The Apicius Cookbook, known as the De Re Coquinaria or De Re Culinarian (On the Subject of Cooking) is a catalog of Roman cookery tips and recipes, thought to have been gathered in the 5th century AD. It may even have been gathered earlier, but the language in which it is written is closer to Vulgar Latin rather than classical Latin.
It may be that Classical recipes were adapted by later communities. This would mean that what we have here is an authentic list of recipes from the height of the Roman Empire.
Apicius’s Cookbook
The book itself has been often attributed to Caelius Apicius though it is unknown who actually collated the recipes or wrote them. Of the two manuscripts that still exist, one of them is headed with the words API CAE, and that is as close as we can get.
Some individual recipes are listed as authored by Apicius but there is no specific author overall. It may be that the Apicius to which the manuscript refers is Marcus Gavius Apicius who was a Roman gourmet living under the reign of Tiberius in the 1st century.
However, it is much more likely that the many recipes have been adapted over time perhaps from as early as the 1st century. Many of the recipes include an ingredient named Silphium, a plant that was used in medicine, seasoning, and perfume, which became extinct in the 1st century. Intriguingly, this indicates that an even earlier origin is possible.
However, the respected food scholar Bruno Laurioux is under the impression that the surviving version only dates from the 5th century. This was when the Roman Empire came to an end in the West. In fact, he is of the opinion that the history of De re Coquinaria belongs to the Middle Ages.
The book itself is organized in a Greek fashion and resembles a modern cookbook. It has ten “books” within it that could be characterized as chapters.
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These book are divided much as you would expect. There are those that deal with meat and the animal itself: Sarcoptes (The Butcher), Aeropetes (The Bird), Tetrapus (The Quadruped: four-legged animals) and Thalassa (The Sea: fish and sea-food).
There is Ospreon, which handles pulses and legumes. There is Cepuros, which deals with gardening and growing vegetables, and there is Halieus, the fisherman. There are two books on food preparation and appreciation: Epimeles (the Diligent) and Polyteles (the Sumptuous) and there is an encyclopedia, Pandectes.
The Foods of De Re Coquinaria
The food that is described is a great insight into the dietary habits of those people living in the Roman Empire around the Mediterranean. It should be noted that the recipes are garnered toward the wealthiest people and that many of the ingredients were exotic, even for those living at the heart of the empire.
For example, flamingo is used in several recipes. Not all of the recipes were rich and exotic though. Some could be seen on menus or in the homes of today. For example:
“Hot kid or lamb stew. Put the pieces of meat into a pan. Finely chop an onion and coriander, pound pepper, lovage, cumin, garum, oil, and wine. Cook, turn out into a shallow pan, and thicken with wheat starch. If you take a lamb, you should add the contents of the mortar while the meat is still raw, if kid, add it while it is cooking”.
Interestingly, there are many different versions of the book. There is an abbreviated epitome called Apici excerpta a Vinidario (A Pocket Apicius) by an illustrious man called Vinidarius. It was made as late as the Carolingian era in the 9th century.
The author of the book may have been a Goth however, little else is known about him. It survives as a single document written in a Greek and Latin style and, despite its title, it is not solely about Apicius or derived from its text. There are additions that did not feature in Apicius. Likely, the book was not massively influenced by the original as there are huge amounts of differences between the materials.
There have been many additions found in various places across Italy, such as Milan in 1498 and Venice in 1500. Between 1498 and 1936 there were around 14 editions found of the Latin text, although it was not widely translated.
It was first translated into Italian before being translated into French and German in the 20th century. It was first translated into English in 1936 under the title Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome.
Other Roman Cuisine
Throughout the Roman Empire, there were great changes in the cuisine of the empire. Their diet was affected by the political changes of the empire and its relations with foreigners.
Early in the Empire, there was little change in Roman cuisine between the poor and the rich. However, when the empire grew larger and richer, there was a disparity that grew.
Archaeologists have discovered through grave goods what Romans were eating. Foods such as figs, chickpeas, and small fish were a staple of their diet. However, there were many plants involved in their diet such as dill, lentils, and other nuts.
Traditionally, breakfast in the Roman Empire was called ientaculum and was served at dawn. From midday to early afternoon, they ate cena. The main meal of the day, which was usually eaten in the evening, was called vesperna.
However, as the years went on, cena became more important and grew larger in size. Though in the countryside, it remained largely the same to match the rhythms of manual labor and demand. Among the upper classes, the Romans began to schedule business obligations in the morning before a trip to the baths.
Much of the food consumed during the height of the Roman Empire was imported in. For example, the city received ham from Belgium, garum from Mauretania, game from Tunisia, flowers from Egypt, and oysters from Brittany.
Many of the staples of modern Italian cooking can be seen in the ancient Roman diet. Pliny the Elder discussed over 30 varieties of olive, 40 kinds of fruit including pears and figs as well as a variety of vegetables.
Carrots of different colors were eaten but surprisingly orange was not often consumed. Garlic, cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, endive, onion, and radishes have all been found to be eaten. However, not everything that was eaten in the ancient world has stayed around. Many staples of the modern Italian diet had not been discovered by the Romans until much later and as such are noticeably missing.
Top Image: Alexandrine squash stew, prepared from the recipe in De Re Coquinaria. Source: Carole Raddato / CC BY-SA 2.0.
By Kurt Readman
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