Sit back and savor flavor of Romans

Of the three ancient cuisines, Chinese, Greek and Roman, we are probably most familiar with that of Rome. Although much has been written about Roman art, architecture and government, early food writings of Rome are sparse.
Rome was founded around 700 B.C. with the merging of several villages and tribes. According to legend, Romulus, who, along with his brother, was raised by a she-wolf, became the first king of Rome. Kings ruled Rome until 509 B.C. when the Roman Republic was established and elected officials ruled until 44 B.C.
During those almost 500 years Roman armies conquered most of Europe and parts of the Mediterranean. The food of Rome was greatly influenced by the areas that the Romans had conquered, especially Greece. At that time, it became the “in thing” to enjoy Greek art and Greek food.
Greek influence
Greek cooks and their food styles were brought to Rome. Many of these cooks came as slaves, while others were hired. At that time, it was customary to have a retinue of slaves.
In 44 B.C. Roman democracy gave way to a heroic soldier who declared himself emperor — Julius Caesar. He was assassinated in a theater that today is a restaurant. The emperors who followed became powerful and the empire became wealthy. Romans lived affluently in all aspects of their lives, but particularly in their culinary desires.
However, the early Romans at the time of Romulus lived primarily on grains. They ground many different types of grains and seeds and cooked them into a mush, like polenta. In the third century B.C. flour was introduced and bread was produced.
Eat your vegetables
Vegetables were, and continue to be, an important part of the Roman diet. Onions, garlic, cabbage and turnips were common. Wild mushrooms were eaten mainly by the wealthy class. Artichokes and wild mushrooms still are popular with Romans today.
Both fish and beef were rare for the early Romans, although Rome was only 30 miles from the sea. Cattle were work animals and were rarely eaten. Pork, although common, was reserved for religious holidays. Sheep, goats, pigs and poultry were the most common meats
The early Romans were fond of olives, having been introduced to them by the Greeks. Olive oil and Greek wines became part of the Roman diet. As Roman interest in the growing of olives and wine grapes increased, land used to raise grains diminished. The rising popularity of beef also changed the agricultural scene. Rome eventually experienced grain shortages, which some historians say contributed to the fall of Rome.
Although bread at first was reserved for the wealthy, the introduction of flour and Greek bakers
made bread available to everyone during the early days of the Republic. Wealthy Romans were able to afford kitchens and chefs. The peasants, however, brought cooked meats from street shops whose cleanliness left something to be desired.
During Roman Republic times, cheeses were made both locally and imported. Cooked pork was sold in the street markets. Lamb became popular, but was expensive. Goose was popular in Rome and has remained so to this day. The Romans developed a method of feeding figs to their geese in order to fatten the livers for pates. Chickens were kept for eggs, but rarely were eaten.
Roman breakfast consisted of bread dipped in wine — another custom learned from the Greeks. However, Roman breakfasts might also include an egg, some cheese, olives and garlic sauce. A snack was eaten before noon and the big meal of the day was served in the late afternoon.
The wealthy Romans learned from the Greeks to recline on couches when eating. This enabled them to consume more food and it was also a comfortable position for falling asleep following the meal.
The Romans ate dinner on one elbow and used their fingers, although occasionally used a spoon when available. Usually each dinner provided his or her own spoon at dinner. However, in the later years of the Empire, the rich hosts would give away gold spoons as a sign of wealth.
Kitchens of the wealthy were filled with pots and pans. Initially, many of these items were imported from Greece. The kitchen was run on slave power, but the chef often was able with his wages to buy his freedom.
The first Roman cookbook is attributed to Apicius in the first century A.D. Food historians tell us that there were three men with the same name — all of whom wrote about cooking, and may have contributed to the final version of the book.
According to the writings, Apicius loved to cook and eat.
He spent a lot of money on dinner parties. Although a wealthy man, he was deeply afraid of starving to death. Before his death, he had a final feast and then drank poison.
Apicius’ cookbook gave a good insight into Roman cuisine. He used seasonings liberally. These included salt and pepper, saffron, ginger, cloves, cardamom, anise, celery, fennel, cumin and parsley. The Romans also used a type of fish sauce, which probably came from the Middle East through Greece.
The Romans liked to mix sweet and salty foods. Their main meat, pork, was usually salted and often cured, like ham. Red meats were boiled and then roasted. They were fond of casseroles and pies, another style of cooking learned from the Greeks. The Romans developed myriad sausages, but the basic techniques of sausage-making apparently were learned from the Greeks.
The Romans took their cooking practices to the lands they conquered and influenced the eating habits of those populations. It surprised me, however, to find that Roman cooking was so heavily influenced by Greek cooking styles.