatsacrificesandthedinnerpartiesoftherich.The
mostpopularmeatwaspork.BeefwasuncommoninancientRome,beingmorecommoninancient
Greece-itisnotmentionedbyJuvenalorHorace.
Fishweremorecommonthanmeat.Aquaculturewassophisticated,withlarge-scaleindustries
devotedtooysterfarming.TheRomansalsoengagedinsnailfarmingandoakgrubfarming.Somefish
weregreatlyesteemedandfetchedhighprices,suchasmulletraisedinthefisheryatCosa,and
"elaboratemeanswereinventedtoassureitsfreshness.
Fruitwaseatenfreshwheninseason,anddriedorpreservedoverwinter.Popularfruitsincluded
apples,pears,figs,grapes,quinces,citron,strawberries,blackberries,currants,damsonplums,dates,
melons,rosehipsandpomegranates.Lesscommonfruitswerethemoreexoticazerolesandmedlars.
Cherriesandapricots,bothintroducedinthefirstcenturyBC,werepopular.Peacheswereintroduced
inthefirstcenturyA.D.fromPersia.Orangesandlemonswereknownbutusedmoreformedicinal
purposesthanincookery.
AlthoughknowntotheancientRomans,lemonswerenotcultivatedinItalyuntilthePrincipate.The
lemonwasknownandwasaccuratelydistinguishedfromthecitron.Atleast35cultivarsofpearwere
growninRome,alongwiththreetypesofapples.Catodescribedpearculturemethodssimilarto
moderntechniques.
Manykindsofvegetableswerecultivatedandconsumed.Theseincludedcelery,garlic,yellowsquash,
cabbageandotherbrassicas(suchaskaleandbroccoli),lettuce,endive,onion,leek,asparagus,
radishes,turnips,parsnips,carrots,beets,greenpeas,chard,chicory,greenbeans,cardoons,olives,
andcucumber.Somevegetableswereillustratedinreliefs.Thepotato,tomatoandchilipepper
(capsicums)fromtheNewWorldwerenotavailableinancientRomantimesnorwereFrenchbeans,
zucchini(courgettes),andcorn(maizei.e.modernsourceofpolenta).
WhiletheprecursorsofBrusselssprouts,artichokes,sweetpeas,rutabagaandpossiblycauliflower
probablyexistedinRomantimes,themoderncultivatedformswethinkofwerenotdevelopeduntil
thelatemiddleAgesandearlyRenaissancetimes.Cabbagewaseatenbothraw(sometimesdippedin
vinegar)andcooked.Catogreatlyesteemedcabbage,believingittobegoodforthedigestion,and
alsobelievedthatifasickpersonateagreatdealofcabbageandbathedinhisurine,hewould
recover.
Legumeswerelimitedtodriedpeas,sweetpeas,lupines,lentilsandfavabeans.TheRomansknew
severalvarietiesofchickpea,suchasvenus,ram,andpunic.Theywereeithercookeddownintoa
brothorroastedasasnack.TheRomangourmetApiciusgivesseveralrecipesforchickpeas.The
ancientRomansatewalnuts,almonds,hazelnuts,pinenuts,andsesameseeds,whichtheysometimes
pulverizedtothickenspiced,sweetwinesaucesforroastmeatandfowl.Nutsandfruitwereusedin
pastries,tartsandpuddingssweetenedwithhoney.
TheRomancoloniesprovidedmanyfoodstoRome;thecityreceivedhamfromBelgium,oystersfrom
Brittany,garumfromMauritania,wildgamefromTunisia,silphium(laser)fromCyrenaica,flowers
fromEgypt,lettucefromCappadocia,andfishfromPontus.
Cheesewaseatenanditsmanufacturewaswell-establishedbytheRomanEmpireperiod.Itwaspart
ofthestandardrationsforRomansoldiersandwaspopularamongciviliansaswell.TheEmperor
Diocletian(284-305CE)fixedmaximumpricesforcheese.Themanufactureofcheeseanditsquality
andculinaryusesarementionedbyanumberofRomanauthors:PlinytheElderdescribedcheese's
dietaryandmedicinalusesinBook28ofHistoriaNaturalis,andVarroinDeAgriculturdescribedthe
Romancheesemakingseason(springandsummer)andcomparedsoft,newcheeseswithdrier,aged
cheeses.ThemostextensivedescriptionofRomancheesemakingcomesfromColumella,fromhis
treatiseonRomanagriculture,DeReRustica.