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Title: Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome

Author: Apicius

Commentator: Frederick Starr

Translator: Joseph Dommers Vehling

Release date: August 19, 2009 [eBook #29728]

Language: English

Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29728

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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK COOKERY AND
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Transcriber's Note

The original text used a Prescription Take symbol, ℞, to indicate
recipe numbers. There are also some characters with a macron or
overline (straight line) above them. You may need to adjust your font
settings for these to display properly.
The many inconsistencies in hyphenation and use of accents and
ligatures have been preserved as printed, with a few exceptions.
Variable and archaic spelling has also been preserved. A full list of
amendments and other notes follow the end of the book.
A considerable number of the recipe and page numbers in the index
are incorrect; however, they have been preserved as printed. The
transcriber has, as far as possible, linked to the correct place in the
text. Where the reference could not be determined, the numbers
remain unlinked.

APICIUS

COOKERY AND DINING IN
IMPERIAL ROME

A Bibliography, Critical Review and Translation of the
Ancient Book known as Apicius de re Coquinaria

NOW FOR THE FIRST TIME RENDERED INTO ENGLISH

BY

JOSEPH DOMMERS VEHLING

With a Dictionary of Technical Terms, Many Notes,
Facsimiles of Originals, and Views and Sketches of
Ancient Culinary Objects Made by the Author

INTRODUCTION BY PROF. FREDERICK STARR
Formerly of the University of Chicago

Go to transcription of text

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TO

ARNOLD SHIRCLIFFE
STEWARD, GASTRONOMER, AUTHOR AND BIBLIOPHILE
AS THE ACTORS SHAKESPEARE AND MOLIÈRE CREATED
THE BEST DRAMA, SO THE BEST IN GASTRONOMIC
LITERATURE EMANATED FROM WITHIN THE RANKS

The Author

SYMPOSION. FROM AN ANCIENT VASE

CONTENTS
PAGE
INTRODUCTION xi
PREFACE xvii
THE BOOK OF APICIUS
A critical review of its times, its authors, and their sources, its
authenticity and practical usefulness in modern times 1
THE RECIPES OF APICIUS AND THE EXCERPTS FROM
APICIUS BY VINIDARIUS
Original translation from the most reliable Latin texts, elucidated
with notes and comments 41
APICIANA
A bibliography of Apician manuscript books and printed editions 251
DICTIONARY OF CULINARY TERMS AND INDEX 275

ILLUSTRATIONS
A—FACSIMILES

Made from originals and reproductions in the author’s collection

PAGE
1BREVIS PIMENTORUM, Excerpts of Vinidarius, 8th
Century 234
2INCIPIT CONDITUM PARADOXUM, Vatican MS, 9th
Century 253
3COLOPHON, Signerre Edition, Milan, 1498 260
4TITLE PAGE, Tacuinus Edition, Venice, 1503 262
5OPENING CHAPTER, same 232
6TITLE PAGE, Schola Apitiana, Antwerp, 1535 206
7TITLE PAGE, Torinus Edition, Basel, 1541 220
8TITLE PAGE, Torinus Edition, Lyons, 1541 263
9TITLE PAGE, Humelbergius Edition, Zürich, 1542 265
10 TITLE PAGE, Lister Edition, London, 1705 267
11 VERSO of Title Page, Lister Edition, London, 1705 268
12 TITLE PAGE, Lister Edition, Amsterdam, 1709 250
13 FRONTISPICE, Lister Edition, Amsterdam, 1709 156
14 BANQUET SCENE, from an ancient vase (opposite)

B—PEN AND INK DRAWINGS BY THE AUTHOR

Sketched from scenes and objects at Pompeii, Naples, Berlin and
Chicago. Most of the ancient objects are in the National Museum of
Naples with many replicas in the Field Museum, Chicago. The treasure
found in 1868 near Hildesheim is in the Kaiser Friedrich Museum in Berlin

PAGE

15 APICII LIBRI X, Latin title of present edition, hand-
lettered (facing title)
16 DIAGRAM of Apicius manuscripts and printed editions 252
17 GREAT CRATER, Hildesheim Treasure 140
18 THERMOSPODIUM, plain, Naples 90
19 THERMOSPODIUM, elaborate, Naples 72
20 DESSERT or Fruit Dish, Shell, Naples 125
21 DESSERT or Fruit Bowl, fluted 61
22 TABLE, square, adjustable, Naples 138
23 TABLE, round, Naples 122
24 PAN, Frying, round, Naples 155
25 PAN, Frying, oval, Naples 159
26 PAN, Service Saucepan, with decorated handle,
Hildesheim 73
27 SERVICE DISH, oval, with two handles, Hildesheim
Treasure 43
28 PAN, Saucepan, with handle, Hercules motif, Naples 222
29 PLATTER for Roast, Hildesheim Treasure 219
30 PLATTER, The Great Pallas Athene Dish, Hildesheim 158
31 TRIPOD for Crater, Hildesheim Treasure 40
32 EGG SERVICE DISH, Hildesheim Treasure 93
33 WINE DIPPER, Naples 3
34 DIONYSOS CUP, Hildesheim Treasure 141
35 CANTHARUS, Theatrical Decoration, Hildesheim
Treasure 231
36 CANTHARUS, Bacchic Decoration, Hildesheim Treasure 274
37 COLANDER, Naples 58
38 WINE PITCHER, Diana handle, Naples 208
39 WINE PRESS, Reconstruction in Naples 92
40 GONG for Slaves, Naples 42
41 WINE STOCK ROOM, Pompeii 124
42 CASA DI FORNO, Pompeii 2
43 SLAVES operating hand mill, reconstruction in Naples 60
44 STEW POT, No. 1, Caccabus, Naples 183

45 STEW POT, No. 2, Caccabus, Naples 209
46 STEW POT, No. 3, Caccabus, Naples 223
47 STEW POT, No. 4, Caccabus, Naples 235
48 CRATICULA, combination broiler and stove, Naples 182
49 “LIBRO COMPLETO” (End of
Book)

EXPLANATION OF TYPESETTING,
ABBREVIATIONS, AND SYSTEM OF
NUMBERING
TEXT AND HEADINGS

The original ancient text as presented and rendered in the present translation
is printed in capital letters.
Matter in parenthesis () is original. Matter in square brackets [] is
contributed by the translator.
In most of the early originals the headings or titles of the formulæ are
invariably part of the text. In the present translation they are given both in
English and in the Latin used by those originals which the translator
considered most characteristic titles.
They have been set in prominent type as titles over each formula, whereas
in the originals the formulæ of the various chapters run together, in many
instances without distinct separation.

NUMBERING OF RECIPES

A system of numbering the recipes has therefore been adopted by the
translator, following the example of Schuch, which does not exist in the
other originals but the numbers in the present translation do not correspond
to those adopted by Schuch for reasons which hereafter become evident.

NOTES AND COMMENTS BY THE TRANSLATOR

The notes, comments and variants added to each recipe by the translator are
printed in upper and lower case and in the same type as the other
contributions by the translator, the Apiciana, the Critical Review and the
Vocabulary and Index.

For the sake of convenience, to facilitate the study of each recipe and for
quick reference the notes follow in each and every case such ancient recipe
as they have reference to.

ABBREVIATIONS

NY—The New York Codex (formerly Cheltenham), Apiciana, I
Vat.—The Vatican Codex, Apiciana, II.
Vin.—The Codex Salmasianus, Excerpta a Vinidario, Apiciana, III.
B. de V.—Edition by Bernardinus, Venice, n.d., Apiciana, No. 1.
Lan.—Edition by Lancilotus, Milan, 1498, Apiciana, Nos. 2-3.
Tac.—Edition by Tacuinus, Venice, 1503, Apiciana, No. 4.
Tor.—Edition by Torinus, Basel (and Lyons), 1541, Apiciana, Nos. 5-6.
Hum.—Edition by Humelbergius, Zürich, 1542, Apiciana, No. 7.
List.—Edition by Lister, London, 1705, Amst., 1709, Apiciana, Nos. 8-9.
Bern.—Edition by Bernhold, Marktbreit, etc., Apiciana, Nos. 10-11.
Bas.—Edition by Baseggio, Venice, 1852, Apiciana, No. 13.
Sch.—Edition by Schuch, Heidelberg, 1867/74, Apiciana, Nos. 14-15.
Goll.—Edition by Gollmer, Leipzig, 1909, Apiciana, No. 16.
Dann.—Edition by Danneil, Leipzig, 1911, Apiciana, No. 17.
G.-V.—Edition by Giarratano-Vollmer, Leip. 1922, Apiciana, No. 19.
V.—The present translation.
Giarr.—Giarratano; Voll.—F. Vollmer; Bran.—Edward Brandt.

INTRODUCTION
BY

FREDERICK STARR
Formerly Professor of Anthropology at the University of Chicago

N O translation of Apicius into English has yet been published. The
book has been printed again and again in Latin and has been
translated into Italian and German. It is unnecessary to here give
historic details regarding the work as Mr. Vehling goes fully and admirably
into the subject. In 1705 the book was printed in Latin at London, with
notes by Dr. Martinus Lister. It caused some stir in the England of that time.
In a very curious book, The Art of Cookery, in Imitation of Horace’s Art of
Poetry, with Some Letters to Dr. Lister and Others, Dr. Wm. King says:
“The other curiosity is the admirable piece of Cœlius Apicius,
‘De Opsoniis et condimentis sive arte coquinaria, Libri decem’
being ten books of soups and sauces, and the art of cookery, as it
is excellently printed for the doctor, who in this important affair,
is not sufficiently communicative....
“I some days ago met with an old acquaintance, of whom I
inquired if he has seen the book concerning soups and sauces?
He told me he had, but that he had but a very slight view of it,
the person who was master of it not being willing to part with so
valuable a rarity out of his closet. I desired him to give me some
account of it. He says that it is a very handsome octavo, for, ever
since the days of Ogilvy, good paper and good print, and fine
cuts, make a book become ingenious and brighten up an author
strangely. That there is a copious index; and at the end a
catalogue of all the doctor’s works, concerning cockles, English
beetles, snails, spiders, that get up into the air and throw us
down cobwebs; a monster vomited up by a baker and such like;
which if carefully perused, would wonderfully improve us.”

More than two hundred years have passed and we now have an edition of
this curious work in English. And our edition has nothing to lose by
comparison with the old one. For this, too, is a handsome book, with good
paper and good print and fine cuts. And the man who produces it can
equally bear comparison with Dr. Lister and more earlier commentators and
editors whom he quotes—Humelbergius and Caspar Barthius.
The preparation of such a book is no simple task and requires a rare
combination of qualities. Mr. Vehling possesses this unusual combination.
He was born some forty-five years ago in the small town of Duelken on the
German-Dutch frontier—a town proverbial for the dullness of its
inhabitants. There was nothing of dullness about the boy, however, for at
the age of fourteen years, he had already four years study of Latin and one
of Greek to his credit. Such was his record in Latin that his priest teachers
attempted to influence him toward the priesthood. His family, however, had
other plans and believing that he had enough schooling, decided that he
should be a cook. As he enjoyed good food, had a taste for travel and
independence, and was inclined to submit to family direction, he rather
willingly entered upon the career planned for him. He learned the business
thoroughly and for six years practiced his art in Germany, Belgium, France,
England and Scandinavia. Wherever he went, he gave his hours of freedom
to reading and study in libraries and museums.
During his first trip through Italy and on a visit to Pompeii he conceived the
idea of depicting some day the table of the Romans and of making the
present translation. He commenced to gather all the necessary material for
this work, which included intensive studies of the ancient arts and
languages. Meanwhile, he continued his hotel work also, quite successfully.
At the age of twenty-four he was assistant manager of the fashionable Hotel
Bristol, Vienna.
However, the necessities of existence prevented his giving that time and
study to art, which is necessary if it was to become a real career. In Vienna
he found music, drama, languages, history, literature and gastronomy, and
met interesting people from all parts of the globe. While the years at Vienna
were the happiest of his life, he had a distaste for the “superheated,
aristocratic and military atmosphere.” It was at that city that he met the man
who was responsible for his coming to America. Were we writing Mr.

Vehling’s biography, we would have ample material for a racy and startling
narrative. We desire only to indicate the remarkable preparation for the
work before us, which he has had. A Latin scholar of exceptional promise, a
professional cook of pronounced success, and an artist competent to
illustrate his own work! Could such a combination be anticipated? It is the
combination that has made this book possible.
The book has claims even upon our busy and practical generation. Mr.
Vehling has himself stated them:
“The important addition to our knowledge of the ancients—for
our popular notions about their table are entirely erroneous and
are in need of revision.
“The practical value of many of the ancient formulæ—for ‘In
Olde Things There is Newnesse.’
“The human interest—because of the amazing mentality and the
culinary ingenuity of the ancients revealed to us from an
altogether new angle.
“The curious novelty and the linguistic difficulty, the
philological interest and the unique nature of the task, requiring
unique prerequisites—all these factors prompted us to undertake
this translation.”
One word as to Mr. Vehling’s work in America. He was for five years
manager of catering at the Hotel Pfister in Milwaukee; for two and a half
years he was inspector and instructor of the Canadian Pacific Railway; he
was connected with some of the leading hotels in New York City, and with
the Eppley and the Van Orman Hotels chains, in executive capacity. He not
only has the practical side of food use and preparation, he is an authority
upon the science in his field. His printed articles on food and cookery have
been read with extraordinary interest, and his lectures upon culinary matters
have been well received. It is to be hoped that both will eventually be
published in book form.
There is no financial lure in getting out an English translation of Apicius. It
is a labor of love—but worth the doing. We have claimed that Mr. Vehling
has exceptional fitness for the task. This will be evident to anyone who

reads his book. An interesting feature of his preparation is the fact that Mr.
Vehling has subjected many of the formulæ to actual test. As Dr. Lister in
the old edition of 1705 increased the value and interest of the work by
making additions from various sources, so our editor of today adds much
and interesting matter in his supplements, notes and illustrations.
It is hardly expected that many will follow Mr. Vehling in testing the
Apician formulæ. Hazlitt in speaking of “The Young Cook’s Monitor”
which was printed in 1683, says:
“Some of the ingredients proposed for sauces seem to our ears
rather prodigious. In one place a contemporary peruser has
inserted an ironical calculation in MS. to the effect that, whereas
a cod’s head could be bought for fourpence, the condiments
recommended for it were not to be had for less than nine
shillings.”
We shall close with a plagiarism oft repeated. It was a plagiarism as long
ago as 1736, when it was admitted such in the preface of Smith’s “The
Compleat Housewife”:
“It being grown as fashionable for a book now to appear in
public without a preface, as for a lady to appear at a ball without
a hoop-petticoat, I shall conform to the custom for fashion-sake
and not through any necessity. The subject being both common
and universal, needs no argument to introduce it, and being so
necessary for the gratification of the appetite, stands in need of
no encomiums to allure persons to the practice of it; since there
are but a few nowadays who love not good eating and
drinking....”
Old Apicius and Joseph Dommers Vehling really need no introduction.
Frederick Starr
Seattle, Washington, August 3, 1926.

PREFACE
The present first translation into English of the ancient cookery book dating
back to Imperial Roman times known as the Apicius book is herewith
presented to antiquarians, friends of the Antique as well as to gastronomers,
friends of good cheer.
Three of the most ancient manuscript books that exist today bearing the
name of Apicius date back to the eighth and ninth century. Ever since the
invention of printing Apicius has been edited chiefly in the Latin language.
Details of the manuscript books and printed editions will be found under the
heading of Apiciana on the following pages.
The present version has been based chiefly upon three principal Latin
editions, that of Albanus Torinus, 1541, who had for his authority a codex
he found on the island of Megalona, on the editions of Martinus Lister,
1705-9, who based his work upon that of Humelbergius, 1542, and the
Giarratano-Vollmer edition, 1922.
We have also scrutinized various other editions forming part of our
collection of Apiciana, and as shown by our “family tree of Apicius” have
drawn either directly or indirectly upon every known source for our
information.
The reasons and raison d’être for this undertaking become sufficiently clear
through Dr. Starr’s introduction and through the following critical review.
It has been often said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach;
so here is hoping that we may find a better way of knowing old Rome and
antique private life through the study of this cookery book—Europe’s oldest
and Rome’s only one in existence today.
J. D. V.
Chicago, in the Spring of 1926.

THANKS

For many helpful hints, for access to works in their libraries and for their
kind and sympathetic interest in this work I am especially grateful to
Professor Dr. Edward Brandt, of Munich; to Professor Dr. Margaret Barclay
Wilson, of Washington, D.C., and New York City; to Mr. Arnold Shircliffe,
and Mr. Walter M. Hill, both of Chicago.
J. D. V.
Chicago, in the Summer of 1936.

THE BOOK OF APICIUS

POMPEII: CASA DI FORNO—HOUSE OF THE OVEN
Ancient bakery and flour mill of the year A.D. 79. Four
grain grinders to the right. The method of operating these
mills is shown in the sketch of the slaves operating a hand-
mill. These mills were larger and were driven by donkeys
attached to beams stuck in the square holes. The bake house
is to the left, with running water to the right of the entrance
to the oven. The oven itself was constructed ingeniously
with a view of saving fuel and greatest efficiency.

WINE DIPPER
Found in Pompeii. Each end of the long handle takes the
form of a bird’s head. The one close to the bowl holds in its
bill a stout wire which is loosely fastened around the neck of
the bowl, the two ends being interlocked. This allows the
bowl to tilt sufficiently to hold its full contents when retired
from the narrow opening of the amphora. The ancients also
had dippers with extension handles to reach down to the
bottom of the deep amphora. Ntl. Mus., Naples, 73822;
Field M. 24181.

THE BOOK OF APICIUS

A STUDY OF ITS TIMES, ITS AUTHORS AND
THEIR SOURCES, ITS
AUTHENTICITY AND ITS PRACTICAL
USEFULNESS IN MODERN TIMES

A
eats.
NYONE who would know something worth while about the private
and public lives of the ancients should be well acquainted with their
table. Then as now the oft quoted maxim stands that man is what he

Much of the ancient life is still shrouded and will forever be hidden by
envious forces that have covered up bygone glory and grandeur. Ground
into mealy dust under the hoofs of barbarian armies! Re-modeled, re-used a
hundred times! Discarded as of no value by clumsy hands! The “Crime of
Ignorance” is a factor in league with the forces of destruction. Much is
destroyed by blind strokes of fate—fate, eternally pounding this earth in its
everlasting enigmatic efforts to shape life into something, the purpose of
which we do not understand, the meaning of which we may not even
venture to dream of or hope to know.
Whatever there has been preserved by “Providence,” by freaks of chance,
by virtue of its own inherent strength—whatever has been buried by misers,
fondled, treasured by loving hands of collectors and connoisseurs during all
these centuries—every speck of ancient dust, every scrap of parchment or
papyrus, a corroded piece of metal, a broken piece of stone or glass, so
eagerly sought by the archaeologists and historians of the last few
generations—all these fragmentary messages from out of the past
emphasize the greatness of their time. They show its modernity, its nearness
to our own days. They are now hazy reminiscences, as it were, by a middle-
aged man of the hopes and the joys of his own youth. These furtive
fragments—whatever they are—now tell us a story so full and so rich, they
wield so marvelous a power, no man laying claim to possessing any
intelligence may pass them without intensely feeling the eternal pathetic
appeal to our hearts of these bygone ages that hold us down in an envious

manner, begrudging us the warm life-blood of the present, weaving
invisible ties around us to make our hearts heavy.
However, we are not here to be impeded by any sentimental considerations.
Thinking of the past, we are not so much concerned with the picture that
dead men have placed in our path like ever so many bill boards and posters!
We do not care for their “ideals” expounded in contemporary histories and
eulogies. We are hardly moved by the “facts” such as they would have
loved to see them happen, nor do we cherish the figments of their human,
very human, subconsciousness.
To gain a correct picture of the Roman table we will therefore set aside for a
while the fragments culled from ancient literature and history that have
been misused so indiscriminately and so profusely during the last two
thousand years—for various reasons. They have become fixed ideas,
making reconstruction difficult for anyone who would gain a picture along
rational lines. Barring two exceptions, there is no trustworthy detailed
description of the ancient table by an objective contemporary observer. To
be sure, there are some sporadic efforts, mere reiterations. The majority of
the ancient word pictures are distorted views on our subject by partisan
writers, contemporary moralists on the one side, satirists on the other.
Neither of them, we venture to say, knew the subject professionally. They
were not specialists in the sense of modern writers like Reynière, Rumohr,
Vaerst; nor did they approach in technical knowledge medieval writers like
Martino, Platina, Torinus.
True there were exceptions. Athenaeus, a most prolific and voluble magiric
commentator, quoting many writers and specialists whose names but for
him would have never reached posterity. Athenaeus tells about these
gastronomers, the greatest of them, Archestratos, men who might have
contributed so much to our knowledge of the ancient world, but to us these
names remain silent, for the works of these men have perished with the rest
of the great library at the disposal of this genial host of Alexandria.
Too, there are Anacharsis and Petronius. They and Athenaeus cannot be
overlooked. These three form the bulk of our evidence.
Take on the other hand Plutarch, Seneca, Tertullian, even Pliny, writers who
have chiefly contributed to our defective knowledge of the ancient table.

They were no gourmets. They were biased, unreliable at best, as regards
culinary matters. They deserve our attention merely because they are above
the ever present mob of antique reformers and politicians of whom there
was legion in Rome alone, under the pagan régime. Their state of mind and
their intolerance towards civilized dining did not improve with the advent
of Christianity.
The moralists’ testimony is substantiated and supplemented rather than
refuted by their very antipodes, the satirists, a group headed by Martial,
Juvenal and the incomparable Petronius, who really is in a class by himself.
There is one more man worthy of mention in our particular study, Horace, a
true poet, the most objective of all writers, man-about-town, pet of society,
mundane genius, gifted to look calmly into the innermost heart of his time.
His eyes fastened a correct picture on the sensitive diaphragm of a good
memory, leaving an impression neither distorted nor “out of focus.” His eye
did not “pick up,” for sundry reasons, the defects of the objects of
observation, nor did it work with the uncanny joy of subconscious
exaggeration met with so frequently in modern writing, nor did he indulge
in that predilection for ugly detail sported by modern art.
So much for Horatius, poet. Still, he was not a specialist in our line. We
cannot enroll him among the gifted gourmets no matter how many meals he
enjoyed at the houses of his society friends. We are rather inclined to place
him among the host of writers, ancient and modern, who have treated the
subject of food with a sort of sovereign contempt, or at least with
indifference, because its study presented unsurmountable difficulties, and
the subject, per se, was a menial one. With this attitude of our potential
chief witnesses defined, we have no occasion to further appeal to them here,
and we might proceed to real business, to the sifting of the trustworthy
material at hand. It is really a relief to know that we have no array of
formidable authorities to be considered in our study. We have virgin field
before us—i.e., the ruins of ancient greatness grown over by a jungle of two
thousand years of hostile posterity.

Pompeii

Pompeii was destroyed in A.D. 79. From its ruins we have obtained in the
last half century more information about the intimate domestic and public
life of the ancients than from any other single source. What is more
important, this vast wealth of information is first hand, unspoiled,
undiluted, unabridged, unbiased, uncensored;—in short, untouched by
meddlesome human hands.
Though only a provincial town, Pompeii was a prosperous mercantile place,
a representative market-place, a favorite resort for fashionable people. The
town had hardly recuperated from a preliminary attack by that treacherous
mountain, Vesuvius, when a second onslaught succeeded in complete
destruction. Suddenly, without warning, this lumbering force majeur visited
the ill-fated towns in its vicinity with merciless annihilation. The
population, just then enjoying the games in the amphitheatre outside of the
“downtown” district, had had hardly time to save their belongings. They
escaped with their bare lives. Only the aged, the infirm, the prisoners and
some faithful dogs were left behind. Today their bodies in plaster casts may
be seen, mute witnesses to a frightful disaster. The town was covered with
an airtight blanket of ashes, lava and fine pumice stone. There was no
prolonged death struggle, no perceivable decay extended over centuries as
was the cruel lot of Pompeii’s mistress, Rome. There were no agonies to
speak of. The great event was consummated within a few hours. The peace
of death settled down to reign supreme after the dust had been driven away
by the gentle breezes coming in from the bay of Naples. Some courageous
citizens returned, searching in the hot ashes for the crashed-in roofs of their
villas, to recover this or that. Perhaps they hoped to salvage the strong box
in the atrium, or a heirloom from the triclinium. But soon they gave up.
Despairing, or hoping for better days to come, they vanished in the mist of
time. Pompeii, the fair, the hospitable, the gay city, just like any individual
out of luck, was and stayed forgotten. The Pompeians, their joys, sorrows,
their work and play, their virtues and vices—everything was arrested with
one single stroke, stopped, even as a camera clicks, taking a snapshot.
The city’s destruction, it appears, was a formidable opening blow dealt the
Roman empire in the prime of its life, in a war of extermination waged by
hostile invisible forces. Pompeii makes one believe in “Providence.” A
great disaster actually moulding, casting a perfect image of the time for
future generations! To be exact, it took these generations eighteen centuries

to discover and to appreciate the heritage that was theirs, buried at the foot
of Vesuvius. During these long dark and dusky centuries charming goat
herds had rested unctuous shocks of hair upon mysterious columns that, like
young giant asparagus, stuck their magnificent heads out of the ground.
Blinking drowsily at yonder villainous mountain, the summit of which is
eternally crowned with a halo of thin white smoke, such as we are
accustomed to see arising from the stacks of chemical factories, the
confident shepherd would lazily implore his patron saint to enjoin that
unreliable devilish force within lest the dolce far niente of the afternoon be
disturbed, for siestas are among the most important functions in the life of
that region. Occasionally the more enterprising would arm themselves with
pick-axe and shovel, made bold by whispered stories of fabulous wealth,
and, defying the evil spirits protecting it, they would set out on an
expedition of loot and desecration of the tomb of ancient splendor.
Only about a century and a half ago the archaeological conscience awoke.
Only seventy-five years ago energetic moves made possible a fruitful
pilgrimage to this shrine of humanity, while today not more than two-thirds
but perhaps the most important parts of the city have been opened to our
astonished eyes by men who know.
And now: we may see that loaf of bread baked nineteen centuries ago, as
found in the bake shop. We may inspect the ingenious bake oven where it
was baked. We may see the mills that ground the flour for the bread, and,
indeed find unground wheat kernels. We see the oil still preserved in the
jugs, the residue of wine still in the amphorae, the figs preserved in jars, the
lentils, the barley, the spices in the cupboard; everything awaits our
pleasure: the taverns with their “bars”; the ancient guests’ opinion of Mine
Host scribbled on the wall, the kitchens with their implements, the boudoirs
of milady’s with the cosmetics and perfumes in the compacts. There are the
advertisements on the walls, the foods praised with all the eclat of modern
advertising, the election notices, the love missives, the bank deposits, the
theatre tickets, law records, bills of sale.
Phantom-like yet real there are the good citizens of a good town, parading,
hustling, loafing—sturdy patricians, wretched plebeians, stern centurios,
boastful soldiers, scheming politicians, crafty law-clerks, timid scribes,
chattering barbers, bullying gladiators, haughty actors, dusty travelers,

making for Albinus’, the famous host at the Via della Abbondanza or, would
he give preference to Sarinus, the son of Publius, who advertised so
cleverly? Or, perhaps, could he afford to stop at the “Fortunata” Hotel,
centrally located?
There are, too, the boorish hayseeds from out of town trying to sell their
produce, unaccustomed to the fashionable Latin-Greek speech of the city
folks, gaping with their mouths wide open, greedily at the steaks of
sacrificial meat displayed behind enlarging glasses in the cheap cook shop
windows. There they giggle and chuckle, those wily landlords with their
blasé habitués and their underlings, the greasy cooks, the roguish “good
mixers” at the bar and the winsome if resolute copæ—waitresses—all ready
to go, to do business. So slippery are the cooks that Plautus calls one
Congrio—sea eel—so black that another deserves the title Anthrax—coal.
There they are, one and all, the characters necessary to make up what we
call civilization, chattering agitatedly in a lingo of Latin-Greek-Oscan—as
if life were a continuous market day.
It takes no particular scholarship, only a little imagination and human
sympathy to see and to hear the ghosts of Pompeii.
There is no pose about this town, no mise-en-scène, no stage-setting. No
heroic gesture. No theatricals, in short, no lies. There is to be found no
shred of that vainglorious cloak which humans will deftly drape about their
shoulders whenever they happen to be aware of the camera. There is no
“registering” of any kind here.
Pompeii’s natural and pleasant disposition, therefore, is ever so much more
in evidence. Not a single one of this charming city’s movements was
intended for posterity. Her life stands before our eyes in clear reality, in
naked, unadorned truth. Indeed, there were many things that the good folks
would have loved to point to with pride. You have to search for these now.
There are, alas and alack, a few things they would have hidden, had they
only known what was in store for them. But all these things, good,
indifferent and bad, remained in their places; and here they are,
unsuspecting, real, natural, charming like Diana and her wood nymphs.

Were it not quite superfluous, we would urgently recommend the study of
Pompeii to the students of life in general and to those of Antiquity in
particular. Those who would know something about the ancient table cannot
do without Pompeii.

Three Ancient Writers: Anacharsis, Apicius, Petronius

To those who lay stress upon documentary evidence or literary testimony, to
those trusting implicitly in the honesty and reliability of writers of fiction,
we would recommend Petronius Arbiter.
His cena Trimalchionis, Trimalchio’s dinner, is the sole surviving piece
from the pen of a Roman contemporary, giving detailed information on our
subject. It is, too, the work of a great writer moving in the best circles, and,
therefore, so much more desirable as an expert. Petronius deserves to be
quoted in full but his work is too well-known, and our space too short.
However, right here we wish to warn the student to bear in mind in perusing
Petronius that this writer, in his cena, is not depicting a meal but that he is
satirizing a man—that makes all the difference in the world as far as we are
concerned. Petronius’ cena is plainly an exaggeration, but even from its
distorted contours the student may recognize the true lines of an ancient
meal.
There is, not so well-known a beautiful picture of an Athenian dinner party
which must not be overlooked, for it contains a wealth of information.
Although Greek, we learn from it much of the Roman conditions.
Anacharsis’ description of a banquet at Athens, dating back to the fourth
century B.C. about the time when the Periclean régime flourished, is worth
your perusal. A particularly good version of this tale is rendered by Baron
Vaerst in his book “Gastrosophie,” Leipzig, 1854, who has based his
version on the original translation from the Greek, entitled, Voyage du jeune
Anacharsis en Grèce vers le milieu du quatrième siècle avant l’ère vulgaire
par J. J. Barthélemy, Paris, 1824. Vaerst has amplified the excerpts from the
young traveler’s observations by quotations from other ancient Greek
writers upon the subject, thus giving us a most beautiful and authentic ideal
description of Greek table manners and habits when Athens had reached the
height in culture, refinement and political greatness.

Anacharsis was not a Hellene but a Scythian visitor. By his own admission
he is no authority on Grecian cookery, but as a reporter he excels.
This truly Hellenic discussion of the art of eating and living at the table of
the cultured Athenians is the most profound discourse we know of, ancient
or modern, on eating. The wisdom revealed in this tale is lasting, and, like
Greek marble, consummate in external beauty and inner worth.
We thus possess the testimony of two contemporary writers which together
with the book of Apicius and with what we learn from Athenaeus should
give a fair picture of ancient eating and cookery.
Apicius is our most substantial witness.
Unfortunately, this source has not been spared by meddlesome men, and it
has not reached us in its pristine condition. As a matter of fact, Apicius has
been badly mauled throughout the centuries. This book has always attracted
attention, never has it met with indifference. In the middle ages it became
the object of intensive study, interpretation, controversy—in short it has
attracted interest that has lasted into modern times.
When, with the advent of the dark ages, it ceased to be a practical cookery
book, it became a treasure cherished by the few who preserved the classical
literature, and after the invention of printing it became the object of
curiosity, even mystery. Some interpreters waxed enthusiastic over it, others
who failed to understand it, condemned it as hopeless and worthless.
The pages of our Apiciana plainly show the lasting interest in our ancient
book, particularly ever since its presence became a matter of common
knowledge during the first century of printing.
The Apicius book is the most ancient of European cookery books. However,
Platina’s work, de honesta uolvptate, is the first cookery book to appear in
print. Platina, in 1474, was more up-to-date. His book had a larger
circulation. But its vogue stopped after a century while Apicius marched on
through centuries to come, tantalizing the scholars, amusing the curious
gourmets if not educated cooks to the present day.

Apicius, the Man

Who was Apicius? This is the surname of several renowned gastronomers
of old Rome. There are many references and anecdotes in ancient literature
to men bearing this name. Two Apicii have definitely been accounted for.
The older one, Marcus A. lived at the time of Sulla about 100 B.C. The man
we are most interested in, M. Gabius Apicius, lived under Augustus and
Tiberius, 80 B.C. to A.D. 40. However, both these men had a reputation for
their good table.

Athenaeus on Apicius

It is worth noting that the well-read Athenaeus, conversant with most
authors of Antiquity makes no mention of the Apicius book. This collection
of recipes, then, was not in general circulation during Athenaei time
(beginning of the third century of our era), that, maybe, it was kept a secret
by some Roman cooks. On the other hand it is possible that the Apicius
book did not exist during the time of Athenaeus in the form handed down to
us and that the monographs on various departments of cookery (most of
them of Greek origin, works of which indeed Athenaeus speaks) were
collected after the first quarter of the third century and were adorned with
the name of Apicius merely because his fame as a gourmet had endured.
What Athenaeus knows about Apicius (one of three known famous eaters
bearing that name) is the following:
“About the time of Tiberius [42 B.C.-37 A.D.] there lived a man,
named Apicius; very rich and luxurious, for whom several kinds
of cheesecake called Apician, are named [not found in our
present A.]. He spent myriads of drachmas on his belly, living
chiefly at Minturnæ, a city of Campania, eating very expensive
crawfish, which are found in that place superior in size to those
of Smyrna, or even to the crabs of Alexandria. Hearing, too, that
they were very large in Africa, he sailed thither, without waiting
a single day, and suffered exceedingly on his voyage. But when
he came near the coast, before he disembarked (for his arrival
made a great stir among the Africans) the fishermen came
alongside in their boats and brought him some very fine
crawfish; and he, when he saw them, asked if they had any finer;
and when they said that there were none finer than those which

they had brought, he, recollecting those at Minturnæ ordered the
master of the ship to sail back the same way into Italy, without
going near the land....
“When the emperor Trajan [A.D. 52 or 53-117] was in Parthia [a
country in Asia, part of Persia?] at a distance of many days from
the sea, Apicius sent him fresh oysters, which he had kept so by
a clever contrivance of his own; real oysters....”
(The instructions given in our Apicius book, Recipe 14, for the keeping of
oysters would hardly guarantee their safe arrival on such a journey as
described above.)
Athenaeus tells us further that many of the Apician recipes were famous
and that many dishes were named after him. This confirms the theory that
Apicius was not the author of the present book but that the book was
dedicated to him by an unknown author or compiler. Athenaeus also
mentions one Apion who wrote a book on luxurious living. Whether this
man is identical with the author or patron of our book is problematic.
Torinus, in his epistola dedicatoria to the 1541 edition expresses the same
doubt.
Marcus Gabius (or Gavius) Apicius lived during Rome’s most interesting
epoch, when the empire had reached its highest point, when the seeds of
decline, not yet apparent, were in the ground, when in the quiet villages of
that far-off province, Palestine, the Saviour’s doctrines fascinated humble
audiences—teachings that later reaching the very heart of the world’s
mistress were destined to tarnish the splendor of that autocrat.
According to the mention by various writers, this man, M. Gabius Apicius,
was one of the many ancient gastronomers who took the subject of food
seriously. Assuming a scientific attitude towards eating and food they were
criticised for paying too much attention to their table. This was considered a
superfluous and indeed wicked luxury when frugality was a virtue. These
men who knew by intuition the importance of knowing something about
nutrition are only now being vindicated by the findings of modern science.
M. Gabius Apicius, this most famous of the celebrated and much maligned
bon-vivants, quite naturally took great interest in the preparation of food.

He is said to have originated many dishes himself; he collected much
material on the subject and he endowed a school for the teaching of cookery
and for the promotion of culinary ideas. This very statement by his critics
places him high in our esteem, as it shows him up as a scientist and
educator. He spent his vast fortune for food, as the stories go, and when he
had only a quarter million dollars left (a paltry sum today but a considerable
one in those days when gold was scarce and monetary standards in a worse
muddle than today) Apicius took his own life, fearing that he might have to
starve to death some day.
This story seems absurd on the face of it, yet Seneca and Martial tell it
(both with different tendencies) and Suidas, Albino and other writers repeat
it without critical analysis. These writers who are unreliable in culinary
matters anyway, claim that Apicius spent one hundred million sestertii on
his appetite—in gulam. Finally when the hour of accounting came he found
that there were only ten million sestertii left, so he concluded that life was
not worth living if his gastronomic ideas could no longer be carried out in
the accustomed and approved style, and he took poison at a banquet
especially arranged for the occasion.
In the light of modern experience with psychology, with economics,
depressions, journalism, we focus on this and similar stories, and we find
them thoroughly unreliable. We cannot believe this one. It is too
melodramatic, too moralistic perhaps to suit our modern taste. The
underlying causes for the conduct, life and end of Apicius have not been
told. Of course, we have to accept the facts as reported. If only a Petronius
had written that story! What a story it might have been! But there is only
one Petronius in antiquity. His Trimalchio, former slave, successful
profiteer and food speculator, braggard and drunkard, wife-beater—an
upstart who arranged extravagant banquets merely to show off, who, by the
way, also arranged for his funeral at his banquet (Apician fashion and,
indeed, Petronian fashion! for Petronius died in the same manner) and who
peacefully “passed out” soundly intoxicated—this man is a figure true to
life as it was then, as it is now and as it probably will continue to be. Last
but not least: Mrs. Trimalchio, the resolute lady who helped him “make his
pile”—these are human characters much more real, much more trustworthy
than anything and everything else ever depicted by any ancient pen; they
bring out so graphically the modernity of antiquity. Without Petronius and

Pompeii the antique world would forever remain at an inexplicably remote
distance to our modern conception of life. With him, and with the dead city,
the riddles of antiquity are cleared up.

The Book

Many dishes listed in Apicius are named for various celebrities who
flourished at a later date than the second Apicius. It is noteworthy, however,
that neither such close contemporaries as Heliogabalus and Nero, notorious
gluttons, nor Petronius, the arbiter of fashion of the period, are among the
persons thus honored. Vitellius, a later glutton, is well represented in the
book. It is fair to assume, then, that the author or collector of our present
Apicius lived long after the second Apicius, or, at least, that the book was
augmented by persons posterior to M. Gabius A. The book in its present
state was probably completed about the latter part of the third century. It is
almost certain that many recipes were added to a much earlier edition.

Probably of Greek Parentage

We may as well add another to the many speculations by saying that it is
quite probable for our book to originate in a number of Greek manuals or
monographs on specialized subjects or departments of cookery. Such
special treatises are mentioned by Athenaeus (cf. Humelbergius, quoted by
Lister). The titles of each chapter (or book) are in Greek, the text is full of
Greek terminology. While classification under the respective titles is not
strictly adhered to at all times, it is significant that certain subjects, that of
fish cookery, for instance, appear twice in the book, the same subject
showing treatment by widely different hands. Still more significant is the
absence in our book of such important departments as desserts—dulcia—
confections in which the ancients were experts. Bakery, too, even the
plainest kind, is conspicuously absent in the Apician books. The latter two
trades being particularly well developed, were departmentalized to an
astonishing degree in ancient Greece and Rome. These indispensable books
are simply wanting in our book if it be but a collection of Greek
monographs. Roman culture and refinement of living, commencing about
200-250 years before our era was under the complete rule of Hellas. Greek

influence included everybody from philosophers, artists, architects, actors,
law-makers to cooks.
“The conquered thus conquered the conquerors.”
Humelbergius makes a significant reference to the origin of Apicius. We
confess, we have not checked up this worthy editor nor his successor, Dr.
Lister, whom he quotes in the preface as to the origin of our book. With
reference to Plato’s work, Humelbergius says:
“Que res tota spectat medicinæ partem, quæ diaitetike
appelatur, et victu medetur: at in hac tes diaitetikes parte totus
est Apicius noster.”
In our opinion, unfounded of course by positive proof, the Apicius book is
somewhat of a gastronomic bible, consisting of ten different books by
several authors, originating in Greece and taken over by the Romans along
with the rest of Greek culture as spoils of war. These books, or chapters, or
fragments thereof, must have been in vogue long before they were collected
and assembled in the present form. Editions, or copies of the same must
have been numerous, either singly or collectively, at the beginning of our
era. As a matter of fact, the Excerpts by Vinidarius, found in the codex
Salmasianus prove this theory and give rise to the assumption that the
Apicius book was a standard work for cookery that existed at one time or
other in a far more copious volume and that the present Apicius is but a
fragment of a formerly vaster and more complete collection of culinary and
medical formulæ.
Thus a fragmentary Apicius has been handed down to us in manuscript
form through the centuries, through the revolutionary era of Christian
ascendancy, through the dark ages down to the Renaissance. Unknown
agencies, mostly medical and monastic, stout custodians of antique
learning, reverent lovers of good cheer have preserved it for us until
printing made possible the book’s wide distribution among the scholars.
Just prior to Gutenberg’s epoch-making printing press there was a spurt of
interest in our book in Italy, as attested to by a dozen of manuscripts, copied
in the fourteenth and the fifteenth centuries.

Apicius may justly be called the world’s oldest cookery book; the very old
Sanscrit book, Vasavarayeyam, unknown to us except by name, is said to be
a tract on vegetarian cookery.
The men who have preserved this work for future generations, who have
made it accessible to the public (as was Lister’s intention) have performed a
service to civilization that is not to be underestimated. They have done
better than the average archaeologist with one or another find to his credit.
The Apicius book is a living thing, capable of creating happiness. Some
gastronomic writers have pointed out that the man who discovers a new
dish does more for humanity than the man who discovers a new star,
because the discovery of a new dish affects the happiness of mankind more
pleasantly than the addition of a new planet to an already overcrowded
chart of the universe. Viewing Apicius from such a materialistic point of
view he should become very popular in this age of ours so keen for utilities
of every sort.

Cœlius-Cælius

The name of another personality is introduced in connection with the book,
namely that of Cœlius or Cælius. This name is mentioned in the title of the
first undated edition (ca. 1483-6) as Celius. Torinus, 1541, places “Cælius”
before “Apicius”; Humelbergius, 1542, places “Cœlius” after A. Lister
approves of this, berating Torinus for his willful methods of editing the
book: “En hominem in conjecturis sane audacissimus!” If any of them were
correct about “Cœlius,” Torinus would be the man. (Cf. Schanz, Röm. Lit.
Gesch., Müller’s Handbuch d. klass. Altertums-Wissenschaft, V III, 112, p.
506.) However, there is no raison d’être for Cœlius.
His presence and the unreality thereof has been cleared up by Vollmer, as
will be duly shown. The squabble of the medieval savants has also given
rise to the story that Apicius is but a joke perpetrated upon the world by a
medieval savant. This will be refuted also later on. Our book is a genuine
Roman. Medieval savants have made plenty of Roman “fakes,” for sundry
reasons. A most ingenious hoax was the “completion” of the Petronius
fragment by a scholar able to hoodwink his learned contemporaries by an
exhibition of Petronian literary style and a fertile imagination. Ever so
many other “fakers” were shown up in due time. When this version of

Petronius was pronounced genuine by the scientific world, the perpetrator
of the “joke” confessed, enjoying a good laugh at the expense of his
colleagues. But we shall presently understand how such a “joke” with
Apicius would be impossible. Meanwhile, we crave the indulgence of the
modern reader with our mention of Cœlius. We desire to do full justice to
the ancient work and complete the presentation of its history. The
controversies that have raged over it make this course necessary.
Our predecessors have not had the benefit of modern communication, and,
therefore, could not know all that is to be known on the subject. We
sympathize with Lister yet do not condemn Torinus. If Torinus ever dared
making important changes in the old text, they are easily ascertained by
collation with other texts. This we have endeavored to do. Explaining the
discrepancies, it will be noted that we have not given a full vote of
confidence to Lister.
Why should the mysterious Cœlius or Cælius, if such an author or compiler
of a tome on cookery existed affix the name of “Apicius” to it? The reason
would be commercial gain, prestige accruing from the name of that cookery
celebrity. Such business sense would not be extraordinary. Modern cooks
pursue the same method. Witness the innumerable à la soandsos. Babies,
apartment houses, streets, cities, parks, dogs, race horses, soap, cheese,
herring, cigars, hair restorers are thus named today. “Apicius” on the front
page of any ancient cookery book would be perfectly consistent with the
ancient spirit of advertising. It has been stated, too, that Cœlius had more
than one collaborator. Neither can this be proven.
The copyists have made many changes throughout the original text.
Misspelling of terms, ignorance of cookery have done much to obscure the
meaning. The scribes of the middle ages had much difficulty in this respect
since medieval Latin is different from Apician language.
The very language of the original is proof for its authenticity. The desire of
Torinus to interpret to his medieval readers the ancient text is pardonable.
How much or how little he succeeded is attested to by some of his
contemporary readers, former owners of our copies. Scholars plainly
confess inability to decipher Apicius by groans inscribed on the fly leaves
and title pages in Latin, French and other languages. One French scholar of

the 16th century, apparently “kidded” for studying an undecipherable cook
book, stoically inscribes the title page of our Lyon, 1541, copy with: “This
amuses me. Why make fun of me?” This sort of message, reaching us out of
the dim past of bygone centuries is among the most touching reading we
have done, and has urged us on with the good though laborious and
unprofitable work.
Notwithstanding its drawbacks, our book is a classic both as to form and
contents. It has served as a prototype of most ancient and modern books. Its
influence is felt to the present day.
The book has often been cited by old writers as proof of the debaucheries
and the gluttony of ancient Rome. Nothing could be further from the truth
because these writers failed to understand the book.
The Apicius book reflects the true condition (partly so, because it is
incomplete) of the kitchen prevailing at the beginning of our era when the
mistress of the Old World was in her full regalia, when her ample body had
not yet succumbed to that fatty degeneration of the interior so fatal to ever
so many individuals, families, cities and nations.
We repeat, our Apicius covers Rome’s healthy epoch; hence the importance
of the book. The voluptuous concoctions, the fabulous dishes, the
proverbial excesses that have made decent people shudder with disgust
throughout the ages are not known to Apicius. If they ever existed at all in
their traditional ugliness they made their appearance after Apicius’ time. We
recall, Petronius, describing some of these “stunts” is a contemporary of
Nero (whom he satirizes as “Trimalchio”). So is Seneca, noble soul, another
victim of Cæsarean insanity; he, too, describes Imperial excesses. These
extremely few foolish creations are really at the bottom of the cause for this
misunderstanding of true Roman life. Such stupidity has allowed the joy of
life which, as Epikuros and Platina believe, may be indulged in with perfect
virtue and honesty to become a byword among all good people who are not
gastronomers either by birth, by choice or by training.
With due justice to the Roman people may we be permitted to say that
proverbial excesses were exceedingly rare occurrences. The follies and the
vices of a Nero, a boy Heliogabalus, a Pollio, a Vitellius and a few other
notorious wasters are spread sporadically over a period of at least eight

hundred years. Between these cases of gastronomic insanity lie wellnigh a
thousand years of everyday grind and drudgery of the Roman people. The
bulk was miserably fed as compared with modern standards of living. Only
a few patricians could afford “high living.” Since a prosperous bourgeoisie
(usually the economic and gastronomic background of any nation) was
practically unknown in Rome, where the so-called middle classes were in
reality poor, shiftless and floating freedmen, it is evident that the bulk of the
population because of the empire’s unsettled economic conditions, its
extensive system of slavery (precluding all successful practice of trades by
freemen), the continuous military operations, the haphazard financial
system, was forced to live niggardly. The contrast between the middle
classes and the upper classes seemed very cruel. This condition may
account for the many outcries against the “extravagances” of the few
privileged ones who could afford decent food and for the exaggerated
stories about their table found in the literature of the time.
The seemingly outlandish methods of Apician food preparation become
plain and clear in the light of social evolution. “Evolution” is perhaps not
the right word to convey our idea of social perpetual motion.
Apicius used practically all the cooking utensils in use today. He only
lacked gas, electricity and artificial refrigeration, modern achievements
while useful in the kitchen and indispensable in wholesale production and
for labor saving, that have no bearing on purely gastronomical problems.
There is only one difference between the cooking utensils of yore and the
modern products: the old ones are hand-made, more individualistic, more
beautiful, more artistic than our machine-made varieties.
Despite his strangeness and remoteness, Apicius is not dead by any means.
We have but to inspect (as Gollmer has pointed out) the table of the
Southern Europeans to find Apician traditions alive. In the Northern
countries, too, are found his traces. To think that Apicius should have
survived in the North of Europe, far removed from his native soil, is a
rather audacious suggestion. But the keen observer can find him in Great
Britain, Scandinavia and the Baltic provinces today. The conquerors and
seafarers coming from the South have carried the pollen of gastronomic
flowers far into the North where they adjusted themselves to soil and
climate. Many a cook of the British isles, of Southern Sweden, Holstein,

Denmark, Friesland, Pomerania still observes Apicius rules though he may
not be aware of the fact.
We must realize that Apicius is only a book, a frail hand-made record and
that, while the record itself might have been forgotten, its principles have
become international property, long ago. Thus they live on. Like a living
thing—a language, a custom, they themselves may have undergone
changes, “improvements,” alterations, augmentation, corruption. But the
character has been preserved; a couple of thousand years are, after all, but a
paltry matter. Our own age is but the grandchild of antiquity. The words we
utter, in their roots, are those of our grandfathers. And so do many dishes
we eat today resemble those once enjoyed by Apicius and his friends.
Is it necessary to point the tenacity of the spirit of the Antique, reaching
deep into the modern age? The latest Apicius edition in the original Latin is
dated 1922!
The gastronomic life of Europe was under the complete rule of old Rome
until the middle of the seventeenth century. Then came a sudden change for
modernity, comparable to the rather abrupt change of languages from the
fashionable Latin to the national idioms and vernacular, in England and
Germany under the influence of literary giants like Luther, Chaucer,
Shakespeare.
All medieval food literature of the continent and indeed the early cookery
books of England prior to La Varenne (Le Cuisinier François, 1654) are
deeply influenced by Apicius. The great change in eating, resulting in a new
gastronomic order, attained its highest peak of perfection just prior to the
French revolution. Temporarily suspended by this social upheaval, it
continued to flourish until about the latter part of last century. The last
decades of this new order is often referred to as the classical period of
gastronomy, with France claiming the laurels for its development. “Classic”
for reasons we do not know (Urbain Dubois, outstanding master of this
period wrote “La Cuisine classique”) except that its precepts appeal as
classical to our notion of eating. This may not correspond to the views of
posterity, we had therefore better wait a century or two before proclaiming
our system of cookery “classical.”

Disposing of that old “classic,” Apicius, as slowly as a conservative
cooking world could afford to do, the present nations set out to cultivate a
taste for things that a Roman would have pronounced unfit for a slave. Still,
the world moves on. Conquest, discovery of foreign parts, the New World,
contributed fine things to the modern table,—old forgotten foods were
rediscovered—endless lists of materials and combinations, new daring,
preposterous dishes that made the younger generation rejoice while old
folks looked on gasping with dismay, despair, contempt.
Be it sufficient to remark that the older practitioners of our own days,
educated in “classic” cuisine again are quite apprehensive of their traditions
endangered by the spirit of revolt of the young against the old. Again and
again we hear of a decline that has set in, and even by the best authorities
alarmist notes are spread to the effect that “we have begun our journey
back, step by step to our primitive tree and our primitive nuts” (Pennell.
Does Spengler consider food in his “Decline of the West?”).
It matters not whether we share this pessimism, nor what we may have to
say pro or con this question of “progress” or “retrogression” in eating (or in
anything else for that matter). In fact we are not concerned with the
question here more than to give it passing attention.
If “classic” cookery is dying nowadays, if it cannot reassert itself that would
be a loss to mankind. But this classic cookery system has so far only been
the sole and exclusive privilege of a dying aristocracy. It seems quite in
order that it should go under in the great Götterdämmerung that
commenced with the German peasants wars of the sixteenth century, flaring
up (as the second act) in the French revolution late in the eighteenth
century, the Act III of which drama has been experienced in our own days.
The common people as yet have never had an active part in the enjoyment
of the classic art of eating. So far, they always provided the wherewithal,
and looked on, holding the bag. Modern hotels, because of their commercial
character, have done little to perpetuate it. They merely have
commercialized the art. Beyond exercising ordinary salesmanship, our
maîtres d’hôtel have not educated our nouveaux riches in the mysteries and
delights of gastronomy. Hotelmen are not supposed to be educators, they
merely cater to a demand. And our new aristocracy has been too busy with

limousines, golf, divorces and electricity to bemourn the decline of classic
cookery.
Most people “get by” without the benefit of classic cookery, subsisting on a
medley of edibles, tenaciously clinging to mother’s traditions, to things “as
she used to make them,” and mother’s methods still savor of Apicius.
Surely, this is no sign of retrogression but of tenacity.
The only fundamental difference between Roman dining and that of our
own times may be found in these two indisputable facts—
(First) Devoid of the science of agriculture, without any advanced
mechanical means, food was not raised in a very systematic way; if it
happened to be abundant, Roma lacked storage and transportation facilities
to make good use of it. There never were any food supplies on any large,
extensive and scientific scale, hence raw materials, the wherewithal of a
“classic” meal, were expensive.
(Second) Skilled labor, so vital for the success of any good dinner, so
imperative for the rational preparation of food was cheap to those who held
slaves.
Hence, the culinary conditions of ancient Rome were exactly the opposite
of today’s state of affairs. Then, good food was expensive while good labor
was cheap. Now, good food is cheap while skilled labor is at a premium.
Somehow, good, intelligent “labor” is reluctant to devote itself to food. That
is another story. The chances for a good dinner seemed to be in favor of the
Romans—but only for a favored few. Those of us, although unable to
command a staff of experts, but able to prepare their own meals rationally
and serve them well are indeed fortunate. With a few dimes they may dine
in royal fashion. If our much maligned age has achieved anything at all it
has at least enabled the working “slave” of the “masses” to dine in a manner
that even princes could hardly match in former days, a manner indeed that
the princes of our own time could not improve upon. The fly in the
ointment is that most modern people do not know how to handle and to
appreciate food. This condition, however, may be remedied by instruction
and education.

Slowly, the modern masses are learning to emulate their erstwhile masters
in the art of eating. They have the advantages of the great improvements in
provisioning as compared with former days, thanks chiefly to the great lines
of communication established by modern commerce, thanks to scientific
agriculture and to the spirit of commercial enterprise and its resulting
prosperity.
There are two “Ifs” in the path to humanity’s salvation, at least, that of its
table. If the commercialization of cookery, i.e., the wholesale production of
ready-made foods for the table does not completely enthrall the housewife
and if we can succeed to educate the masses to make rational, craftsmanlike
use of our wonderful stores of edibles, employing or modifying to this end
the rules of classic cookery, there really should be no need for any serious
talk about our journey back to the primitive nuts. Even Spengler might be
wrong then. Adequate distribution of our foods and rational use thereof
seem to be one of the greatest problems today.

The Authenticity of Apicius

Age-old mysteries surrounding our book have not yet been cleared up.
Medieval savants have squabbled in vain. Mrs. Pennell’s worries and the
fears of the learned Englishmen that Apicius might be a hoax have proven
groundless. Still, the mystery of this remarkable book is as perplexing as
ever. The authorship will perhaps never be established. But let us forever
dispel any doubt about its authenticity.
Modern writers have never doubted the genuineness. To name but a few
who believe in Apicius: Thudichum, Vollmer, Brandt, Vicaire, Rumohr,
Schuch, Habs, Gollmer.
What matters the identity of the author? Who wrote the Iliad, the Odyssey,
the Nibelungen-Lied? Let us be thankful for possessing them!
Apicius is a genuine document of Roman imperial days. There can be no
doubt of that!
The unquestionable age of the earliest known manuscripts alone suffices to
prove this.

The philologist gives his testimony, too. A medieval scholar could never
have manufactured Apicius, imitating his strikingly original terminology.
“Faking” a technical treatise requires an intimate knowledge of technical
terms and familiarity with the ramifications of an intricate trade. We
recommend a comparison of Platina’s text with Apicius: the difference of
ancient and medieval Latin is convincing. Striking examples of this kind
have been especially noted in our dictionary of technical terms.

Latin Slang

H. C. Coote, in his commentary on Apicius (cit. Apiciana) in speaking of
pan gravy, remarks:
“Apicius calls this by the singular phrase of jus de suo sibi! and
sometimes though far less frequently, succus suus. This phrase is
curious enough in itself to deserve illustration. It is true old
fashioned Plautian Latinity, and if other proof were wanting
would of itself demonstrate the genuineness of the Apician text.”
This scholar goes on quoting from Plautus, Captivi, Act I, sc. 2, vv. 12, 13;
Amphitruo, Act I, sc. q.v. 116 and ibid. v. 174; and from Asinaria, Act IV,
sc. 2, vv. 16 and 17 to prove this, and he further says:
“The phrase is a rare remnant of the old familiar language of
Rome, such as slaves talked so long, that their masters
ultimately adopted it—a language of which Plautus gives us
glimpses and which the graffiti may perhaps help to restore.
When Varius was emperor, this phrase of the kitchen was as rife
as when Plautus wrote—a proof that occasionally slang has been
long lived.”
Coote is a very able commentator. He has translated in the article quoted a
number of Apician formulæ; and betrays an unusual culinary knowledge.

Modern Research

Modern means of communication and photography have enabled scientists
in widely different parts to study our book from all angles, to scrutinize the

earliest records, the Vatican and the New York manuscripts and the codex
Salmasianus in Paris.
Friedrich Vollmer, of Munich, in his Studien (cit. Apiciana) has treated the
manuscripts exhaustively, carrying to completion the research begun by
Schuch, Traube, Ihm, Studemund, Giarratano and others with Brandt, his
pupil, carrying on the work of Vollmer. More modern scientists deeply
interested in the origin of our book! None doubting its genuineness.
Vollmer is of the opinion that there reposed in the monastery of Fulda,
Germany, an Archetypus which in the ninth century was copied twice: once
in a Turonian hand—the manuscript now kept in the Vatican—the other
copy written partly in insular, partly in Carolingian minuscle—the
Cheltenham codex, now in New York. The common source at Fulda of these
two manuscripts has been established by Traube. There is another testimony
pointing to Fulda as the oldest known source. Pope Nicholas V
commissioned Enoche of Ascoli to acquire old manuscripts in Germany.
Enoche used as a guide a list of works based upon observations by Poggio
in Germany in 1417, listing the Apicius of Fulda. Enoche acquired the
Fulda Apicius. He died in October or November, 1457. On December 10th
of that year, so we know, Giovanni de’Medici requested Stefano de’Nardini,
Governor of Ancona, to procure for him from Enoche’s estate either in copy
or in the original the book, entitled, Appicius de re quoquinaria (cf. No. 3,
Apiciana). It is interesting to note that one of the Milanese editions of 1498
bears a title in this particular spelling. Enoche during his life time had lent
the book to Giovanni Aurispa.
It stands to reason that Poggio, in 1417, viewed at Fulda the Archetypus of
our Apicius, father of the Vatican and the New York manuscripts, then
already mutilated and wanting books IX and X. Six hundred years before
the arrival of Poggio the Fulda book was no longer complete. Already in the
ninth century its title page had been damaged which is proven by the title
page of the Vatican copy which reads:
INCP
API
CÆ

That’s all! The New York copy, it has been noted, has no title page. This
book commences in the middle of the list of chapters; the first part of them
and the title page are gone. We recall that the New York manuscript was
originally bound up with another manuscript, also in the Phillipps library at
Cheltenham. The missing page or pages were probably lost in separating the
two manuscripts. It is possible that Enoche carried with him to Italy one of
the ancient copies, very likely the present New York copy, then already
without a title. At any rate, not more than twenty-five years after his book
hunting expedition we find both copies in Italy. It is strange, furthermore,
that neither of these two ancient copies were used by the fifteenth century
copyists to make the various copies distributed by them, but that an inferior
copy of the Vatican Ms. became the vulgata—the progenitor of this series
of medieval copies. One must bear in mind how assiduously medieval
scribes copied everything that appeared to be of any importance to them,
and how each new copy by virtue of human fallibility or self-sufficiency
must have suffered in the making, and it is only by very careful comparison
of the various manuscripts that the original text may be rehabilitated.
This, to a large extent, Vollmer and Giarratano have accomplished. Vollmer,
too, rejects the idea invented by the humanists, that Apicius had a
collaborator, editor or commentator in the person of Cœlius or Cælius. This
name, so Vollmer claims, has been added to the book by medieval scholars
without any reason except conjecture for such action. They have been
misled by the mutilated title: Api... Cæ...; Vollmer reconstructs this title as
follows:
API[cii artis magiri- (or) opsartyti-]
CÆ[libri X]
Remember, it is the title page only that is thus mutilated. The ten books or
chapters bear the full name of Apicius, never at any time does the name of
Cœlius appear in the text, or at the head of the chapters.
The Archetypus, with the book and the chapters carefully indexed and
numbered as they were, with each article neatly titled, the captions and
capital letters rubricated—heightened by red color, and with its proper
spacing of the articles and chapters must once have been a representative
example of the art of book making as it flourished towards the end of the

period that sealed the fate of the Roman empire, when books of a technical
nature, law books, almanacs, army lists had been developed to a high point
of perfection. Luxurious finish, elaborate illumination point to the fact that
our book (the Vatican copy) was intended for the use in some aristocratic
household.

The Excerpts of Vinidarius

And now, from a source totally different than the two important manuscripts
so much discussed here, we receive additional proof of the authenticity of
Apicius. In the codex Salmasianus (cf. III, Apiciana) we find some thirty
formulæ attributed to Apicius, entitled: Apici excerpta a Vinidario vir. inl.
They have been accepted as genuine by Salmasius and other early scholars.
Schuch incorporated the excerpta with his Apicius, placing the formulæ in
what he believed to be the proper order. This course, for obvious reasons, is
not to be recommended. To be sure, the excerpta are Apician enough in
character, though only a few correspond to, or are actual duplicates of, the
Apician precepts. They are additions to the stock of authentic Apician
recipes. As such, they may not be included but be appended to the
traditional text. The excerpta encourage the belief that at the time of
Vinidarius (got. Vinithaharjis) about the fifth century there must have been
in circulation an Apicius (collection of recipes) much more complete than
the one handed down to us through Fulda. It is furthermore interesting to
note that the excerpta, too, are silent about Cœlius.
We may safely join Vollmer in his belief that M. Gabius Apicius, celebrated
gourmet living during the reign of Tiberius was the real author, or collector,
or sponsor of this collection of recipes, or at least of the major part thereof
—the formulæ bearing the names of posterior gourmets having been added
from time to time. This theory also applies to the two instances where the
name of Varro is mentioned in connection with the preparation of beets and
onions (bulbs). It is hardly possible that the author of the book made these
references to Varro. It is more probable that some well-versed posterior
reader, perusing the said articles, added to his copy: “And Varro prepared
beets this way, and onions that way....” (cf. Book III, [70]) Still, there is no
certainty in this theory either. There were many persons by the names of

Commodus, Trajanus, Frontinianus, such as are appearing in our text, who
were contemporaries of Apicius.
With our mind at ease as regards the genuineness of our book we now may
view it at a closer range.

Obscure Terminology

Apicius contains technical terms that have been the subject of much
speculation and discussion. Liquamen, laser, muria, garum, etc., belong to
these. They will be found in our little dictionary. But we cannot refrain from
discussing some at present to make intelligible the most essential part of the
ancient text.
Take liquamen for instance. It may stand for broth, sauce, stock, gravy,
drippings, even for court bouillon—in fact for any liquid appertaining to or
derived from a certain dish or food material. Now, if Apicius prescribes
liquamen for the preparation of a meat or a vegetable, it is by no means
clear to the uninitiated what he has in mind. In fact, in each case the term
liquamen is subject to the interpretation of the experienced practitioner.
Others than he would at once be confronted with an unsurmountable
difficulty. Scientists may not agree with us, but such is kitchen practice.
Hence the many fruitless controversies at the expense of the original, at the
disappointment of science.
Garum is another word, one upon which much contemptuous witticism and
serious energy has been spent. Garum simply is a generic name for fish
essences. True, garus is a certain and a distinct kind of Mediterranean fish,
originally used in the manufacture of garum; but this product, in the course
of time, has been altered, modified, adulterated,—in short, has been
changed and the term has naturally been applied to all varieties and
variations of fish essences, without distinction, and it has thus become a
collective term, covering all varieties of fish sauces. Indeed, the corruption
and degeneration of this term, garum, had so advanced at the time of
Vinidarius in the fifth century as to lose even its association with any kind
of fish. Terms like garatum (prepared with g.) have been derived from it.
Prepared with the addition of wine it becomes œnogarum,—wine sauce—

and dishes prepared with such wine sauce receive the adjective of
œnogaratum, and so forth.
The original garum was no doubt akin to our modern anchovy sauce, at
least the best quality of the ancient sauce. The principles of manufacture
surely are alike. Garum, like our anchovy sauce, is the purée of a small fish,
named garus, as yet unidentified. The fish, intestines and all, was spiced,
pounded, fermented, salted, strained and bottled for future use. The finest
garum was made of the livers of the fish only, exposed to the sun,
fermented, somehow preserved. It was an expensive article in old Rome,
famed for its medicinal properties. Its mode of manufacture has given rise
to much criticism and scorn on the part of medieval and modern
commentators and interpreters who could not comprehend the “perverse
taste” of the ancients in placing any value on the “essence from putrified
intestines of fish.”
However, garum has been vindicated, confirmed, endorsed, reiterated,
rediscovered, if you please, by modern science! What, pray, is the
difference in principle between garum (the exact nature of which is
unknown) and the oil of the liver of cod (or less expensive fish) exposed to
the beneficial rays of ultraviolet light—artificial sunlight—to imbue the oil
with an extra large and uniform dose of vitamin D? The ancients, it appears,
knew “vitamin D” to exist. Maybe they had a different name for “vitamins,”
maybe none at all. The name does not matter. The thing which they knew,
does. They knew the nutritive value of liver, proven by many formulæ.
Pollio, one of the vicious characters of antiquity, fed murenas (sea-eel) with
slaves he threw into the piscina, the fish pond, and later enjoyed the liver of
the fish.
Some “modern” preparations are astonishingly ancient, and vice versa. Our
anchovy sauce is used freely to season fish, to mix with butter, to be made
into solid anchovy or fish paste. There are sardine pastes, lobster pastes,
fish forcemeats found in the larder of every good kitchen—preparations of
Apician character. A real platter of hors d’oeuvres, an antipasto is not
complete unless made according to certain Apician precepts.
Muria is salt water, brine, yet it may stand for a fluid in which fish or meat,
fruits or vegetables have been pickled.

The difficulties of the translator of Apicius who takes him literally, are
unconsciously but neatly demonstrated by the work of Danneil. Even he,
seasoned practitioner, condemns garum, muria, asa fœtida, because
professors before him have done so, because he forgets that these very
materials still form a vital part of some of his own sauces only in a different
shape, form or under a different name. Danneil calls some Apician recipes
“incredibly absurd,” “fabulous,” “exaggerated,” but he thinks nothing of the
serving of similar combinations in his own establishment every day in the
year.
Danneil would take pride in serving a Veal Cutlet à la Holstein. (What have
we learned of Apicius in the Northern countries?). The ancient Holsteiner
was not satisfied unless his piece of veal was covered with a nice fat
herring. That “barbarity” had to be modified by us moderns into a veal
cutlet, turned in milk and flour, eggs and bread crumbs, fried, covered with
fried eggs, garnished with anchovies or bits of herring, red beets, capers,
and lemon in order to qualify for a restaurant favorite and “best seller.”
Apicius hardly has a dish more characteristic and more bewildering.
What of combinations of fish and meat?
De gustibus non est disputandum. It all goes into the same stomach. May it
be a sturdy one, and let its owner beware. What of our turkey and oyster
dressing? Of our broiled fish and bacon? Of our clam chowder, our divine
Bouillabaisse? If the ingredients and component parts of such dishes were
enumerated in the laconic and careless Apician style, if they were stated
without explicit instructions and details (supposed to be known to any good
practitioner) we would have recipes just as mysterious as any of the Apician
formulæ.
Danneil, like ever so many interpreters, plainly shared the traditional belief,
the egregious errors of popular history. People still are under the spell of the
fantastic and fanciful descriptions of Roman conviviality and gastronomic
eccentricities. Indeed, we rather believe in the insanity of these descriptions
than in the insane conduct of the average Roman gourmet. It is absurd of
course to assume and to make the world believe that a Roman patrician
made a meal of garum, laserpitium, and the like. They used these
condiments judiciously; any other use thereof is physically impossible.

They economized their spices which have caused so much comment, too.
As a matter of fact, they used condiments niggardly and sparingly as is
plainly described in some formulæ, if only for the one good and sufficient
reason that spices and condiments which often came from Asia and Africa
were extremely expensive. This very reason, perhaps, caused much of the
popular outcry against their use, which, by the way, is merely another form
of political propaganda, in which, as we shall see, the mob guided by the
rabble of politicians excelled.
We moderns are just as “extravagant” (if not more) in the use of sauces and
condiments—Apician sauces, too! Our Worcestershire, catsup, chili,
chutney, walnut catsup, A I, Harvey’s, Punch, Soyer’s, Escoffier’s, Oscar’s
(every culinary coryphee endeavors to create one)—our mustards and
condiments in their different forms, if not actually dating back to Apicius,
are, at least lineal descendants from ancient prototypes.
To readers little experienced in kitchen practice such phrases (often
repeated by Apicius) as, “crush pepper, lovage, marjoram,” etc., etc., may
appear stereotyped and monotonous. They have not survived in modern
kitchen parlance, because the practice of using spices, flavors and aromas
has changed. There are now in the market compounds, extracts, mixtures
not used in the old days. Many modern spices come to us ready ground or
mixed, or compounded ready for kitchen use. This has the disadvantage in
that volatile properties deteriorate more rapidly and that the goods may be
easily adulterated. The Bavarians, under Duke Albrecht, in 1553 prohibited
the grinding of spices for that very reason! Ground spices are time and labor
savers, however. Modern kitchen methods have put the old mortar
practically out of existence, at the expense of quality of the finished
product.

The “Labor Item”

The enviable Apicius cared naught for either time or labor. He gave these
two important factors in modern life not a single thought. His culinary
procedures required a prodigious amount of labor and effort on the part of
the cooks and their helpers. The labor item never worried any ancient
employer. It was either very cheap or entirely free of charge.

The selfish gourmet (which gourmet is not selfish?) almost wonders
whether the abolition of slavery was a well-advised measure in modern
social and economic life. Few people appreciate the labor cost in excellent
cookery and few have any conception of the cost of good food service
today. Yet all demand both, when “dining out,” at least. Who, on the other
hand, but a brute would care to dine well, “taking it out of the hide of
others?”
Hence we moderns with a craving for gourmandise but minus
appropriations for skilled labor would do well to follow the example of
Alexandre Dumas who cheerfully and successfully attended to his own
cuisine. Despite an extensive fiction practice he found time to edit “Le
Grand Dictionnaire de Cuisine” and was not above writing mustard
advertisements, either.

Sumptuary Laws

The appetite of the ancients was at times successfully curbed by sumptuary
laws, cropping out at fairly regular intervals. These laws, usually given
under the pretext of safeguarding the morals of the people and accompanied
by similar euphonious phrases were, like modern prohibitions, vicious and
virulent effusions of the predatory instinct in mankind. We cannot give a
chronological list of them here, and are citing them merely to illustrate the
difficulty confronting the prospective ancient host.
During the reign of Cæsar and Augustus severe laws were passed, fixing the
sums to be spent for public and private dinners and specifying the edibles to
be consumed. These laws classified gastronomic functions with an
ingenious eye for system, professing all the time to protect the public’s
morals and health; but they were primarily designed to replenish the ever-
vanishing contents of the Imperial exchequer and to provide soft jobs for
hordes of enforcers. The amounts allowed to be spent for various social
functions were so ridiculously small in our own modern estimation that we
may well wonder how a Roman host could have ever made a decent
showing at a banquet. However, he and the cooks managed somehow.
Imperial spies and informers were omnipresent. The market places were
policed, the purchases by prospective hosts carefully noted, dealers selling
supplies and cooks (the more skillful kind usually) hired for the occasion

were bribed to reveal the “menu.” Dining room windows had to be located
conveniently to allow free inspection from the street of the dainties served;
the passing Imperial food inspector did not like to intrude upon the sanctity
of the host’s home. The pitiable host of those days, his unenviable guests
and the bewildered cooks, however, contrived and conspired somehow to
get up a banquet that was a trifle better than a Chicago quick lunch.
How did they do it?
In the light of modern experience gained by modern governments
dillydallying with sumptuary legislation that has been discarded as a bad
job some two thousand years ago, the question seems superfluous.
Difficile est satyram non scribere! To make a long story short: The Roman
host just broke the law, that’s all. Indeed, those who made the laws were
first to break them. The minions, appointed to uphold the law, were easily
accounted for. Any food inspector too arduous in the pursuit of his duty was
disposed of by dispatching him to the rear entrance of the festive hall, and
was delivered to the tender care of the chief cook.
Such was the case during the times of Apicius. Indeed, the Roman idea of
good cheer during earlier epochs was provincial enough. It was simply
barbaric before the Greeks showed the Romans a thing or two in cookery.
The methods of fattening fowl introduced from Greece was something
unheard-of! It was outrageous, sacrilegious! Senators, orators and other
self-appointed saviors of humanity thundered against the vile methods of
tickling the human palate, deftly employing all the picturesque tam-tam and
élan still the stock in trade of ever so many modern colleagues in any
civilized parliament. The speeches, to be sure, passed into oblivion, the fat
capons, however, stayed in the barnyards until they had acquired the
saturation point of tender luscious calories to be enjoyed by those who
could afford them. How the capon was “invented” is told in a note on the
subject.
Many other so-called luxuries, sausage from Epirus, cherries from the
Pontus, oysters from England, were greeted with a studied hostility by those
who profited from the business of making laws and public opinion.

Evidently, the time and the place was not very propitious for gastronomic
over-indulgence. Only when the ice was broken, when the disregard for law
and order had become general through the continuous practice of contempt
for an unpopular sumptuary law, when corruption had become wellnigh
universal chiefly thanks to the examples set by the higher-ups, it was then
that the torrent of human passion and folly ran riot, exceeding natural
bounds, tearing everything with them, all that is beautiful and decent, thus
swamping the great empire beyond the hopes for any recovery.

Apicius the Writer

Most of the Apician directions are vague, hastily jotted down, carelessly
edited. One of the chief reasons for the eternal misunderstandings! Often
the author fails to state the quantities to be used. He has a mania for giving
undue prominence to expensive spices and other (quite often irrelevant)
ingredients. Plainly, Apicius was no writer, no editor. He was a cook. He
took it for granted that spices be used within the bounds of reason, but he
could not afford to forget them in his formulæ.
Apicius surely pursues the correct culinary principle of incorporating the
flavoring agents during the process of cooking, contrary to many moderns
who, vigorously protesting against “highly seasoned” and “rich” food, and
who, craving for “something plain” proceed to inundate perfectly good,
plain roast or boiled dishes with a deluge of any of the afore-mentioned
commercial “sauces” that have absolutely no relation to the dish and that
have no mission other than to grant relief from the deadening monotony of
“plain” food. Chicken or mutton, beef or venison, finnan haddie or brook
trout, eggs or oysters thus “sauced,” taste all alike—sauce! To use such
ready-made sauces with dishes cooked à l’anglaise is logical, excusable,
almost advisable. Even the most ascetic of men cannot resist the
insidiousness of spicy delights, nor can he for any length of time endure the
insipidity of plain food sans sauce. Hence the popularity of such sauces
amongst people who do not observe the correct culinary principle of
seasoning food judiciously, befitting its character, without spoiling but
rather in enhancing its characteristics and in bringing out its flavor at the
right time, namely during coction to give the kindred aromas a chance to
blend well.

Continental nations, adhering to this important principle of cookery
(inherited from Apicius) would not dream of using ready-made (English)
sauces.
We have witnessed real crimes being perpetrated upon perfectly seasoned
and delicately flavored entrées. We have watched ill-advised people
maltreat good things, cooked to perfection, even before they tasted them,
sprinkling them as a matter of habit, with quantities of salt and pepper,
paprika, cayenne, daubing them with mustards of every variety or
swamping them with one or several of the commercial sauce preparations.
“Temperamental” chefs, men who know their art, usually explode at the
sight of such wantonness. Which painter would care to see his canvas
varnished with all the hues in the rainbow by a patron afflicted with such a
taste?
Perhaps the craving for excessive flavoring is an olfactory delirium, a
pathological case, as yet unfathomed like the excessive craving for liquor,
and, being a problem for the medical fraternity, it is only of secondary
importance to gastronomy.
To say that the Romans were afflicted on a national scale with a strange
spice mania (as some interpreters want us to believe) would be equivalent
to the assertion that all wine-growing nations were nations of drunkards. As
a matter of fact, the reverse is the truth.
Apicius surely would be surprised at some things we enjoy. Voilà, a recipe,
“modern,” not older than half a century, given by us in the Apician style or
writing: Take liquamen, pepper, cayenne, eggs, lemon, olive oil, vinegar,
white wine, anchovies, onions, tarragon, pickled cucumbers, parsley,
chervil, hard-boiled eggs, capers, green peppers, mustard, chop, mix well,
and serve.
Do you recognize it? This formula sounds as phantastic, as “weird” and as
“vile” as any of the Apician concoctions, confusing even a well-trained
cook because we stated neither the title of this preparation nor the mode of
making it, nor did we name the ingredients in their proper sequence. This
mystery was conceived with an illustrative purpose which will be explained
later, which may and may not have to do with the mystery of Apicius.
Consider, for a moment, this mysterious creation No. 2: Take bananas,

oranges, cherries, flavored with bitter almonds, fresh pineapple, lettuce,
fresh peaches, plums, figs, grapes, apples, nuts, cream cheese, olive oil,
eggs, white wine, vinegar, cayenne, lemon, salt, white pepper, dry mustard,
tarragon, rich sour cream, chop, mix, whip well.
Worse yet! Instead of having our appetite aroused the very perusal of this
quasi-Apician mixtum compositum repels every desire to partake of it. We
are justly tempted to condemn it as being utterly impossible. Yet every day
hundreds of thousand portions of it are sold under the name of special fruit
salad with mayonnaise mousseuse. The above mystery No. 1 is the justly
popular tartar sauce.
Thus we could go on analyzing modern preparations and make them appear
as outlandish things. Yet we relish them every day. The ingredients,
obnoxious in great quantities, are employed with common sense. We are not
mystified seeing them in print; they are usually given in clear logical order.
This is not the style of Apicius, however.

Latin Cunning

We can hardly judge Apicius by what he has revealed but we rather should
try to discover what he—purposely or otherwise—has concealed if we
would get a good idea of the ancient kitchen. This thought occurred to us at
the eleventh hour, after years of study of the text and after almost despairing
of a plausible solution of its mysteries. And it seems surprising that Apicius
has never been suspected before of withholding information essential to the
successful practice of his rather hypothetical and empirical formulæ. The
more we scrutinize them, the more we become convinced that the author
has omitted vital directions—same as we did purposely with the two
modern examples above. Many of the Apician recipes are dry enumerations
of ingredients supposed to belong to a given dish or sauce. It is well-known
that in chemistry (cookery is but applied chemistry) the knowledge of the
rules governing the quantities and the sequence of the ingredients, their
manipulation, either separately or jointly, either successively or
simultaneously, is a very important matter, and that violation or ignorance
of the process may spell failure at any stage of the experiment. In the
kitchen this is particularly true of baking and soup and sauce making, the
most intricate of culinary operations.

There may have been two chief reasons for concealing necessary
information. Apicius, or more likely the professional collectors of the
recipes, may have considered technical elaboration of the formulæ quite
superfluous on the assumption that the formulæ were for professional use
only. Every good practitioner knows, with ingredients or components given,
what manipulations are required, what effects are desired. Even in the
absence of detailed specifications, the experienced practitioner will be able
to divine correct proportions, by intuition. As a matter of fact, in cookery
the mention in the right place of a single ingredient, like in poetry the right
word, often suffices to conjure up before the gourmet’s mental eye vistas of
delight. Call it inspiration, association of ideas or what you please, a single
word may often prove a guide, a savior.
Let us remember that in Apicii days paper (parchment, papyrus) and writing
materials were expensive and that, moreover, the ability of correct logical
and literary expression was necessarily limited in the case of a practising
cook who, after all, must have been the collector of the Apician formulæ.
This is sufficiently proven by the lingua coquinaria, the vulgar Latin of our
old work. In our opinion, the ancient author did not consider it worth his
while to give anything but the most indispensable information in the tersest
form. This he certainly did. A comparison of his literary performance with
that of the artistic and accomplished writer of the Renaissance, Platina, will
at once show up Apicius as a hard-working practical cook, a man who knew
his business but who could not tell what he knew.
Like ever so many of his successors, he could not refrain from beginning
and concluding many of his articles with such superfluities as “take this”
and “And serve,” etc., all of which shows him up as a genuine cook. These
articles, written in the most laconic language possible—the language of a
very busy, very harassed, very hurried man, are the literary product of a
cook, or several of them.
The other chief motive for condensing or obscuring his text has a more
subtle foundation. Indeed, we are surprised that we should possess so great
a collection of recipes, representing to him who could use them certain
commercial and social value. The preservation of Apicius seems entirely
accidental. Experienced cooks were in demand in Apicii times; the
valuation of their ministrations increased proportionately to the progress in

gastronomy and to the prosperity of the nation. During Rome’s frugal era,
up to 200 B.C. the primitive cooks were just slaves and household chattels;
but the development of their trade into an art, stimulated by foreign
precepts, imported principally from Greece, Sicily and Asia Minor, opened
up to the practitioners not only the door to freedom from servitude but it
offered even positions of wealth with social and political standing, often
arousing the envy, satire, criticism of bona-fide politicians, journalists,
moralists, satirists and of the ever-present hordes of parasites and hangers-
on. Some cooks became confidants, even friends and advisors of men in
high places, emperors, (cf. life of Vitellius) and through their subtle
influence upon the mighty they may have contributed in no mean measure
to the fate of the nation. But such invisible string-pullers have not been
confined to those days alone. (Take Rasputin! Take the valet to William I,
reputed to have had more “say” than the mighty Bismarck, who, as it
developed, got “the air” while the valet died in his berth.)
Such being the case, what potential power reposed in a greasy cookery
manuscript! And, if so, why bare such wonderful secrets to Tom, Dick and
Harry?
Weights and measures are given by Apicius in some instances. But just such
figures can be used artfully to conceal a trap. Any mediocre cook, gaining
possession of a choice collection of detailed and itemized recipes would
have been placed in an enviable position. Experimenting for some time (at
his master’s expense) he would soon reach that perfection when he could
demand a handsome compensation for his ministrations. Throughout
antique times, throughout the middle ages down to the present day (when
patent laws no longer protect a secret) strict secrecy was maintained around
many useful and lucrative formulæ, not only by cooks, but also by
physicians, alchemists and the various scientists, artisans and craftsmen.
Only the favorite apprentice would be made heir to or shareholder in this
important stock in trade after his worthiness had been proven to his master’s
satisfaction, usually by the payment of a goodly sum of money—
apprentice’s pay. We remember reading in Lanciani (Rodolfo L.: Ancient
Rome in the Light of Recent Discoveries) how in the entire history of Rome
there is but one voice, that of a solitary, noble-minded physician,
complaining about the secrecy that was being maintained by his colleagues
as regards their science. To be sure, those fellows had every reason in the

world for keeping quiet: so preposterous were their methods in most cases!
This secrecy indeed must have carried with it a blessing in disguise.
Professional reserve was not its object. The motive was purely commercial.
Seeing where the information given by Apicius is out of reason and
unintelligible we are led to believe that such text is by no means to be taken
very literally. On the contrary, it is quite probable that weights and measures
are not correct: they are quite likely to be of an artful and studied
unreliability. A secret private code is often employed, necessitating the
elimination or transposition of certain words, figures or letters before the
whole will become intelligible and useful. If by any chance an uninitiated
hand should attempt to grasp such veiled directions, failure would be
certain. We confess to have employed at an early stage of our own career
this same strategy and time-honored camouflage to protect a precious lot of
recipes. Promptly we lost this unctuous manuscript, as we feared we would;
if not deciphered today, the book has long since been discarded as being a
record of the ravings of a madman.
The advent of the printing press changed the situation. With Platina, ca.
1474, an avalanche of cookery literature started. The secrets of Scappi,
“cuoco secreto” to the pope, were “scooped” by an enterprising Venetian
printer in 1570. The guilds of French mustard makers and sauce cooks
(precursors of modern food firms and manufacturers of ready-made
condiments) were a powerful tribe of secret mongers in the middle ages.
English gastronomic literature of the 16th, 17th and even the 18th century is
crowded with “closets opened,” “secrets let out” and other alluring titles
purporting to regale the prospective reader with profitable and appetizing
secrets of all sorts. Kitchen secrets became commercial articles.
These remarks should suffice to illustrate the assumption that the Apicius
book was not created for publication but that it is a collection of abridged
formulæ for private use, a treasure chest as it were, of some cook, which
after the demise of its owner, collector, originator, a curious world could not
resist to play with, although but a few experienced masters held the key,
being able to make use of the recipes.

Meat Diet

In perusing Apicius only one or two instances of cruelty to animals have
come to our attention (cf. recipes No. 140 and 259). Cruel methods of
slaughter were common. Some of the dumb beasts that were to feed man
and even had to contribute to his pleasures and enjoyment of life by giving
up their own lives often were tortured in cruel, unspeakable ways. The
belief existed that such methods might increase the quality, palatability and
flavor of the meat. Such beliefs and methods may still be encountered on
the highways and byways in Europe and Asia today. Since the topic, strictly
speaking does not belong here, we cannot depict it in detail, and in passing
make mention of it to refer students interested in the psychology of the
ancients to such details as are found in the writings of Plutarch and other
ancient writers during the early Christian era. It must be remembered,
however, that such writers (including the irreproachable Plutarch) were
advocates of vegetarianism. Some passages are inspired by true humane
feeling, but much appears to be written in the interest of vegetarianism.
The ancients were not such confirmed meat eaters as the modern Western
nations, merely because the meat supply was not so ample. Beef was scarce
because of the shortage of large pastures. The cow was sacred, the ox
furnished motive power, and, after its usefulness was gone, the muscular
old brute had little attraction for the gourmet. Today lives a race of beef
eaters. Our beef diet, no doubt is bound to change somewhat. Already the
world’s grazing grounds are steadily diminishing. The North American
prairies are being parcelled off into small farms the working conditions of
which make beef raising expensive. The South American pampas and a strip
of coastal land in Australia now furnish the bulk of the world’s beef supply.
Perhaps Northern Asia still holds in store a large future supply of meat but
this no doubt will be claimed by Asia. Already North America is
acclimating the Lapland reindeer to offset the waning beef, to utilize its
Northern wastes.
With the increasing shortage of beef, with the increasing facilities for
raising chicken and pork, a reversion to Apician methods of cookery and
diet is not only probably but actually seems inevitable. The ancient bill of
fare and the ancient methods of cookery were entirely guided by the supply
of raw materials—precisely like ours. They had no great food stores nor
very efficient marketing and transportation systems, food cold storage.

They knew, however, to take care of what there was. They were good
managers.
Such atrocities as the willful destruction of huge quantities of food of every
description on the one side and starving multitudes on the other as seen
today never occurred in antiquity.
Many of the Apician dishes will not appeal to the beef eaters. It is worthy of
note that much criticism was heaped upon Apicius some 200 years ago in
England when beef eating became fashionable in that country. The art of
Apicius requires practitioners of superior intellect. Indeed, it requires a
superior clientèle to appreciate Apician dishes. But practitioners that would
pass the requirements of the Apician school are scarce in the kitchens of the
beef eaters. We cannot blame meat eaters for rejecting the average chef
d’œuvre set before them by a mediocre cook who has learned little besides
the roasting or broiling of meats. Once the average man has acquired a taste
for the refined compositions made by a talented and experienced cook, say,
a composition of meats, vegetables or cereals, properly “balanced” by that
intuition that never fails the real artist, the fortunate diner will eventually
curtail the preponderant meat diet. A glance at some Chinese and Japanese
methods of cookery may perhaps convince us of the probability of these
remarks.
Nothing is more perplexing and more alarming than a new dish, but we can
see in a reversion to Apician cookery methods only a dietetic benefit
accruing to this so-called white race of beef eaters.
Apicius certainly excels in the preparation of vegetable dishes (cf. his
cabbage and asparagus) and in the utilization of parts of food materials that
are today considered inferior, hardly worth preparing for the table except by
the very careful and economical housekeeper. Properly prepared, many of
these things are good, often more nutritious than the dearer cuts, and
sometimes they are really delicious.
One has but to study the methods of ancient and intelligent people who
have suffered for thousands of years under the perennial shortage of food
supplies in order to understand and to appreciate Apician methods. Be it far
from us to advocate their methods, or to wish upon us the conditions that
engendered such methods; for such practices have been pounded into these

people by dire necessity. They have graduated from the merciless school of
hunger.
Food materials, we repeat, were never as cheap and as abundant as they are
today. But who can say that they always will be so in the future?

Science Confirming Ancient Methods

We must not overlook the remarkable intuition displayed by the ancients in
giving preference to foods with body- and blood-building properties. For
instance, the use of liver, particularly fish liver already referred to. The
correctness of their choice is now being confirmed by scientific re-
discoveries. The young science of nutrition is important enough to an
individual who would stimulate or preserve his health. But since
constitutions are different, the most carefully conceived dietary may apply
to one particular individual only, provided, however, that our present
knowledge of nutrition be correct and final. This knowledge, as a matter of
fact, is being revised and changed constantly.
If dietetics, therefore, were important enough to have any bearing at all
upon the well-defined methods of cookery, we might go into detail
analyzing ancient methods from that point of view. To call attention to the
“economy,” the stewardship, or craftsmanship, in ancient methods and to
the truly remarkable intuition that guided the ancient cooks is more
important. Without these qualities there can be no higher gastronomy.
Without high gastronomy no high civilization is possible. The honest and
experienced nutrition expert, though perhaps personally opposed to
elaborate dining, will discover through close study of the ancient precepts
interesting pre-scientific and well-balanced combinations and methods
designed to jealously guard the vitamins and dietetic values in dishes that
may appear curiously “new” to the layman that would nevertheless receive
the unqualified approval of modern science.
We respect the efforts of modern dietitians and food reformers; but we are
far removed from the so-called “simple” and “plain” foods advocated by
some well-meaning individuals. With the progress of civilization we are
farther and farther drifting away from it. Even barbaric and beastly food is
not “simple.”

This furtive “intuition” in cookery (in the absence of scientific facts because
of the inability of cooks to transform empirical traditions into practical rules
emanating from understood principles) still prevails today. It guides great
chefs, saves time spent in scientific study.
The much criticized “unnatural union of sugar and meats” of the ancients
still exists today in many popular examples of cookery: lamb and mint
sauce, steak and catsup, mutton and currant jelly, pork and apples (in
various forms), oyster cocktail, poultry and compôte, goose with apple and
raisin dressing, venison and Cumberland sauce, mince pie, plum pudding—
typical survivals of ancient traditions. “Intuition” is still preceding exact
science, and “unnatural unions” as in social, political and any other form of
life, seem to be the rule rather than the exception.

Disguising Foods

Apicius is often blamed for his endeavor to serve one thing under the guise
of another. The reasons for such deceptions are various ones. Fashion
dictated it. Cooks were not considered “clever” unless they could surprise
guests with a commonplace food material so skillfully prepared that
identification was difficult or impossible. Another reason was the absence
of good refrigeration, making “masking” necessary. Also the ambition of
hosts to serve a cheaper food for a more expensive one—veal for chicken,
pork for partridge, and so on. But do we not indulge in the same “stunts”
today? We either do it with the intention of deceiving or to “show off.”
Have we not “Mock Turtle Soup,” Mouton à la Chasseur, mutton prepared
to taste like venison, “chicken” salad made of veal or of rabbit? In Europe
even today much of the traditional roast hare is caught in the alley, and it
belongs to a feline species. “Roof hare.”

Food Adulterations

There is positive evidence of downright frauds and vicious food
adulteration in the times of Apicius. The old rascal himself is not above
giving directions for rose wine without roses, or how to make a spoiled
honey marketable, and other similar adulterations. Those of our readers
with sensitive gastronomic instinct had better skip the paragraphs

discussing the treatment of “birds with a goatish smell.” But the old food
adulterators are no match for their modern successors.
Too, some of our own shams are liable to misinterpretation. In centuries to
come our own modern recipes for “Scotch Woodcock” or “Welsh rabbit”
may be interpreted as attempts on our part to hoodwink guests by making
game birds and rabbits out of cheese and bread, like Trimalchio’s culinary
artists are reputed to have made suckling pigs out of dough, partridges of
veal, chicken of tunny fish, and vice versa. What indeed would a serious-
minded research worker a thousand years hence if unfamiliar with our
culinary practice and traditions make of such terms as pette de nonne as
found in many old French cookery books, or of the famous suttelties
(subtleties)—the confections once so popular at medieval weddings?
The ramifications of the lingua coquinaria in any country are manifold, and
the culinary wonderland is full of pitfalls even for the experienced gourmet.

Reaching the Limit

Like in all other branches of ancient endeavor, cookery had reached a state
of perfection around the time of Apicius when the only chance for
successful continuation of the art lay in the conquest of new fields, i.e., in
expansion, generalization, elaboration and in influence from foreign
sources. We have witnessed this in French cookery which for the last
hundred years has successfully expanded and has virtually captured the
civilized parts of the globe, subject however, always to regional and
territorial modifications.
This desirable expansion of antique cookery did not take place. It was
violently and rather suddenly checked principally by political and economic
events during the centuries following Apicius, perhaps principally by the
forces that caused the great migration (the very quest of food!). Suspension
ensued instead. The heirs to the ancient culture were not yet ready for their
marvelous heritage. Besides their cultural unpreparedness, the cookery of
the ancients, like their humor, did not readily appeal to the “Nordic” heirs.
Both are so subtle and they depend so much upon the psychology and the
economic conditions of a people, and they thus presented almost

unsurmountable obstacles to the invaders. Still lo! already in the fifth
century, the Goth Vinithaharjis, started to collect the Apician precepts.

Our Predecessors

The usefulness in our days of Apicius as a practical cookery book has been
questioned, but we leave this to our readers to decide after the perusal of
this translation.
If not useful in the kitchen, if we cannot grasp its moral, what, then, is
Apicius? Merely a curio?
The existing manuscripts cannot be bought; the old printed editions are
highly priced by collectors, and they are rare. Still, the few persons able to
read the messages therein cannot use them: they are not practitioners in
cookery.
None of the Apician editors (except Danneil and the writer) were
experienced practising gastronomers. Humelbergius, Lister, Bernhold were
medical men. Two serious students, Schuch and Wuestemann, gave up
academic positions to devote a year to the study of modern cookery in order
to be able to interpret Apicius. These enthusiasts overlooked, however, two
facts: Apicius cannot be understood by inquiring into modern average
cookery methods, nor can complete mastery of cookery, practical as well as
theoretical, including the historical and physiological aspects of gastronomy
be acquired in one year. Richard Gollmer, another Apicius editor, declares
that the results of this course in gastronomy were negative. We might add
here that Schuch’s edition of Apicius, apart from the unwarranted inclusion
of the excerpta of Vinidarius is the least reliable of all editions.
Gollmer published a free version of Apicius in German in 1909. If he did
not render the original very faithfully and literally, it must be said in all
fairness that his methods of procedure were correct. Gollmer attempted to
interpret the ancient text for the modern reader. Unfortunately he based his
work upon that of Schuch and Wuestemann and Lister. A year or so later
Eduard Danneil published a version of his own, also based on Schuch. This
editor is a practising chef,—Hof-Traiteur or caterer to the court of one of
the then reigning princes of Germany. Danneil’s preface is dated 1897,

though the date of publication is 1911. In view of the fact that Gollmer had
covered the ground and that Danneil added nothing new to Apician lore, his
publication seems superfluous. Danneil’s translation differs in that the
translator adhered literally to the questionable Schuch version whereas
Gollmer aspired to a free and readable version for an educated public.
A comparison reveals that the one author is not a cook while the other is not
a savant.
Like the scholars who tried their hand at cookery, there are a number of
worthy and ambitious practitioners of cookery who have endeavored to
reach the heights of scholarship, among them Carême and Soyer, men of
great calibre. Unfortunately, the span of human life is short, the capacity of
the human mind is limited. Fruitful achievements in widely different fields
of endeavor by one man are rare. This is merely to illustrate the extreme
difficulty encountered by anyone bent on a venturesome exploration of our
subject and the very narrow chances of success to extricate himself with
grace from the two-thousand year old labyrinth of philosophical, historical,
linguistical and gastronomical technicalities.
This task will become comparatively easy, however, and surely interesting
and with a foreboding of many delights and surprises if we penetrate the
jungle aided by the experience of predecessors, steadfastly relying on the
“theory of evolution” as a guide, and armed with the indispensable
equipment for gastronomical research, i.e., the practical and technical
knowledge of cookery, mastery of languages, augmented by practical
experience gathered by observations and travel in many lands, and last but
not least, if we are obsessed with the fixed idea that so menial a subject is
worth all the bother.
We have purposely refrained from presenting here a treatise in the
customary scientific style. We know, there are repetitions, digressions,
excursions into adjacent fields that may be open to criticism. We really do
not aim to make this critical review an exhibition of scholarly attainments
with all the necessary brevity, clarity, scientific restraint and etiquette. Such
style would be entirely out of our line. Any bookish flavor attaching itself to
our work would soon replace a natural fragrance we aim to preserve,
namely our close contact with the subject. Those interested in the scholarly

work that has been contributed to this cause are referred to modern men like
Vollmer, Giarratano, Brandt and others named in the bibliography. Of the
older scientists there is Martinus Lister, a man whose knowledge of the
subject is very respectable and whose devotion to it is unbounded, whose
integrity as a scientist is above reproach. His notes and commentaries
together with those of Humelbergius, the editor-physician of Zürich, will be
enjoyed and read with profit by every antiquary. The labors of Bernhold and
Schuch are meritorious also, the work, time, and esprit these men have
devoted to the subject is enormous. As for Torinus, the opinions are divided.
Humelbergius ignores him, Gryphius pirates him, Lister scorns him, we like
him. Lister praises his brother physician, Humelbergius: Doctus quidem vir
et modestus! So he is! The notes by Humelbergius alone and his word: Nihil
immutare ausi summus! entitles him to all the praise Lister can bestow.
Unfortunately, the sources of his information are unknown.
Lacking these, we have of course no means of ascertaining whether he
always lived up to his word that he is not privileged to change.
Humelbergius and Lister may have made contributions of value from a
philological point of view but their work appears to have less merit
gastronomically than that of Torinus. To us the Basel editor often seems
surprisingly correct in cases where the gastronomical character of a formula
is in doubt.
In rendering the ancient text into English we, too, have endeavored to
follow Humelbergii example; hence the almost literal translation of the
originals before us, namely, Torinus, Humelbergius, Lister, Bernhold,
Schuch and the latest, Giarratano-Vollmer which reached us in 1925 in time
for collating. We have wavered often and long whether or not to place
alongside this English version the original Latin text, but due to the
divergencies we have finally abandoned the idea, for practical reasons
alone.
In translating we have endeavored to clear up mysteries and errors; this
interpretation is a work quite apart and independent of that of the
translation. It is merely the sum and substance of our practical experience in
gastronomy. It is not to be taken as an attempt to change the original but is
presented in good faith, to be taken on its face value. This interpretation
appears in the form of notes directly under each article, for quick reference

and it is our wish that it be of some practical service in contributing to the
general understanding and appreciation of our ancient book.
For the sake of expediency we have numbered and placed a title (in
English) on each ancient recipe, following the example of Schuch. This
procedure may be counted against us as a liberty taken with the text. The
text has remained inviolate. We have merely aimed at a rational and legible
presentation—work within the province and the duty of an editor-translator
and technical expert.
We do not claim credit for any other work connected with the task of
making this most unique book accessible to the English speaking public and
for the competition for scholastic laurels we wish to stay hors de combat.
We feel we are not privileged to pass final judgment upon the excellent
work done by sympathetic and erudite admirers of our ancient book
throughout the better part of four centuries, and we cannot side with one or
the other in questions philological, historical, or of any other nature, except
gastronomical. We are deeply indebted to all of our predecessors and
through conversations and extensive correspondence with other modern
researchers, Dr. Edward Brandt and Dr. Margaret B. Wilson, we are enabled
to predict new developments in Apician research. The debates of the
scientists, it appears, are not yet closed.
As a matter of fact, the various differences of opinion in minor questions
are of little import to us as compared with the delightful fact that we here
possess an Apicius, not only a genuine Roman, but an “honest-to-goodness”
human being besides. A jolly fellow is Apicius with a basketful of happy
messages for a hungry world. We therefore want to make this work of ours
the entertainment and instruction the subject deserves to be. If we succeed
in proving that Apicius is not a mummified, bone-dry classic but that he has
“the goods,” namely some real human merit we shall have accomplished
more than the savants to whom this popularization of our hero has been
denied so far.
After all, we live in a practical age, and it is the practical value, the matter-
of-fact contribution to our happiness and well-being by the work of any
man, ancient or modern, which counts in these days of materialism.
So let us tell the truth, and let us sum up in a few words:

We do not know who Apicius is. We do not know who wrote the book
bearing his name. We do not know when it was written, or whether it is of
Greek or of Roman origin. Furthermore, we do not understand many of its
precepts!
We do know, however, that it is the oldest work dealing with the food and
the cookery of the ancient world’s greatest empire, and that, as such, it is of
the utmost interest and importance to us.
In this sense we have endeavored to treat the book.

Dining in Apician Style

Past attempts to dine à l’Apicius invariably have ended disastrously. Eager
gourmets, ever on the look-out for something new, and curious scholars
have attempted to prepare dishes in the manner prescribed by Apicius. Most
of such experimenters have executed the old precepts literally, instead of
trying to enter into their spirit.
“Das Land der Griechen mit der Seele suchen!” says Goethe. The friends of
Apicius who failed to heed this advice, also failed to comprehend the
precepts, they were cured of their curiosity, and blamed the master for their
own shortcomings. Christina, queen of Sweden, was made ill by an attempt
of this kind to regale her majesty with a rare Apician morsel while in Italy
as the guest of some noble. But history is dark on this point. Here perhaps
Apicius is blamed for a dastardly attempt on the royal lady’s life for this
daughter of the Protestant Gustavus Adolphus was in those days not the
only crowned head in danger of being dispatched by means of some
tempting morsel smilingly proffered by some titled rogue. A deadly dish
under the disguise of “Apicius” must have been particularly convenient in
those days for such sinister purposes. The sacred obligations imposed upon
“barbarians” by the virtue of hospitality had been often forgotten by the
super-refined hosts of the Renaissance.
But Apicius continued to prove unhealthful to a number of later amateurs.
Lister, with his perfectly sincere endeavor to popularize Apicius, achieved
precisely the opposite. The publication of his work in London, 1705, was
the signal for a number of people, scholars and others, to crack jokes, not at

the expense of Apicius, as they imagined, but to expose their own
ignorance. Smollet, Dr. W. King (“Poor starving wit”—Swift), Dr. Hunter
and others. More recently, a party of English dandies, chaperoned, if we
remember correctly, by the ponderous George Augustus Sala, fared likewise
badly in their attempt to stage a Roman feast, being under the impression
that the days of Tiberius and the mid-Victorian era may be joined with
impunity, à la minute, as it were.
Even later, in one of the (alas! not so many) good books on gastronomy,
“Kettner’s Book of the Table,” London, 1877, the excellent author
dismisses Roman cookery with a few lines of “warning.” Kettner, admirer
of Sala, evidently was still under the baneful influence. Twenty years later,
Danneil, colleague of Kettner’s, joined the chorus of “irreverent critics.”
They all based their judgment on mere idle conversation, resulting from
disappointments in ill-fated attempts to cook in the Apician style. Even the
best experts, it appears, fall victims to the mysterious spell surrounding,
protecting things of sacred antiquity, hovering like an avenging angel over
them, to ward off all “irreverent critics” and curious intruders.

The Proof of the Pudding

After all, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. This homely solid
wisdom is literally true of our good old Apicius. We have tested many of his
precepts, and have found them practical, good, even delightful. A few, we
will say, are of the rarest beauty and of consummate perfection in the realm
of gastronomy, while some others again are totally unintelligible for reasons
sufficiently explained. Always remembering Humelbergius, we have “laid
off” of these torsos, recommending them to some more competent
commentator. Many of the ancient formula tried have our unqualified
gastronomic approval.
If our work has not differed from that of our predecessors, if it shows the
same human frailties and foibles, we have at least one mark of distinction
among the editors in that we have subjected the original to severe practical
tests as much as this is possible with our modern food materials. We
experienced difficulty in securing certain spices long out of use.
Nevertheless, the experience of actually sampling Apician dishes and the
sensation of dining in the manners of the Cæsars are worth the trouble we

took with Apicius. This is a feeling of partaking of an entirely new dish, met
with both expectancy and with suspicion, accentuated by the hallowed
traditions surrounding it which has rewarded us for the time and expense
devoted to the subject. Ever since we have often dined in the classical
fashion of the ancients who, after all, were but “folks” like ourselves.
If you care not for the carnal pleasures in Apician gastronomy—for gulam,
—if you don’t give a fig for philology, there still is something healthy,
something infinitely soothing and comforting—“educational”—in the
perusal of the old book and in similar records.
When we see Apicius, the famous “epicure” descending to the very level of
a common food “fakir,” giving directions for making Liburnian oil that has
never seen that country....
When we note, with a gentle shudder, that the grafters of Naples, defying
even the mighty Augustus, leveled the “White Earth Hill” near Puteoli
because an admixture of plaster paris is exceedingly profitable to the
milling profession....
When Apicius—celebrated glutton—resorts to the comparatively harmless
“stunt” of keeping fresh vegetables green by boiling them in a copper kettle
with soda....
When we behold hordes of ancient legislators, posing as dervishes of
moderation, secretly and openly breaking the prohibition laws of their own
making....
When we turn away from such familiar sights and, in a more jovial mood,
heartily laugh at the jokes of that former mill slave, Plautus (who could not
pay his bills) and when we wonder why his wise cracks sound so familiar
we remember that we have heard their modern versions only yesterday at
the Tivoli on State Street....
When, finally, in the company of our respected Horatius we hear him say in
the slang of his day: Ab ovo usque ad mala, and compare this bright saying
with our own dear “From Soup to Nuts.”...
Then we arrive at the comforting conclusion that we moderns are either
very ancient and backward or that indeed the ancients are very modern and

progressive; and it is our only regret that we cannot decide this perplexing
situation to our lasting satisfaction.
Very true, there may be nothing new under the sun, yet nature goes on
eternally fashioning new things from old materials. Eternally demolishing
old models in a manner of an economical sculptor, nature uses the same old
clay to create new specimens. Sometimes nature slightly alters the patterns,
discarding what is unfit for her momentary enigmatic purposes, retaining
and favoring that which pleases her whimsical fancy for the time being.
Cookery deals exclusively with nature’s works. Books on cookery are
essentially books on nature’s actions and reactions.
In the perpetual search for perfection, life has accomplished one remarkable
thing: the development of man, the animal which cooks. Gradually nature
has revealed herself to man principally through the food he takes, cooks and
prepares for the enjoyment of himself and his fellow men.

The Cooking Animal

The gastronomer is the highest development of the cooking animal.
He—artist, philosopher, metaphysician, religionist—stands with his head
bared before nature: overawed, contemplating her gifts, feasting his eyes on
beauteous forms and colors, inhaling intoxicating fragrances, aromas,
odors, matching them all artistically, partaking only of what he needs for his
own subsistence—eternally marveling at nature’s inexhaustible resources
and inventiveness, at her everlasting bounty born of everlasting fierce
struggles.
The gastronomer is grateful for the privilege of holding the custodianship of
such precious things, and he guards it like an office of a sacred rite—ever
gratefully, reverently adoring, cherishing the things before him ... ever
marveling ... ever alone, alone with nature.
As for the overwhelming majority of the cooking animals, they behave
much more “naturally.” They are a merry crowd, ever anticipating a good
time, ever jolly, eager, greedy. Or, they are cranky, hungry, starved,

miserable, and they turn savage now and then. Some are gluttonous. Many
contract indigestion—nature’s most subtle punishment.
If they were told that they must kill before they may cook—that might spoil
the appetite and dinner joy of many a tender-hearted devourer of fellow-
creatures.
Heaven forbid! Being real children of nature, and behaving naturally, nature
likes them, and we, too, certainly are well pleased with the majority.
The only fly in the ointment of life is that we don’t know what it is all
about, and probably never will know.

PROŒMII FINIS

TRIPOD FOR THE GREAT CRATER
Hildesheim Treasure

THE RECIPES OF APICIUS
AND
THE EXCERPTS FROM APICIUS
BY VINIDARIUS

ORIGINAL TRANSLATION FROM THE TEXTS
OF TORINUS, HUMELBERGIUS, LISTER
AND GIARRATANO-VOLLMER
WITH NOTES AND COMMENTS

“DINNER GONG”
Heavy bronze disk and substantial “knocker” to signal
slaves. Found in Pompeii. “Hurry, fellows, the cakes are
piping hot!”—Plautus. Ntl. Mus., Naples, 78622; Field M.,
24133.

OVAL SERVICE DISH
With two decorated handles. Hildesheim Treas.

THE TEN BOOKS OF APICIUS
I. THE CAREFUL EXPERIENCED COOK. II. MINCES. III. THE
GARDENER. IV. MISCELLANEOUS DISHES. V. LEGUMES. VI.
POULTRY. VII. FANCY DISHES. VIII. QUADRUPEDS. IX. SEA FOOD.
X. FISH SAUCES. THE EXCERPTS OF VINIDARIUS.
[V. The Greek titles of the ten books point to a common Greek
origin, indicating that Apicius is a collection of Greek monographs
on various branches of cookery, specialization such as highly
developed civilizations would produce. Both the literary style and
the contents of the books point to different authors, as may be seen
from the very repetitions of and similarities in subjects as in VI and
VIII, and in IX and X. The absence of books on bread and cake
baking, dessert cookery indicates that the present Apicius is not
complete.]

BOOK I. THE CAREFUL EXPERIENCED
COOK
Lib. I. Epimeles
CHAP. I.FINE SPICED WINE.
HONEY REFRESHER FOR
TRAVELERS.
CHAP. II.ROMAN VERMOUTH.
CHAP. III.ROSE WINE. VIOLET
WINE. ROSE WINE
WITHOUT ROSES.
CHAP. IV.LIBURNIAN OIL.
CHAP. V.TO CLARIFY MUDDY
WINE.
CHAP. VI.TO IMPROVE A BROTH
WITH A BAD ODOR.
CHAP. VII.TO KEEP MEATS FRESH
WITHOUT SALT. TO KEEP
COOKED SIDES OF PORK.
CHAP. VIII.TO MAKE SALT MEATS
SWEET.
CHAP. IX.TO KEEP FRIED FISH. TO
KEEP OYSTERS.
CHAP. X.TO MAKE LASER GO A
LONG WAY.
CHAP. XI.TO MAKE HONEY CAKES
LAST. TO MAKE SPOILED
HONEY GOOD. TO TEST
SPOILED HONEY.

CHAP. XII.TO KEEP GRAPES. TO
KEEP POMEGRANATES.
TO KEEP QUINCES. TO
PRESERVE FRESH FIGS.
TO KEEP CITRON. TO
KEEP MULBERRIES. TO
KEEP POT HERBS. TO
PRESERVE SORREL. TO
KEEP TRUFFLES. TO KEEP
HARD-SKINNED
PEACHES.
CHAP. XIII.SPICED SALTS FOR MANY
ILLS.
CHAP. XIV.TO KEEP GREEN OLIVES.
CHAP. XV.CUMIN SAUCE FOR
SHELLFISH. ANOTHER.
CHAP. XVI.LASER FLAVOR.
ANOTHER.
CHAP. XVII.WINE SAUCE FOR
TRUFFLES. ANOTHER.
CHAP. XVIII.OXYPORUM.
CHAP. XIX.HYPOTRIMA.
CHAP. XX.OXYGARUM, DIGESTIVE.
ANOTHER.
CHAP. XXI.MORTARIA.

I

[1] FINE SPICED WINE CONDITUM PARADOXUM

T HE COMPOSITION OF [this] EXCELLENT SPICED WINE [is as
follows]. INTO A COPPER BOWL PUT 6 SEXTARII [1] OF
HONEY AND 2 SEXTARII OF WINE; HEAT ON A SLOW FIRE,
CONSTANTLY STIRRING THE MIXTURE WITH A WHIP. AT THE
BOILING POINT ADD A DASH OF COLD WINE, RETIRE FROM

STOVE AND SKIM. REPEAT THIS TWICE OR THREE TIMES, LET IT
REST TILL THE NEXT DAY, AND SKIM AGAIN. THEN ADD 4 OZS.
OF CRUSHED PEPPER [2], 3 SCRUPLES OF MASTICH, A DRACHM
EACH OF [nard or laurel] LEAVES AND SAFFRON, 5 DRACHMS OF
ROASTED DATE STONES CRUSHED AND PREVIOUSLY SOAKED
IN WINE TO SOFTEN THEM. WHEN THIS IS PROPERLY DONE ADD
18 SEXTARII OF LIGHT WINE. TO CLARIFY IT PERFECTLY, ADD
[crushed] CHARCOAL [3] TWICE OR AS OFTEN AS NECESSARY
WHICH WILL DRAW [the residue] TOGETHER [and carefully strain or
filter through the charcoal].
[1] Sextarii. Tor. partes XV; G.-V. pondo XV; List. partes XV ...
pondo lib.... qui continent sextarios sex. One sextarius (a “sixth”)
equals about 1½ pint English.
[2] Pepper. Piperis uncias IV—ordinarily our black or white pepper
grains, but in connection with honey, sweets, and so forth, the term
“pepper” may just as well stand for our allspice, or even for any
spicing in general.
[3] Charcoal. Still a favorite filterer for liquors.
List. Apicius is correct in starting his book with this formula, as all
meals were started with this sort of mixed drink.
Tor. deviates from the other texts in that he elaborates on the
cooking process.

[2] HONEY REFRESHER FOR TRAVELERS CONDITUM MELIZOMUM
[1] VIATORIUM
THE WAYFARER’S HONEY REFRESHER (SO CALLED BECAUSE IT
GIVES ENDURANCE AND STRENGTH TO PEDESTRIANS) [2] WITH
WHICH TRAVELERS ARE REFRESHED BY THE WAYSIDE IS MADE
IN THIS MANNER: FLAVOR HONEY WITH GROUND PEPPER AND
SKIM. IN THE MOMENT OF SERVING PUT HONEY IN A CUP, AS
MUCH AS IS DESIRED TO OBTAIN THE RIGHT DEGREE OF
SWEETNESS, AND MIX SPICED WINE NOT MORE THAN A

NEEDED QUANTITY; ALSO ADD SOME WINE TO THE SPICED
HONEY TO FACILITATE ITS FLOW AND THE MIXING.
[1] Tor. Melirhomum; non extat. G.-V. M. perpetuum, i.e., having
good keeping qualities.
[2] Tor. reads thus whereas others apply “endurance” to the honey
itself. The honey could not be preserved (perpetuum) by the
addition of pepper. Any addition, as a matter of fact, would hasten
its deterioration unless the honey were boiled and sealed tight,
which the original takes for granted.

II

[3] ROMAN VERMOUTH ABSINTHIUM ROMANUM [1]
ROMAN VERMOUTH [or Absinth] IS MADE THUS: ACCORDING TO
THE RECIPE OF CAMERINUM [2] YOU NEED WORMWOOD FROM
SANTO [3] FOR ROMAN VERMOUTH OR, AS A SUBSTITUTE,
WORMWOOD FROM THE PONTUS [4] CLEANED AND CRUSHED, 1
THEBAN OUNCE [5] OF IT, 6 SCRUPLES OF MASTICH, 3 EACH OF
[nard] LEAVES, COSTMARY [6] AND SAFFRON AND 18 QUARTS OF
ANY KIND OF MILD WINE. [Filter cold] CHARCOAL IS NOT
REQUIRED BECAUSE OF THE BITTERNESS.
[1] G.-V. Apsinthium.
[2] The mention of a name in a recipe is very infrequent.
Camerinum is a town in Umbria.
[3] Now Saintonge, Southern France.
[4] Black Sea Region.
[5] Weight of indefinite volume, from Thebæ, one of the several
ancient cities by that name. List. thinks it is an Egyptian ounce, and
that the author of the recipe must be an African.
[6] Wanting in Tor.; G.-V. costi scripulos senos.

III

[4] ROSE WINE [1] ROSATUM
MAKE ROSE WINE IN THIS MANNER: ROSE PETALS, THE LOWER
WHITE PART REMOVED, SEWED INTO A LINEN BAG AND
IMMERSED IN WINE FOR SEVEN DAYS. THEREUPON ADD A
SACK OF NEW PETALS WHICH ALLOW TO DRAW FOR ANOTHER
SEVEN DAYS. AGAIN REMOVE THE OLD PETALS AND REPLACE
THEM BY FRESH ONES FOR ANOTHER WEEK; THEN STRAIN THE
WINE THROUGH THE COLANDER. BEFORE SERVING, ADD
HONEY SWEETENING TO TASTE. TAKE CARE THAT ONLY THE
BEST PETALS FREE FROM DEW BE USED FOR SOAKING.
[1] Used principally as a laxative medicine. List. These wines
compounded of roses and violets move the bowels strongly.

[5] VIOLET WINE VIOLATIUM
IN A SIMILAR WAY AS ABOVE LIKE THE ROSE WINE VIOLET
WINE IS MADE OF FRESH VIOLETS, AND TEMPERED WITH
HONEY, AS DIRECTED.

[6] ROSE WINE WITHOUT [1] ROSES ROSATUM SINE ROSA
ROSE WINE WITHOUT ROSES IS MADE IN THIS FASHION: A PALM
LEAF BASKET FULL OF FRESH CITRUS LEAVES IS IMMERSED IN
THE VAT OF NEW WINE BEFORE FERMENTATION HAS SET IN.
AFTER FORTY DAYS RETIRE THE LEAVES, AND, AS OCCASION
ARISES, SWEETEN THE WINE WITH HONEY, AND PASS IT UP FOR
ROSE WINE.
[1] A substitute.

IV

[7] LIBURNIAN OIL OLEUM LIBURNICUM
IN ORDER TO MAKE AN OIL SIMILAR TO THE LIBURNIAN OIL
PROCEED AS FOLLOWS: IN SPANISH OIL PUT [the following mixture
of] ELECAMPANE, CYPRIAN RUSH AND GREEN LAUREL LEAVES
THAT ARE NOT TOO OLD, ALL OF IT CRUSHED AND MACERATED
AND REDUCED TO A FINE POWDER. SIFT THIS IN AND ADD
FINELY GROUND SALT AND STIR INDUSTRIOUSLY FOR THREE
DAYS OR MORE. THEN ALLOW TO SETTLE. EVERYBODY WILL
TAKE THIS FOR LIBURNIAN OIL. [1]
[1] Like the above a flagrant case of food adulteration.

V

[8] TO CLARIFY MUDDY WINE VINUM EX ATRO CANDIDUM FACIES
PUT BEAN MEAL AND THE WHITES OF THREE EGGS IN A MIXING
BOWL. MIX THOROUGHLY WITH A WHIP AND ADD TO THE WINE,
STIRRING FOR A LONG TIME. THE NEXT DAY THE WINE WILL BE
CLEAR [1]. ASHES OF VINES HAVE THE SAME EFFECT.
[1] Ex Lister whose version we prefer. He says, Alias die erit
candidum while Tor. adds white salt, saying, sal si adieceris
candidum, same as Tac. This is unusual, although the ancients have
at times treated wine with sea water.

VI

[9] TO IMPROVE A BROTH [1] DE LIQUAMINE EMENDANDO [2]
IF BROTH HAS CONTRACTED A BAD ODOR, PLACE A VESSEL
UPSIDE DOWN AND FUMIGATE IT WITH LAUREL AND CYPRESS
AND BEFORE VENTILATING [3] IT, POUR THE BROTH IN THIS
VESSEL. IF THIS DOES NOT HELP MATTERS [4] AND IF THE TASTE
IS TOO PRONOUNCED, ADD HONEY AND FRESH SPIKENARD [5]

TO IT; THAT WILL IMPROVE IT. ALSO NEW MUST SHOULD BE
LIKEWISE EFFECTIVE [6].
[1] List. Liquamen, id est, garum. Goll. Fish sauce.
[2] Tor. Qui liquamen corruptum corrigatur.
[3] Dann. Ventilate it. Goll. Whip the sauce in fresh air.
[4] List., G.-V. si salsum fuerit—if this makes it too salty—Tor. si
hoc nihil effecerit.
[5] Tor. novem spicam immittas; List. Move spica; Goll.-Dann. stir
with a whip.
[6] A classic example of Apician confusion when one interpreter
reads “s” for “f” and “novem” for “move” and another reads
something else. Tor. is more correct than the others, but this formula
is beyond redemption. Fate has decreed that ill-smelling broths shall
be discarded.

VII

[10] TO KEEP MEATS FRESH WITHOUT SALT FOR ANY LENGTH
OF TIME
UT CARNES SINE SALE QUOVIS TEMPORE RECENTES SINT
COVER FRESH MEAT WITH HONEY, SUSPEND IT IN A VESSEL.
USE AS NEEDED; IN WINTER IT WILL KEEP BUT IN SUMMER IT
WILL LAST ONLY A FEW DAYS. COOKED MEAT MAY BE TREATED
LIKEWISE.

[11] TO KEEP COOKED SIDES OF PORK OR BEEF OR
TENDERLOINS
CALLUM PORCINUM VEL BUBULUM ET UNGUELLÆ COCTÆ UT
DIU DURENT

PLACE THEM IN A PICKLE OF MUSTARD, VINEGAR, SALT AND
HONEY, COVERING MEAT ENTIRELY, AND WHEN READY TO USE
YOU’LL BE SURPRISED.
V. Method still popular today for pickling raw meats. The originals
treat of cooked meats (Tor. nucula elixa; G.-V. unguellæ coctæ; Tac.
nucella cocta). Dispensing with the honey, we use more spices,
whole pepper, cloves, bay leaves, also onions and root vegetables.
Sometimes a little sugar and wine is added to this preparation which
the French call marinade and the Germans Sauerbraten-Einlage.

VIII

[12] TO MAKE SALT MEAT SWEET UT CARNEM SALSAM DULCEM
FACIAS
YOU CAN MAKE SALT MEATS SWEET BY FIRST BOILING THEM
IN MILK AND THEN FINISHING THEM IN WATER.
V. Method still in practice today. Salt mackerel, finnan haddie, etc.,
are parboiled in milk prior to being boiled in water or broiled or
fried.

IX

[13] TO KEEP FRIED FISH UT PISCES FRICTI DIU DURENT
IMMEDIATELY AFTER THEY ARE FRIED POUR HOT VINEGAR
OVER THEM.
Dann. Exactly as we today with fried herring and river lamprey.

[14] TO KEEP OYSTERS OSTREA UT DIU DURENT
FUMIGATE A VINEGAR BARREL WITH PITCH [1], WASH IT OUT
WITH VINEGAR AND STACK THE OYSTERS IN IT [2]

[1] Tor. vas ascernum, corrected on margin, ab aceto. List. vas ab
aceto, which is correct. G.-V. lavas ab aceto; V. the oysters?
unthinkable! Besides it would do no good.
[2] Goll. Take oysters out of the shell, place in vinegar barrel,
sprinkle with laurel berries, fine salt, close tight. V. Goll’s authority
for this version is not found in our originals.
V. There is no way to keep live oysters fresh except in their natural
habitat—salt water. Today we pack them in barrels, feed them with
oatmeal, put weights on them—of no avail. The only way English
oysters could have arrived fresh in Imperial Rome was in specially
constructed bottoms of the galleys.

X

[15] MAKING A LITTLE LASER GO A LONG WAY UT NUCIA [1]
LASERIS TOTO TEMPORE UTARIS
PUT THE LASER [2] IN A SPACIOUS GLASS VESSEL; IMMERSE
ABOUT 20 PINE KERNELS [pignolia nuts]
IF YOU NEED LASER FLAVOR, TAKE SOME NUTS, CRUSH THEM;
THEY WILL IMPART TO YOUR DISH AN ADMIRABLE FLAVOR.
REPLACE THE USED NUTS WITH A LIKE NUMBER OF FRESH
ONES [3]
[1] List. and G.-V. uncia—ounce. Making an ounce of laser go a
long way. Tor. nucea; Tac. nucia. Lister, fond of hair-splitting, is
irreconcilably opposed to Tor., and berates Caspar Barthius for
defending Tor. List. Quam futilis sit in multis labor C. Barthii ut
menda Torini passim sustineat, vel ex hoc loco intelligere licet: Et
enim lege modo uncia pro nucea cum Humelbergio, & ista omnia
glossemata vana sunt.
V. both readings, uncia or nucia are permissible, and make very
little difference. We side with Tor. and Tac. because it takes more
than an ounce of laser to carry out this experiment.

[2] Laser, laserpitium, cf. dictionary.
[3] V. This article illustrates how sparingly the ancients used the
strong and pungent laser flavor [by some believed to be asa foetida]
because it was very expensive, but principally because the Roman
cooks worked economically and knew how to treat spices and
flavors judiciously. This article alone should disperse for all time all
stories of ancient Rome’s extravagance in flavoring and seasoning
dishes. It reminds of the methods used by European cooks to get the
utmost use out of the expensive vanilla bean: they bury the bean in a
can of powdered sugar. They will use the sugar only which has soon
acquired a delicate vanilla perfume, and will replace the used sugar
by a fresh supply. This is by far a superior method to using the often
rank and adulterated “vanilla extract” readily bottled. It is more
gastronomical and more economical. Most commercial extracts are
synthetic, some injurious. To believe that any of them impart to the
dishes the true flavor desired is of course ridiculous. The enormous
consumption of such extracts however, is characteristic of our
industrialized barbarism which is so utterly indifferent to the fine
points in food. Today it is indeed hard for the public to obtain a real
vanilla bean.
Cf. also notes regarding flavoring to Nos. 276-7, 345 and 385.

XI

[16] TO MAKE HONEY CAKES LAST UT DULCIA DE MELLE DIU
DURENT
TO MAKE HONEY CAKES THAT WILL KEEP TAKE WHAT THE
GREEKS CALL YEAST [1] AND MIX IT WITH THE FLOUR AND THE
HONEY AT THE TIME WHEN MAKING THE COOKY DOUGH.
[1] Tor. and Tac. nechon; G.-V. cnecon; Dann. penion.

[17] SPOILED HONEY MADE GOOD UT MEL MALUM BONUM
FACIAS

HOW BAD HONEY MAY BE TURNED INTO A SALEABLE ARTICLE
IS TO MIX ONE PART OF THE SPOILED HONEY WITH TWO PARTS
OF GOOD HONEY.
List. indigna fraus! V. We all agree with Lister that this is
contemptible business. This casts another light on the ancients’
methods of food adulteration.

[18] TO TEST SPOILED HONEY MEL CORRUPTUM UT PROBES
IMMERSE ELENCAMPANE IN HONEY AND LIGHT IT; IF GOOD, IT
WILL BURN BRIGHTLY.

XII

[19] TO KEEP GRAPES UVÆ UT DIU SERVENTUR
TAKE PERFECT GRAPES FROM THE VINES, PLACE THEM IN A
VESSEL AND POUR RAIN WATER OVER THEM THAT HAS BEEN
BOILED DOWN ONE THIRD OF ITS VOLUME. THE VESSEL MUST
BE PITCHED AND SEALED WITH PLASTER, AND MUST BE KEPT
IN A COOL PLACE TO WHICH THE SUN HAS NO ACCESS.
TREATED IN THIS MANNER, THE GRAPES WILL BE FRESH
WHENEVER YOU NEED THEM. YOU CAN ALSO SERVE THIS
WATER AS HONEY MEAD TO THE SICK.
ALSO, IF YOU COVER THE GRAPES WITH BARLEY [bran] YOU
WILL FIND THEM SOUND AND UNINJURED.
V. We keep grapes in cork shavings, bran and saw dust.

[20] TO KEEP POMEGRANATES UT MALA GRANATA DIU DURENT [1]
STEEP THEM INTO HOT [sea] WATER, TAKE THEM OUT
IMMEDIATELY AND HANG THEM UP. [Tor.] THEY WILL KEEP.

[1] Tor. conditura malorum Punicorum; Tac. mala granata; G.-V.
mala et mala granata.

[21] TO KEEP QUINCES UT MALA CYDONIA DIU SERVENTUR
PICK OUT PERFECT QUINCES WITH STEMS [1] AND LEAVES.
PLACE THEM IN A VESSEL, POUR OVER HONEY AND DEFRUTUM
[2] AND YOU’LL PRESERVE THEM FOR A LONG TIME [3].
[1] V. Excellent idea, for the stems, if removed, would leave a
wound in the fruit for the air to penetrate and to start fermentation.
Cf. also the next formula.
[2] G.-V. defritum, from defervitum; defrutum is new wine, spiced,
boiled down to one half of its volume.
[3] This precept would not keep the fruit very long unless protected
by a closefitting cover and sterilization. Cf. No. 24.

[22] TO PRESERVE FRESH FIGS, APPLES, PLUMS, PEARS AND
CHERRIES
FICUM RECENTEM, MALA, PRUNA, PIRA, CERASIA UT DIU SERVES
SELECT THEM ALL VERY CAREFULLY WITH THE STEMS ON [1]
AND PLACE THEM IN HONEY SO THEY DO NOT TOUCH EACH
OTHER.
[1] See the preceding formula.

[23] TO KEEP CITRON CITRIA UT DIU DURENT [1]
PLACE THEM IN A GLASS [2] VESSEL WHICH IS SEALED WITH
PLASTER AND SUSPENDED.
[1] Tor. conditura malorum Medicorum quæ et citria dicuntur. V.
Not quite identified. Fruit coming from Asia Minor, Media or
Persia, one of the many varieties of citrus fruit. Probably citron
because of their size. Goll. Lemon-apples; Dann. lemons (oranges).

List. Scilicet mala, quæ Dioscorides Persica quoque & Medica, &
citromala, Plinius item Assyria appellari dicit.
[2] G.-V. vas vitreum; Tac. and Tor. vas citrum; V. a glass vessel
could not be successfully sealed with plaster paris, and the
experiment would fail; cf. note 3 to No. 21.

[24] TO KEEP MULBERRIES MORA UT DIU DURENT
MULBERRIES, IN ORDER TO KEEP THEM, MUST BE LAID INTO
THEIR OWN JUICE MIXED WITH NEW WINE [boiled down to one
half] IN A GLASS VESSEL AND MUST BE WATCHED ALL THE TIME
[so that they do not spoil].
V. This and the foregoing formulæ illustrate the ancients’ attempts at
preserving foods, and they betray their ignorance of “processing” by
heating them in hermetically sealed vessels, the principle of which
was not discovered until 1810 by Appert which started the now
gigantic industry of canning.

[25] TO KEEP POT HERBS [H]OLERA UT DIU SERVENTUR
PLACE SELECTED POT HERBS, NOT TOO MATURE, IN A PITCHED
VESSEL.

[26] TO PRESERVE SORREL OR SOUR DOCK LAPÆ [1] UT DIU
SERVENTUR
TRIM AND CLEAN [the vegetable] PLACE THEM TOGETHER
SPRINKLE MYRTLE BERRIES BETWEEN, COVER WITH HONEY
AND VINEGAR.
ANOTHER WAY: PREPARE MUSTARD HONEY AND VINEGAR
ALSO SALT AND COVER THEM WITH THE SAME.
[1] The kind of vegetable to be treated here has not been sufficiently
identified. List. and G.-V. rapæ—turnips—from rapus, seldom
rapa,—a rape, turnip, navew. Tac. and Tor. Lapæ (lapathum), kind

of sorrel, monk’s rhubarb, dock. Tor. explaining at length: conditura
Rumicis quod lapathon Græci, Latini Lapam quoque dicunt.
V. Tor. is correct, or nearly so. Turnips, in the first place, are not in
need of any special method of preservation. They keep very well in
a cool, well-ventilated place; in fact they would hardly keep very
long if treated in the above manner. These directions are better
applied to vegetables like dock or monk’s rhubarb. Lister, taking
Humelbergii word for it, accepts “turnips” as the only truth; but he
has little occasion to assail Torinus as he does: Torinus lapam legit,
& nullibi temeritatem suam atque inscientiam magis ostendit.
Now, if Torinus, according to Lister, “nowhere displays more nerve
and ignorance” we can well afford to trust Torinus in cases such as
this.

[27] TO KEEP TRUFFLES TUBERA UT DIU SERVENTUR
THE TRUFFLES WHICH MUST NOT BE TOUCHED BY WATER ARE
PLACED ALTERNATELY IN DRY SAWDUST; SEAL THE VESSEL
WITH PLASTER AND DEPOSIT IT IN A COOL PLACE.
Dann. Clean [peel] the truffles ... in another vessel place the
peelings, seal the vessels.... V. this would be the ruin of the truffles,
unless they were “processed” in the modern way. Our originals have
nothing that would warrant this interpretation.

[28] TO KEEP HARD-SKINNED PEACHES DURACINA PERSICA UT
DIU DURENT
SELECT THE BEST AND PUT THEM IN BRINE. THE NEXT DAY
REMOVE THEM AND RINSING THEM CAREFULLY SET THEM IN
PLACE IN A VESSEL, SPRINKLE WITH SALT AND SATURY AND
IMMERSE IN VINEGAR.

XIII

[29] SALTS FOR MANY [ILLS] SALES CONDITOS AD MULTA
THESE SPICED SALTS ARE USED AGAINST INDIGESTION, TO
MOVE THE BOWELS, AGAINST ALL ILLNESS, AGAINST
PESTILENCE AS WELL AS FOR THE PREVENTION OF COLDS.
THEY ARE VERY GENTLE INDEED AND MORE HEALTHFUL THAN
YOU WOULD EXPECT. [Tor. MAKE THEM IN THIS MANNER]: 1 LB.
OF COMMON SALT GROUND, 2 LBS. OF AMMONIAC SALT,
GROUND [List. AND G.-V. 3 OZS. WHITE PEPPER, 2 OZS. GINGER] 1
OZ. [Tor. 1½ OZ.] OF AMINEAN BRYONY, 1 OF THYME SEED AND 1
OF CELERY SEED [Tor. 1½ OZ.] IF YOU DON’T WANT TO USE
CELERY SEED TAKE INSTEAD 3 OZS. OF PARSLEY [SEED] 3 OZS.
OF ORIGANY, 1 OZ. OF SAFFRON [List. and G.-V. ROCKET] 3 OZS.
OF BLACK PEPPER [1] 1½ OZS. ROCKET SEED, 2 OZS. OF
MARJORAM [List. and G.-V. CRETAN HYSSOP] 2 OZS. OF NARD
LEAVES, 2 OZS. OF PARSLEY [SEED] AND 2 OZS. OF ANISE SEED.
[1] In view of the white pepper as directed above, this seems
superfluous. White pepper and ginger omitted by Tor.
This is one of the few medical formulæ found in Apicius.
Edward Brandt, op. cit., Apiciana No. 29, points out the similarity of
this formula with that of the physician, Marcellus, who lived at
Rome under Nero, Marcell. med. 30, 51.

XIV

[30] TO KEEP GREEN OLIVES OLIVAS VIRIDES SERVARE
TO KEEP OLIVES, FRESH FROM THE TREE, IN A MANNER
ENABLING YOU TO MAKE OIL FROM THEM ANY TIME YOU
DESIRE JUST PLACE THEM [in brine]. [1] HAVING BEEN KEPT
THUS FOR SOME TIME THE OLIVES MAY BE USED AS IF THEY
HAD JUST COME OFF THE TREE FRESH IF YOU DESIRE TO MAKE
GREEN OIL OF THEM.

[1] The original does not state the liquid in which the olives are to
be placed.
Hum. in illud, legendum puto, in muriam.
Hum. is correct. Olives are preserved in brine to this day.
Schuch’s version of this formula (his No. 27) follows our No. 28,
together with his own No. 28, To Keep Damascene Plums [etc.]
which is wanting in List., G.-V., and all the earlier editions because
it is from the codex Salmasianus and will be found among the
Excerpts of Vinidarius at the end of the Apician recipes.

XV

[CUMINATUM. Hum., List. and G.-V.—Tac. and Tor. at the end of
Book I.]

XVI

[31] LASER FLAVOR LASERATUM
[Tor.] LASER IS PREPARED IN THIS MANNER: LASER (WHICH IS
ALSO CALLED LASERPITIUM BY THE ROMANS, WHILE THE
GREEKS CALL IT SILPHION) FROM CYRENE [1] OR FROM
PARTHIA [2] IS DISSOLVED IN LUKEWARM MODERATELY ACID
BROTH; OR PEPPER, PARSLEY, DRY MINT, LASER ROOT, HONEY,
VINEGAR AND BROTH [are ground, compounded and dissolved
together].
[1] Cyrene, a province in Africa, reputed for its fine flavored laser.
[2] Parthia, Asiatic country, still supplying asa fœtida.
The African root furnishing laser was exterminated by the demand
for it. Cf. Laser in Index.

[32] ANOTHER [LASER] ALITER

[ANOTHER LASER FLAVOR WHICH TAKES] PEPPER, CARAWAY,
ANISE, PARSLEY, DRY MINT, THE LEAVES [1] OF SILPHIUM,
MALOBATHRUM [2] INDIAN SPIKENARD, A LITTLE COSTMARY,
HONEY, VINEGAR AND BROTH.
[1] Tor. Silphij folium; List. Sylphium, folium; G.-V. Silfi, folium, the
latter two interpretations meaning silphium (laser) and leaves (either
nard or bay leaves) while both Tor. and Tac. (silfii folium) mean the
leaves of silphium plant.
[2] Malobathrum, malobatrum, malabathrum—leaves of an Indian
tree, wild cinnamon.

XVII

[33] WINE SAUCE FOR TRUFFLES ŒNOGARUM [1] IN TUBERA
PEPPER, LOVAGE, CORIANDER, RUE, BROTH, HONEY AND A
LITTLE OIL.
ANOTHER WAY: THYME, SATURY, PEPPER, LOVAGE, HONEY,
BROTH AND OIL.
[1] Also Elæogarum.
V. Directions wanting whether the above ingredients are to be added
to the already prepared garum, which see in dictionary. Gollmer
gives the following direction for garum: Boil a sextarium of
anchovies and 3 sextarii of good wine until it is thick purée. Strain
this through a hair sieve and keep it in glass flask for future use.
This formula, according to Goll. should have followed our No. 9;
but we find no authority for it in the original.
Oenogarum proper would be a garum prepared with wine, but in
this instance it is the broth in which the truffles were cooked that is
to be flavored with the above ingredients. There is no need and no
mention of garum proper. Thus prepared it might turn out to be a
sensible sauce for truffles in the hands of a good practitioner.

Note the etymology of the word “garum,” now serving as a generic
name for “sauce” which originally stood for a compound of the fish
garus.
Cf. Garum in index.

XVIII

[34] OXYPORUM OXYPORUM
[Tor. OXYPORUM (WHICH SIGNIFIES “EASY PASSAGE”) SO
NAMED BECAUSE OF ITS EFFECT, TAKES] 2 OZS. OF CUMIN, 1
OZ. OF GINGER [List. 1 OZ. OF GREEN RUE] 6 SCRUPLES OF
SALTPETER, A DOZEN SCRUPLES OF PLUMP DATES, 1 OZ. OF
PEPPER AND 11 [List. 9] OZS. OF HONEY. THE CUMIN MAY BE
EITHER ÆTHIOPIAN, SYRIAN OR LYBIAN, MUST BE FIRST
SOAKED IN VINEGAR, BOILED DOWN DRY AND POUNDED.
AFTERWARDS ADD YOUR HONEY. THIS COMPOUND, AS
NEEDED, IS USED AS OXYPORUM.
Cf. No. 111, A Harmless Salad.
Bran. op. cit., p. 25-6, of Greek origin.

XIX

[35] HYPOTRIMA [1] HYPOTRIMA
[Tor. HYPOTRIMA, MEANING IN LATIN A PERFECT MESS OF
POTAGE, REQUIRES THIS]: PEPPER, LOVAGE, DRY MINT,
PIGNOLIA NUTS, RAISINS, DATE WINE, SWEET CHEESE, HONEY,
VINEGAR, BROTH, WINE, OIL, MUST OR REDUCED MUST [2]
[1] List. and G.-V. Hypotrimma.
V. This formula, lacking detailed instructions, is of course perfectly
obscure, and it would be useless to debate over it.

[2] Tor. and Tac. cariotam; Sch. cariotum; List. and G.-V. carœnum.
This (carenum) is new wine boiled down one half of its volume.
Cariotum is a palm wine or date wine.

XX

[36] OXYGARUM, AN AID TO DIGESTION OXYGARUM DIGESTIBILE
[Tor. OXYGARUM (WHICH IS SIMILAR TO GARUM OR RATHER AN
ACID SAUCE) IS DIGESTIBLE AND IS COMPOSED OF]: ½ OZ. OF
PEPPER, 3 SCRUPLES OF GALLIC SILPHIUM, 6 SCRUPLES OF
CARDAMOM, 6 OF CUMIN, 1 SCRUPLE OF LEAVES, 6 SCRUPLES
OF DRY MINT. THESE [ingredients] ARE BROKEN SINGLY AND
CRUSHED AND [made into a paste] BOUND BY HONEY. WHEN THIS
WORK IS DONE [or whenever you desire] ADD BROTH AND
VINEGAR [to taste].
Cf. Note to No. 33.

[37] ANOTHER [OXYGARUM] [1] ALITER
1 OZ. EACH OF PEPPER, PARSLEY, CARRAWAY, LOVAGE, MIX
WITH HONEY. WHEN DONE ADD BROTH AND VINEGAR.
[1] Wanting in Torinus.

XXI

[38] MORTARIA [1] MORTARIA
MORTARIA ARE PREPARATIONS MADE IN THE MORTAR. PLACE
IN THE MORTAR [Tor.] MINT, RUE, CORIANDER AND FENNEL, ALL
FRESH AND GREEN AND CRUSH THEM FINE. LOVAGE, PEPPER,
HONEY AND BROTH [2] AND VINEGAR [3] TO BE ADDED WHEN
THE WORK IS DONE.
Ex Tor. first sentence wanting in other texts.

[1] List. and G.-V. moretaria, from moretum.
[2] Dann. calls this “Kalte Schale” which as a rule is a drink or a
cold refreshing soup, popular on the Continent in hot weather. Not a
bad interpretation if instead of the broth the original called for wine
or fruit juices.
V. Mortaria are ingredients crushed in the mortar, ready to be used
in several combinations, similar to the ground fine herbs,
remoulade, in French cuisine that may be used for various purposes,
principally for cold green sauces.
[3] Wanting in Tor.

[XV]

[39] CUMIN SAUCE FOR SHELLFISH CUMINATUM IN OSTREA ET
CONCHYLIA
[Tor. CUMIN SAUCE (SO CALLED BECAUSE CUMIN IS ITS CHIEF
INGREDIENT) FOR OYSTERS AND CLAMS IS MADE OF] PEPPER,
LOVAGE, PARSLEY, DRY MINT, MALABAR LEAVES, QUITE SOME
CUMIN, HONEY, VINEGAR, AND BROTH.

[40] ANOTHER [CUMIN SAUCE] [1] ALITER
PEPPER, LOVAGE, PARSLEY, DRY MINT, PLENTY OF CUMIN,
HONEY, VINEGAR AND BROTH.
[1] wanting in List.
The cumin sauce formulæ are under chap. XV in G.-V., following
our No. 30.

END OF BOOK I

EXPLICIT APICII EPIMELES LIBER PRIMUS [Tac.]

COLANDER FOR STRAINING WINE
The intricate design of the perforation denotes that this
strainer was used for straining wine. Various other strainers
of simpler design, with and without handles, were used in
the kitchen and bakery. Ntl. Mus., Naples, 77602; Field M.,
24307.

APICIUS
Book II

SLAVES OPERATING A HAND-MILL

Reconstruction in Naples, in the new section of the National
Museum.

FRUIT OR DESSERT BOWL
Round bowl, fluted symmetrically, with three claw feet,
resting on molded bases. Ntl. Mus., Naples, 74000; Field
M., 24028.

BOOK II. MINCES
Lib. II. Sarcoptes [1]
CHAP. I. FORCEMEATS, SAUSAGE, MEAT PUDDINGS, MEAT
LOAVES.
CHAP. II. HYDROGARUM, SPELT PUDDING AND ROUX [2].
CHAP. III. SOW’S MATRIX, BLOOD SAUSAGE.
CHAP. IV. LUCANIAN SAUSAGE.
CHAP. V. SAUSAGE.

[1] Tor. Artoptes; Tac. Artoptus. This may have been derived from
artopta—a vessel in which bread and pudding are baked. However,
Sarcoptes is the better word, which is Greek, meaning “chopped
meats.”
[2] Tac. Ambolatum, and so in Tor. p. 15, De Ambolato. Cap. IIII. cf.
our note following No. 58.

I

[41] MINCED DISHES ISICIA

T HERE ARE MANY KINDS OF MINCED DISHES [1] SEAFOOD
MINCES [2] ARE MADE OF SEA-ONION, OR SEA CRAB-FISH,
LOBSTER, CUTTLE-FISH, INK FISH, SPINY LOBSTER,
SCALLOPS AND OYSTERS [3]. THE FORCEMEAT IS SEASONED
WITH LOVAGE [4], PEPPER, CUMIN AND LASER ROOT.
[1] Tor. Sentence wanting in other texts. V. Forcemeats, minced
meats, sausage. Tor. Hysitia, from Isicia. This term is derived from
insicium, from salsicium, from salsum insicium, cut salt meat; old

French salcisse, saulcisse, modern French saucisse, meaning
sausage. This is a confirmation of the meaning of the word salsum
—meaning primarily salt meat, bacon in particular. It has survived
in modern French terminology in salés more specially petits salés—
small rashers of bacon. Salsum has caused much confusion in some
later formulæ. Cf. notes to Nos. 148, 150, 152.
[2] V. fish forcemeats, fish balls, fish cakes and similar preparations.
[3] Scallops and oysters wanting in List. and G.-V.
[4] Wanting in List.

[42] CUTTLE-FISH CROQUETTES ISICIA DE LOLLIGINE [1]
THE MEAT IS SEPARATED FROM BONES, SKIN [and refuse]
CHOPPED FINE AND POUNDED IN THE MORTAR. SHAPE THE
FORCEMEAT INTO NEAT CROQUETTES [2] AND COOK THEM IN
LIQUAMEN [3].
THEY ARE DISPLAYED NICELY ON A LARGE DISH.
V. This formula plainly calls for fish balls braised or stewed in
broth. Ordinarily we would boil the fish first and then separate the
meat from the bones, shred or chop it fine, bind with cream sauce,
flour and eggs; some add potatoes as a binder, and fry.
[1] G.-V. lolligine; Tor. loligine, which is correctly spelled.
[2] Tac. and Tor. in pulmento tundes. G.-V. fulmento which is
wrong. Pulmentum, abbreviated for pulpamentum, from pulpa. It
means a fleshy piece of fish or meat, a tid-bit.
[3] The original says in liquamine fricatur—fry in l., which is
impossible in the sense of the word, frying. Either “frying” here
stands for cooking, stewing, braising, poaching, or else the so
mysterious liquamen must here mean deep fat. Most likely these
fish forcemeat balls were fried in olive oil. Cf. ℞ No. 46.

[43] LOBSTER OR CRABMEAT CROQUETTES ISICIA DE SCILLIS VEL
DE CAMMARIS AMPLIS [1]
THE SHELLS OF THE LOBSTERS OR CRABS [which are cooked] ARE
BROKEN, THE MEAT EXTRACTED FROM THE HEAD AND
POUNDED IN THE MORTAR WITH PEPPER AND THE BEST KIND
OF BROTH. THIS PULP [is shaped into neat little cakes which are fried]
AND SERVED UP NICELY [2].
[1] Scilla or squilla, squill, sea-onion, also a crab, cammarus
amplus, large lobster, langouste, spiny lobster.
[2] The original omits the mode of cooking the fish. A case where it
is taken for granted that the shellfish is boiled in water alive. The
broth (liquamen) is a thick fish sauce in this case, serving as a
binder for the meat, conforming to present methods.
Dann. Fill this into sausage casing. There is no authority for this.

[44] LIVER KROMESKIS OMENTATA [1]
OMENTATA ARE MADE IN THIS MANNER: [lightly] FRY PORK
LIVER, REMOVE SKIN AND SINEWS FIRST [2]. CRUSH PEPPER
AND RUE IN A MORTAR WITH [a little] BROTH, THEN ADD THE
LIVER, POUND AND MIX. THIS PULP SHAPE INTO SMALL
SAUSAGE, WRAP EACH IN CAUL AND LAUREL LEAVES AND
HANG THEM UP TO BE SMOKED. WHENEVER YOU WANT AND
WHEN READY TO ENJOY THEM TAKE THEM OUT OF THE SMOKE,
FRY THEM AGAIN, AND ADD GRAVY [3].
[1] From omentum—caul, the membrane enclosing the bowels.
Hence “omen.” Minced meats wrapped in caul and fried are
kromeskis in kitchen terminology.
[2] First—an after thought so characteristic in culinary literature,
proof enough that this formula originated in a kitchen. The ante
tamen of the original belongs to this sentence, not to the next, as the
editors have it.

[3] Wanting in G.-V. The original continues without interruption to
the next, an entirely new formula.

[45] [BRAIN SAUSAGE] [ISICIA DE CEREBELLIS] [1]
PUT IN THE MORTAR PEPPER, LOVAGE AND ORIGANY, MOISTEN
WITH BROTH AND RUB; ADD COOKED BRAINS AND MIX
DILIGENTLY SO THAT THERE BE NO LUMPS. INCORPORATE FIVE
EGGS AND CONTINUE MIXING WELL TO HAVE A GOOD
FORCEMEAT WHICH YOU MAY THIN WITH BROTH. SPREAD THIS
OUT IN A METAL PAN, COOK, AND WHEN COOKED [cold]
UNMOULD IT ONTO A CLEAN TABLE. CUT INTO HANDY SIZE.
[Now prepare a sauce] PUT IN THE MORTAR PEPPER, LOVAGE AND
ORIGANY, CRUSH, MIX WITH BROTH PUT INTO A SAUCE PAN,
BOIL, THICKEN AND STRAIN. HEAT THE PIECES OF BRAIN
PUDDING IN THIS SAUCE THOROUGHLY, DISH THEM UP,
SPRINKLED WITH PEPPER, IN A MUSHROOM DISH [2].
[1] The Original has no title for this dish.
[2] List. and G.-V. here start the next formula, but Tor. continues
without interruption. Cf. Note 2 to No. 46.

[46] A DISH OF SCALLOPS ISICIA EX SPONDYLIS [1]
[Lightly] COOK SCALLOPS [or the firm part of oysters] REMOVE THE
HARD AND OBJECTIONABLE PARTS, MINCE THE MEAT VERY
FINE, MIX THIS WITH COOKED SPELT AND EGGS, SEASON WITH
PEPPER, [shape into croquettes and wrap] IN CAUL, FRY, UNDERLAY A
RICH FISH SAUCE AND SERVE AS A DELICIOUS ENTRÉE [2].
[1] Sch. sfondilis; G.-V. sphondylis; List. spongiolis. According to
Lister, this is a dish of mushrooms, but he is wrong. He directs to
remove sinews when mushrooms haven’t any, but shellfish have.
Torinus is correct. Gollmer makes the same mistake, believing
spondyli to be identical with spongioli. He and Danneil take elixata
for “choice” when this plainly means “cooked.” If one were not sure

of either word, the nature of the subject would leave no room for
any doubt. Cf. note 1 to Nos. 115-121.
[2] We may find a reason for the combination of these last three
distinctly different formulæ into one article in the following
explanation. It is possible that these dishes were served together as
one course, even on one platter, thus constituting a single dish, as it
were. Such a dish would strongly resemble platters of “fritures” and
“fritto misto” (mixed fried foods) esteemed in France and Italy. We,
too, have “Shore Dinners” and other “Combination Platters” with
lobster, crabs, scallops, shrimps, mushrooms, tomatoes—each
article prepared separately, but when served together will form an
integral part of ONE dish.
The above formulæ, though somewhat incomplete, are good and
gastronomically correct. A combination of these isicia such as we
here suggest would be entirely feasible and would in fact make a
dish of great refinement, taxing the magiric artist’s skill to the
utmost. We would class them among the entremets chauds which
are often used on a buffet table or as hot hors d’œuvres.

[47] ANOTHER KIND OF KROMESKIS [1] ALITER ISICIA OMENTATA
FINELY CUT PULP [of pork] IS GROUND WITH THE HEARTS [2] OF
WINTER WHEAT AND DILUTED WITH WINE. FLAVOR LIGHTLY
WITH PEPPER AND BROTH AND IF YOU LIKE ADD A MODERATE
QUANTITY OF [myrtle] BERRIES ALSO CRUSHED, AND AFTER
YOU HAVE ADDED CRUSHED NUTS AND PEPPER [3] SHAPE THE
FORCEMEAT INTO SMALL ROLLS, WRAP THESE IN CAUL, FRY,
AND SERVE WITH WINE GRAVY.
[1] Wanting in Lister.
[2] Fine wheat flour, cream of wheat.
[3] Either pepper corns or allspice.
The original leaves us in doubt as to the kind of meat to be used, if
any.

II

[48] DUMPLINGS OF PHEASANT ISICIA PLENA
[Lightly roast choice] FRESH PHEASANTS [cut them into dice and mix
these with a] STIFF FORCEMEAT MADE OF THE FAT AND THE
TRIMMINGS OF THE PHEASANT, SEASON WITH PEPPER, BROTH
AND REDUCED WINE, SHAPE INTO CROQUETTES OR SPOON
DUMPLINGS, AND POACH IN HYDROGARUM [water seasoned with
garum, or even plain salt water].

[49] DUMPLINGS AND HYDROGARUM HYDROGARATA ISICIA
CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE AND JUST A SUSPICION OF PELLITORY,
MOISTEN WITH STOCK AND WELL WATER, ALLOW IT TO DRAW,
PLACE IT IN A SAUCE PAN, BOIL IT DOWN, AND STRAIN. POACH
YOUR LITTLE DUMPLINGS OF FORCEMEAT IN THIS LIQUOR AND
WHEN THEY ARE DONE SERVE IN A DISH FOR ISICIA, TO BE
SIPPED AT THE TABLE.

[50] CHICKEN FORCEMEAT ISICIA DE PULLO
[Raw] CHICKEN MEAT, 1 LB. OF DARNEL [1] MEAL, ONE
QUARTER PINT OF STOCK AND ONE HALF OUNCE OF PEPPER.
[1] Tor. lolæ floris; Hum.-List. and G.-V. olei floris—virgin olive
oil?—first choice flour? Goll. olive (violet?) flowers; Dann. Olive
oil.
The suggestion of oil is plausible because of the lack of fat in
chicken meat, but the quantity—1 lb.—is out of question. Moreover,
the binder would be lacking. This is found in the Torinus rendering.
His lolæ floris should read lolii—from lolium—darnel rye grass or
ray grass which was supposed to have intoxicating qualities,
injurious to the eye sight.—Ovid and Plautus. The seeds of this

grass were supposed to possess narcotic properties but recent
researches have cast doubt upon this theory.
A little butter, fresh cream and eggs are the proper ingredients for
chicken forcemeat. Any kind of flour for binding the forcemeat
would cheapen the dish. Yet some modern forcemeats (sausage)
contain as much as fifty percent of some kind of meal. The most
effective is that of the soya bean which is not starchy.

[51] CHICKEN BROTH ANOTHER STYLE ALITER DE PULLO
CHICKEN MEAT, 31 PEPPERCORNS CRUSHED, 1 CHOENIX [1]
FULL OF THE VERY BEST STOCK, A LIKE AMOUNT OF BOILED
MUST AND ELEVEN MEASURES [2] OF WATER. [Put this in a sauce
pan] PLACE IT UPON THE FIRE TO SEETH AND EVAPORATE
SLOWLY.
[1] V. 2 sextarii; Tor. chœnicem, cenlicem; List. calicem.
[2] chœnices?—left in doubt.
This seems to be a chicken broth, or essence for a sauce or perhaps a
medicine. Torinus mentions the chicken meat, the others do not.
The original without interruption continues to describe the isicium
simplex which has nothing to do with the above.

[52] PLAIN DUMPLING WITH BROTH ISICIUM SIMPLEX
TO 1 ACETABULUM [1] OF STOCK [2] ADD 7 OF WATER, A LITTLE
GREEN CELERY, A LITTLE SPOONFUL OF GROUND PEPPER, AND
BOIL THIS WITH THE SAUSAGE MEAT OR DUMPLINGS. IF YOU
INTEND TAKING THIS TO MOVE THE BOWELS THE SEDIMENT
SALTS [3] OF HYDROGARUM HAVE TO BE ADDED [4].
[1] A measure, 15 Attic drachms.
[2] liquamen.

[3] Tor. pectines, alias peces hydrogaro conditi; List. sales; G.-V.
fæces.
[4] V. The formula is unintelligible, like No. 52 and others, perhaps
just another example of medicinal cookery, dishes not only intended
to nourish the body but to cure also certain ills. Authors like Hannah
Wolley (The Queen-like Closet, London, 1675) and as late as the
middle of the 18th century pride themselves in giving such quasi-
Apician formulæ.

[53] [Rank of] DISHES ISICIA
[Entrées of] PEACOCK OCCUPY THE FIRST RANK, PROVIDED
THEY BE DRESSED IN SUCH MANNER THAT THE HARD AND
TOUGH PARTS BE TENDER. THE SECOND PLACE [in the estimation
of the Gourmets] HAVE DISHES MADE OF RABBIT [1] THIRD SPINY
LOBSTER [2] FOURTH COMES CHICKEN AND FIFTH YOUNG PIG.
[1] List. and G.-V. Pheasant.
[2] Wanting in the above. Dann. Crane fourth.
Isicia, like in the foregoing formula, commences to become a
generic term for “dishes.”

[54] POTTED ENTRÉES ISICIA AMULATA AB AHENO [1]
GROUND PEPPER, LOVAGE, ORIGANY, VERY LITTLE SILPHIUM, A
PINCH OF GINGER AND A TRIFLE OF HONEY AND A LITTLE
STOCK. [Put on the fire, and when boiling] ADD THE ISICIA [sausage,
meat balls and so forth] TO THIS BROTH AND COOK THOROUGHLY.
FINALLY THICKEN THE GRAVY WITH ROUX [2] BY SOWING IT IN
SLOWLY AND STIRRING FROM THE BOTTOM UP [3].
[1] Tor. multa ab alieno; Brandt [a]mul[a]ta ab aheno; List.
amylata—French: liés. Ab aheno—out of the pot.
[2] French, for a mixture of wheat or rice flour with fats or liquids to
thicken fluids. Amylum, or amulum which hereafter will occur

frequently in the original does not cover the ground as well as the
French term roux. The quality of the “binder” depends upon the
material in hand. Sometimes the fat and flour are parched,
sometimes they are used raw. Sometimes the flour is diluted with
water and used in that form.
[3] List. and G.-V. sorbendum; Tor. subruendum.

[55] ANOTHER [THICK ENTRÉE GRAVY] ALITER
GRIND PEPPER WHICH HAS BEEN SOAKED OVERNIGHT, ADD
SOME MORE STOCK AND WORK IT INTO A SMOOTH PASTE;
THEREUPON ADD QUINCE-APPLE CIDER, BOILED DOWN ONE
HALF, THAT IS WHICH HAS EVAPORATED IN THE HEAT OF THE
SUN TO THE CONSISTENCY OF HONEY. IF THIS IS NOT AT HAND,
ADD FIG WINE [1] CONCENTRATE WHICH THE ROMANS CALL
“COLOR” [2]. NOW THICKEN THE GRAVY WITH ROUX OR WITH
SOAKED RICE FLOUR AND FINISH IT ON A GENTLE FIRE.
[1] Tor. cammarum, which should read caricarum—wine of Carica
figs.
[2] V. the Roman equivalent for “singe,” “monkey,” “Affe,”—(the
vulgo French is literally translated into and in actual use in other
languages) caramel color made of burnt sugar to give gravies a
palatable appearance. Cf. No. 73.
The reference by the original to “which the Romans call ‘color’”
indicates, according to Brandt, that this formula is NOT of ROMAN
origin but probably a translation into Latin from a Greek cookery
book.
This is an interesting suggestion, and it could be elaborated on to
say that the entire Apicius is NOT of Roman origin. But why should
the Greeks who in their balmy days were so far in advance of Rome
in culinary matters go there for such information?
It is more likely that this reference to Rome comes from the Italian
provinces or the colonies, regions which naturally would look to

Rome for guidance in such matters.

[56] ANOTHER AMULATUM AMULATUM ALITER
DISJOINT A CHICKEN AND BONE IT. PLACE THE PIECES IN A
STEW PAN WITH LEEKS, DILL AND SALT [water or stock] WHEN
WELL DONE ADD PEPPER AND CELERY SEED, THICKEN WITH
RICE [1] ADD STOCK, A DASH OF RAISIN WINE OR MUST, STIR
WELL, SERVE WITH THE ENTRÉES.
[1] G.-V. oryzam; Tor. ditto (and on margin) oridam; Hum. oridiam
legendum orindam—a kind of bread. Dann. and Goll. rice flour.
In a general way the ancient formula corresponds exactly to our
present chicken fricassée.

[57] SPELT OR FARINA PUDDING APOTHERMUM
BOIL SPELT WITH [Tor. PIGNOLIA] NUTS AND PEELED ALMONDS
[1] [G.-V. AND] IMMERSED IN [boiling] WATER AND WASHED WITH
WHITE CLAY SO THAT THEY APPEAR PERFECTLY WHITE, ADD
RAISINS, [flavor with] CONDENSED WINE OR RAISIN WINE AND
SERVE IT IN A ROUND DISH WITH CRUSHED [2] [nuts, fruit, bread or
cake crumbs] SPRINKLED OVER IT [3].
[1] V. We peel almonds in the same manner; the white clay
treatment is new to us.
G.-V. and—which is confusing.
[2] The original: confractum—crushed, but what? G.-V. pepper, for
which there is neither authority nor reason. A wine sauce would go
well with it or crushed fruit. List. and Goll. Breadcrumbs.
[3] This is a perfectly good pudding—one of the very few desserts
in Apicius. With a little sweetening (supplied probably by the
condensed wine) and some grated lemon for flavor it is quite
acceptable as a dessert.

[58] DE AMBOLATO CAP. IIII
Ex Torinus, not mentioned by the other editors. The sense of this
word is not clear. It must be a recipe or a chapter the existence of
which was known to Torinus, for he says: “This entire chapter is
wanting in our copy.”

III

[59] A DISH OF SOW’S MATRIX VULVULÆ BOTELLI [1]
ENTRÉES [2] OF SOW’S MATRIX [3] ARE MADE THUS: CRUSH
PEPPER AND CUMIN WITH TWO SMALL HEADS OF LEEK,
PEELED, ADD TO THIS PULP RUE, BROTH [and the sow’s matrix or
fresh pork] CHOP, [or crush in mortar very fine] THEN ADD TO THIS
[forcemeat] INCORPORATING WELL PEPPER GRAINS AND [pine]
NUTS [4] FILL THE CASING [5] AND BOIL IN WATER [with] OIL
AND BROTH [for seasoning] AND A BUNCH OF LEEKS AND DILL.
[1] G.-V. Vulvulæ Botelli; Sch. Vulvulæ isiciata; Tor. De Vulvulis et
botellis. See note No. 3.
[2] V. “Entrées” out of respect for the ancients who used them as
such; today we would class such dishes among the “hors d’œuvres
chauds.”
[3] V. Vulvula, dim. for vulva, sow’s matrix. Cf. vulva in dictionary.
Possible, also possible that volva is meant—a meat roll, a croquette.
[4] V. Combinations of chopped nuts and pork still in vogue today;
we use the green pistachios.
[5] V. The casings which were filled with this forcemeat may have
been the sow’s matrices, also caul. The original is vague on the
point.

[60] LITTLE SAUSAGE BOTELLUM [1]

BOTELLUM IS MADE OF [2] HARD BOILED YOLKS OF EGG [3]
CHOPPED PIGNOLIA NUTS, ONION AND LEEKS, RAW GROUND
PINE [4] FINE PEPPER, STUFF IN CASINGS AND COOK IN BROTH
AND WINE [5].
[1] V. Botelli, or botuli, are sausage of various kind; (French,
Boudin, English, Pudding). Originally made of raw blood, they are
in fact, miniature blood sausage. The absence of meat in the present
formula makes me believe that it is not complete, though hard
boiled yolk when properly seasoned and mixed with the right
amount of fat, make a tasty forcemeat for sausage.
[2] Tor. Botellum sic fades ex oui; Sch. and G.-V. sex ovi—the
number of eggs is immaterial.
[3] Dann. Calf’s Sweetbreads.
[4] Goll. Thus crudum—raw blood. Thus or tus is either
frankincense or the herb, ground-pine. Dann. Rosemary. Hum. Thus
crudum lege jus crudum—jus or broth which would make the
forcemeat soft. There is no reason for changing “thus” into “jus!”
[5] G.-V. Adicies liquamen et vinum, et sic coques. Tor. & vino
decoquas.

IV

[61] LUCANIAN SAUSAGE LUCANICÆ
LUCANIAN SAUSAGE [or meat pudding] ARE MADE SIMILAR TO
THE ABOVE: CRUSH PEPPER, CUMIN, SAVORY, RUE, PARSLEY,
CONDIMENT, LAUREL BERRIES AND BROTH; MIX WITH FINELY
CHOPPED [fresh Pork] AND POUND WELL WITH BROTH. TO THIS
MIXTURE, BEING RICH, ADD WHOLE PEPPER AND NUTS. WHEN
FILLING CASINGS CAREFULLY PUSH THE MEAT THROUGH.
HANG SAUSAGE UP TO SMOKE.
V. Lister’s interesting remarks about the makers of these sausages
are given in the dictionary. Cf. Longano.

V

[62] SAUSAGE FARCIMINA
POUND EGGS AND BRAINS [eggs raw, brains cooked] PINE NUTS
[chopped fine] PEPPER [whole] BROTH AND A LITTLE LASER WITH
WHICH FILL THE CASINGS. FIRST PARBOIL THE SAUSAGE THEN
FRY THEM AND SERVE.
V. The directions are vague enough, but one may recognize in them
our modern brain sausage.

[63] ANOTHER SAUSAGE ALITER
WORK COOKED SPELT AND FINELY CHOPPED FRESH PORK
TOGETHER, POUND IT WITH PEPPER, BROTH AND PIGNOLIA
NUTS. FILL THE CASINGS, PARBOIL AND FRY WITH SALT, SERVE
WITH MUSTARD, OR YOU MAY CUT THE SAUSAGE IN SLICES
AND SERVE ON A ROUND DISH.

[64] ANOTHER SAUSAGE ALITER
WASH SPELT AND COOK IT WITH STOCK. CUT THE FAT OF THE
INTESTINES OR BELLY VERY FINE WITH LEEKS. MIX THIS WITH
CHOPPED BACON AND FINELY CHOPPED FRESH PORK. CRUSH
PEPPER, LOVAGE AND THREE EGGS AND MIX ALL IN THE
MORTAR WITH PIGNOLIA NUTS AND WHOLE PEPPER, ADD
BROTH, FILL CASINGS. PARBOIL SAUSAGE, FRY LIGHTLY, OR
SERVE THEM BOILED.
Tor. and Tac. Serve with pheasant gravy. In the early editions the
following formula which thus ends is wanting.

[65] ROUND SAUSAGE CIRCELLOS ISICIATOS
FILL THE CASINGS WITH THE BEST MATERIAL [forcemeat] SHAPE
THE SAUSAGE INTO SMALL CIRCLES, SMOKE. WHEN THEY

HAVE TAKEN ON (VERMILLION) COLOR FRY THEM LIGHTLY.
DRESS NICELY GARNISHED ON A PHEASANT WINE GRAVY,
FLAVORED, HOWEVER, WITH CUMIN.
V. In Tor. and in the earliest edition this formula has been contracted
with the preceding and made one formula.

END OF BOOK II

EXPLICIT LIBER SECUNDUS APICII ARTOPTUS [Tac.]

APICIUS
Book III

ELABORATE THERMOSPODIUM
A heater for the service of hot foods and drinks in the dining
room. Hot drinks were mixed and foods were served from
apparatus of this kind. The fuel was charcoal. There were
public places, specializing in hot drinks, called Thermopolia.
This specimen was found at Stabiæ, one of the ill-fated
towns destroyed by eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Ntl. Mus.,
Naples, 72986; Field M., 24307.

SERVICE PAN
Round, with decorated handle. This and the pan with the
Hercules head on handle used in connection with the plain
Thermospodium to serve hot foods in the dining room.
Hildesheim Treas.

BOOK III. THE GARDENER
Lib. III. Cepuros
CHAP. I.TO BOIL ALL VEGETABLES GREEN.
CHAP. II.VEGETABLE DINNER, EASILY DIGESTED.
CHAP. III.ASPARAGUS.
CHAP. IV.PUMPKIN, SQUASH.
CHAP. V.CITRUS FRUIT, CITRON.
CHAP. VI.CUCUMBERS.
CHAP. VII.MELON GOURD, MELON.
CHAP. VIII.MALLOWS.
CHAP. IX.YOUNG CABBAGE, SPROUTS, CAULIFLOWER.
CHAP. X.LEEKS.
CHAP. XI.BEETS.
CHAP. XII.POT HERBS.
CHAP. XIII.TURNIPS, NAVEWS.
CHAP. XIV.HORSERADISH AND RADISHES.
CHAP. XV.SOFT CABBAGE.
CHAP. XVI.FIELD HERBS.
CHAP. XVII.NETTLES.
CHAP. XVIII.ENDIVE AND LETTUCE.
CHAP. XIX.CARDOONS.
CHAP. XX.COW-PARSNIPS.
CHAP. XXI.CARROTS AND PARSNIPS.

I

[66] VEGETABLES, POT HERBS DE HOLERIBUS

T O KEEP ALL VEGETABLES GREEN.
UT OMNE HOLUS SMARAGDINUM FIAT.
ALL VEGETABLES WILL REMAIN GREEN IF BOILED WITH
COOKING SODA [1].
[1] Nitrium. Method still in use today, considered injurious to health
if copper vessel is used, but the amount of copper actually absorbed
by the vegetable is infinitesimal, imperceptible even by the taste.
Copper, to be actually harmful would have to be present in such
quantity as to make enjoyment impossible.

II

[67] VEGETABLE DINNER, EASILY DIGESTED PULMENTARIUM AD
VENTREM [1]
ALL GREEN VEGETABLES ARE SUITED FOR THIS PURPOSE [2]
VERY YOUNG [3] BEETS AND WELL MATURED LEEKS ARE
PARBOILED; ARRANGE THEM IN A BAKING DISH, GRIND PEPPER
AND CUMIN, ADD BROTH AND CONDENSED MUST, OR
ANYTHING ELSE TO SWEETEN THEM A LITTLE, HEAT AND
FINISH THEM ON A SLOW FIRE, AND SERVE.
[1] V. Ad ventrem, “for the belly,” simple home laxative.
[2] V. This sentence in Torinus only. Possibly a contraction of the
foregoing formula, No. 66.
[3] V. minutas, “small,” i.e., young.

[68] A SIMILAR DISH SIMILITER
PARBOIL POLYPODY [1] ROOT SO AS TO SOFTEN THEM, CUT
THEM INTO SMALL PIECES, SEASON WITH GROUND PEPPER
AND CUMIN, ARRANGE IN A BAKING DISH, FINISH ON THE FIRE
AND SERVE [2].

[1] V. Roots of the fern herb.
[2] V. Although these instructions for vegetable dinners are rather
vague, they resemble primitive chartreuses—fancy vegetable dishes
developed by the Carthusian monks to whom flesh eating was
forbidden. Elsewhere in Apicius we shall find the chartreuse
developed to a remarkable degree.

[69] ANOTHER LAXATIVE ALITER AD VENTREM [1]
SCRUB AND WASH BUNDLES OF BEETS BY RUBBING THEM
WITH A LITTLE SODA [2]. TIE THEM IN INDIVIDUAL BUNDLES,
PUT INTO WATER TO BE COOKED, WHEN DONE, SEASON WITH
REDUCED MUST OR RAISIN WINE AND CUMIN, SPRINKLE WITH
PEPPER, ADD A LITTLE OIL, AND WHEN HOT, CRUSH POLYPODY
AND NUTS WITH BROTH, ADD THIS TO THE RED-HOT PAN,
INCORPORATING IT WITH THE BEETS, TAKE OFF THE FIRE
QUICKLY AND SERVE.
[1] This formula wanting in Tor.
[2] V. Ingenious method to skin tender root vegetables, still in vogue
today. We remove the skin of tender young root vegetables, carrots,
beets, etc., by placing them in a towel, sprinkling them with rock
salt and shaking them energetically. The modern power vegetable
peeler is really built on the same principle, only instead of salt
(which soon melts) carborundum or rough concrete surfaces are
used, against which surfaces the vegetables are hurled by the rotary
motion; often enough, too much of the skin is removed, however.

[70] BEETS À LA VARRO BETACEOS VARRONIS [1]
VARRO BEETS, THAT IS, BLACK ONES [2] OF WHICH THE ROOTS
MUST BE CLEANED WELL, COOK THEM WITH MEAD AND A
LITTLE SALT AND OIL; BOIL THEM DOWN IN THIS LIQUOR SO
THAT THE ROOTS ARE SATURATED THEREBY; THE LIQUID
ITSELF IS GOOD DRINKING. IT IS ALSO NICE TO COOK A
CHICKEN IN WITH THEM.

[1] G.-V. Betacios; Tor. B. Varrones. Probably named for Varro, the
writer on agriculture.
[2] Roots on the order of parsnips, salsify, oysterplant.

[71] ANOTHER LAXATIVE ALITER AD VENTREM
ANOTHER VEGETABLE DISH, PROMOTING GOOD HEALTH; WASH
CELERY, GREENS AND ROOTS, AND DRY IT IN THE SUN: THEN
ALSO COOK THE TENDER PART AND HEAD OF LEEKS IN A NEW
[1] POT, ALLOWING THE WATER TO BOIL DOWN ONE THIRD OF
ITS VOLUME. THEREUPON GRIND PEPPER WITH BROTH AND
HONEY IN EQUAL AMOUNTS PROPERLY MEASURED, MIX IT IN
THE MORTAR WITH THE WATER OF THE COOKED CELERY,
STRAIN, BOIL AGAIN AND USE IT TO MASK THE [cooked] CELERY
WITH. IF DESIRED, ADD [the sliced root of the] CELERY TO IT [2].
[1] V. “new,” i.e., cook leeks in a separate sauce pan; NOT together
with the celery, which, as the original takes for granted, must be
cooked also.
[2] V. We would leave the honey out, make a cream sauce from the
stock, or, adding bouillon, tie same with a little flour and butter, and
would call the dish Stewed Celery and Leeks. The ancient method is
entirely rational because the mineral salts of the vegetables are
preserved and utilized (invariably observed by Apicius) which today
are often wasted by inexperienced cooks who discard these precious
elements with the water in which vegetables are boiled.

III

[72] ASPARAGUS ASPARAGOS
ASPARAGUS [Tor. IN ORDER TO HAVE IT MOST AGREEABLE TO
THE PALATE] MUST BE [peeled, washed and] DRIED [1] AND
IMMERSED IN BOILING WATER BACKWARDS [2] [3].

[1] V. Must be dried before boiling because the cold water clinging
to the stalks is likely to chill the boiling water too much in which
the asparagus is to be cooked. Apicius here reveals himself as the
consummate cook who is familiar with the finest detail of physical
and chemical changes which food undergoes at varying
temperatures.
The various editions all agree: asparagos siccabis; Schuch,
however, says: “For the insane siccabis I substitute siciabis,
isiciabis, prepare with sicio [?] and cook.” He even goes on to
interpret it cucabis from the Greek kouki, cocoanut milk, and infers
that the asparagus was first cooked in cocoanut milk and then put
back into water, a method we are tempted to pronounce insane.
[2] V. Backwards! G.-V. rursum in calidam; Tac. rursus in aquam
calidam; Tor. ac rursus ...
This word has caused us some reflection, but the ensuing discovery
made it worth while. Rursus has escaped the attention of the other
commentators. In this case rursus means backwards, being a
contraction from revorsum, h.e. reversum. The word is important
enough to be observed.
Apicius evidently has the right way of cooking the fine asparagus.
The stalks, after being peeled and washed must be bunched together
and tied according to sizes, and the bunches must be set into the
boiling water “backwards,” that is, they must stand upright with the
heads protruding from the water. The heads will be made tender
above the water line by rising steam and will be done
simultaneously with the harder parts of the stalks. We admit, we
have never seen a modern cook observe this method. They usually
boil the tender heads to death while the lower stalks are still hard.
Though this formula is incomplete (it fails to state the sauce to be
served, also that the asparagus must be peeled and bunched, that the
water must contain salt, etc.) it is one of the neatest formulæ in
Apicius. It is amusing to note how the author herein unconsciously
reveals what a poor litérateur but what a fine cook he is. This is
characteristic of most good practitioners. One may perfectly master

the vast subject of cookery, yet one may not be able to give a
definition of even a single term, let alone the ability to exactly
describe one of the many processes of cookery. Real poets often are
in the same predicament; none of them ever explained the art
satisfactorily.
[3] G.-V. add to the formula callosiores reddes—give back
[eliminate] the harder ones. This sentence belongs to the next
article. And Torinus, similar to Humelbergius, renders this sentence
ut reddas ad gustum calliores—to render the harder ones palatable
—the squash and pumpkin namely—and we are inclined to agree
with him.

IV

[73] PUMPKIN, SQUASH CUCURBITAS
TO HAVE THE HARDER ONES PALATABLE, DO THIS: [1] [Cut the
fruit into pieces, boil and] SQUEEZE THE WATER OUT OF THE
BOILED FRUIT AND ARRANGE [the pieces] IN A BAKING DISH. PUT
IN THE MORTAR PEPPER, CUMIN AND SILPHIUM, THAT IS, A
VERY LITTLE OF THE LASER ROOT AND A LITTLE RUE, SEASON
THIS WITH STOCK, MEASURE A LITTLE VINEGAR AND MIX IN A
LITTLE CONDENSED WINE, SO THAT IT CAN BE STRAINED [2]
AND POUR THIS LIQUID OVER THE FRUIT IN THE BAKING DISH;
LET IT BOIL THREE TIMES, RETIRE FROM THE FIRE AND
SPRINKLE WITH VERY LITTLE GROUND PEPPER.
[1] Cf. note 3 to No. 72.
[2] List. Ut coloretur—to give it color; Tor. ut ius coletur—from
colo—to strain, to filter.
Cf. also note 2 to No. 55.

[74] PUMPKIN LIKE DASHEENS ALITER CUCURBITAS IURE
COLOCASIORUM [1]

BOIL THE PUMPKIN IN WATER LIKE COLOCASIA; GRIND PEPPER,
CUMIN AND RUE, ADD VINEGAR AND MEASURE OUT THE
BROTH IN A SAUCEPAN. THE PUMPKIN PIECES [nicely cut] WATER
PRESSED OUT [are arranged] IN A SAUCEPAN WITH THE BROTH
AND ARE FINISHED ON THE FIRE WHILE THE JUICE IS BEING
TIED WITH A LITTLE ROUX. BEFORE SERVING SPRINKLE WITH
PEPPER [2].
[1] V. Colocasia Antiquorum belonging to the dasheen or taro
family, a valuable tuber, again mentioned in No. 172, 216, 244 and
322. Cf. various notes, principally that to No. 322. Also see U. S.
Dept. of Agr. Farmer’s Bulletin No. 1396, p. 2. This is a “new” and
commercially and gastronomically important root vegetable, the
flavor reminding of a combination of chestnuts and potatoes,
popularly known as “Chinese potatoes” which has been recently
introduced by the U. S. Government from the West Indies where it
received the name, Dasheen, derived from de Chine—from China.
[2] Tor. continues without interruption into the next formula.

[75] PUMPKIN, ALEXANDRINE STYLE ALITER CUCURBITAS MORE
ALEXANDRINO
PRESS THE WATER OUT OF THE BOILED PUMPKIN, PLACE IN A
BAKING DISH, SPRINKLE WITH SALT, GROUND PEPPER, CUMIN,
CORIANDER SEED, GREEN MINT AND A LITTLE LASER ROOT;
SEASON WITH VINEGAR. NOW ADD DATE WINE AND PIGNOLIA
NUTS GROUND WITH HONEY, VINEGAR AND BROTH, MEASURE
OUT CONDENSED WINE AND OIL, POUR THIS OVER THE
PUMPKIN AND FINISH IN THIS LIQUOR AND SERVE, SPRINKLE
WITH PEPPER BEFORE SERVING.

[76] BOILED PUMPKIN ALITER CUCURBITAS ELIXATAS
[Boiled Pumpkin] STEWED IN BROTH WITH PURE OIL.

[77] FRIED PUMPKIN ALITER CUCURBITAS FRICTAS

[Fried pumpkin served with] SIMPLE WINE SAUCE AND PEPPER.

[78] ANOTHER WAY, BOILED AND FRIED ALITER CUCURBITAS
ELIXATAS ET FRICTAS
BOILED PUMPKIN FRIED IS PLACED IN A BAKING PAN. SEASON
WITH CUMIN WINE, ADD A LITTLE OIL; FINISH ON THE FIRE AND
SERVE.

[79] ANOTHER WAY, MASHED CUCURBITAS FRICTAS TRITAS
FRIED [1] PUMPKIN, SEASONED WITH PEPPER, LOVAGE, CUMIN,
ORIGANY, ONION, WINE BROTH AND OIL: STEW THE PUMPKIN
[in this] IN A BAKING DISH, TIE THE LIQUID WITH ROUX [mash]
AND SERVE IN THE DISH.
[1] V. Baking the fruit reduces the water contents, renders the purée
more substantial. G.-V. Tritas—mashed. Tor. connects tritas up with
pepper, hence it is doubtful whether this dish of pumpkin is mashed
pumpkin.

[80] PUMPKIN AND CHICKEN CUCURBITAS CUM GALLINA
[Stew the pumpkin with a hen, garnish with] HARD-SKINNED
PEACHES, TRUFFLES; PEPPER, CARRAWAY, AND CUMIN,
SILPHIUM AND GREEN HERBS, SUCH AS MINT, CELERY,
CORIANDER, PENNYROYAL, CRESS, WINE [1] OIL AND VINEGAR.
[1] Tor. Vinum vel oleum; List. vinum, mel, oleum.

V

[81] CITRON CITRIUM [1]
FOR THE PREPARATION OF CITRON FRUIT WE TAKE SILER [2]
FROM THE MOUNTAINS, SILPHIUM, DRY MINT, VINEGAR AND
BROTH.

[1] List. Citrini—a lemon or cucumber squash.
[2] Tor. Silerem; List. sil, which is hartwort, a kind of cumin or
mountain fennel.

VI

[82] CUCUMBERS CUCUMERES
[Stew the] PEELED CUCUMBERS EITHER IN BROTH [1] OR IN A
WINE SAUCE; [and] YOU WILL FIND THEM TO BE TENDER AND
NOT CAUSING INDIGESTION.
[1] Usually cucumbers are parboiled in water and then finished in
broth; most often after being parboiled they are stuffed with
forcemeat and then finished in broth.

[83] CUCUMBERS ANOTHER WAY ALITER CUCUMERES RASOS
[Peeled cucumbers are] STEWED WITH BOILED BRAINS, CUMIN
AND A LITTLE HONEY. ADD SOME CELERY SEED, STOCK AND
OIL, BIND THE GRAVY WITH EGGS [1] SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER
AND SERVE.
[1] Tor. bis obligabis—tie twice—for which there is no reason,
except in case the sauce should curdle. List. oleo elixabis—fry in oil
—obviously wrong, as the materials for this stew are already
cooked. Sch. ovis obligabis—bind with eggs—which is the thing to
do in this case.

[84] ANOTHER CUCUMBER RECIPE ALITER CUCUMERES
CUCUMBERS, PEPPER, PENNYROYAL, HONEY OR CONDENSED
MUST, BROTH AND VINEGAR; ONCE IN A WHILE ONE ADDS
SILPHIUM.

Sounds like a fancy dressing for raw sliced cucumbers, though there
are no directions to this effect.

VII

[85] MELON-GOURD AND MELONS PEPONES ET MELONES
PEPPER, PENNYROYAL, HONEY OR CONDENSED MUST, BROTH
AND VINEGAR; ONCE IN A WHILE ONE ADDS SILPHIUM.
Same as 84; which confirms above theory. It is quite possible that
melons were eaten raw with this fancy dressing. Many people enjoy
melons with pepper and salt, or, in salad form with oil and vinegar.
Gourds, however, to be palatable, must be boiled and served either
hot or cold with this dressing.

VIII

[86] MALLOWS MALVAS
THE SMALLER MALLOWS [are prepared] WITH GARUM [1], STOCK
[2] OIL AND VINEGAR; THE LARGER MALLOWS [prepare] WITH A
WINE SAUCE, PEPPER AND STOCK, [adding] CONDENSED WINE
OR RAISIN WINE.
[1] Tor. Garum; List. Oenogarum.
[2] Liquamen—depending upon the mode of serving the mallows,
hot or cold.

IX

[87] YOUNG CABBAGE, SPROUTS [1] CYMAS ET CAULICULOS [2]
[Boil the] SPROUTS; [1] [season with] CUMIN [3], SALT, WINE AND
OIL; IF YOU LIKE [add] PEPPER, LOVAGE, MINT, RUE,

CORIANDER; THE TENDER LEAVES OF THE STALKS [stew] IN
BROTH; WINE AND OIL BE THE SEASONING.
[1] Including, perhaps, cauliflower and broccoli.
[2] List. Cimæ & Coliculi. Nunc crudi cum condimentis nunc elixati
inferentur. Served sometimes raw with dressing, sometimes boiled.
[3] Cumin or carraway seed is still used today in the preparation of
the delicious “Bavarian” cabbage which also includes wine and
other spices.

[88] ANOTHER WAY ALITER
CUT THE STALKS IN HALF AND BOIL THEM. THE LEAVES ARE
MASHED AND SEASONED WITH CORIANDER, ONION, CUMIN,
PEPPER, RAISIN WINE, OR CONDENSED WINE AND A LITTLE OIL.
Very sensible way of using cabbage stalks that are usually thrown
away. Note the almost scientific procedure: the stalks are separated
from the leaves, split to facilitate cooking; they are cooked
separately because they require more time than the tender greens.
Our present method appears barbarous in comparison. We quarter
the cabbage head, and either boil it or steam it. As a result either the
tender leaves are cooked to death or the stems are still hard. The
overcooked parts are not palatable, the underdone ones indigestible.
Such being the case, our boiled cabbage is a complete loss, unless
prepared the Apician way.

[89] ANOTHER WAY ALITER
THE COOKED [1] STALKS ARE PLACED IN A [baking] DISH;
MOISTEN WITH STOCK AND PURE OIL, SEASON WITH CUMIN,
SPRINKLE [2] WITH PEPPER, LEEKS, CUMIN, AND GREEN
CORIANDER [all] CHOPPED UP.
[1] Tor. Coliculi assati—sauté, fried; (Remember: Choux de
Bruxelles sauté) List. elixati—boiled. G.-V. Cauliculi elixati.

[2] Tor. Superasperges; G.-V. piper asperges.
Sounds like a salad of cooked cabbage. The original leaves us in
doubt as to the temperature of the dish.

[90] ANOTHER WAY ALITER
THE VEGETABLE, SEASONED AND PREPARED IN THE ABOVE
WAY IS STEWED WITH PARBOILED LEEKS.

[91] ANOTHER WAY ALITER
TO THE SPROUTS OR STALKS, SEASONED AND PREPARED AS
ABOVE, ARE ADDED GREEN OLIVES WHICH ARE HEATED
LIKEWISE.

[92] ANOTHER WAY ALITER
PREPARE THE SPROUTS IN THE ABOVE WAY, COVER THEM WITH
BOILED SPELT AND PINE NUTS [1] AND SPRINKLE [2] WITH
RAISINS.
[1] The nuts should not astonish us. The French today have a
delicious dish, Choux de Bruxelles aux Marrons—Brussels Sprouts
with Chestnuts. Sprouts and chestnuts are, of course, cooked
separately; the lightly boiled sprouts are sauté in butter; the
chestnuts parboiled, peeled, and finished in stock with a little sugar
or syrup, tossed in butter and served in the center of the sprouts.
The Apician formula with cereal and raisins added is too exotic to
suit our modern taste, but without a question is a nutritious dish and
complete from a dietetic point of view.
[2] Tor. Superasperges; G.-V. piper asperges.

X

[93] LEEKS PORROS
WELL MATURED LEEKS [1] ARE BOILED WITH A PINCH OF SALT
[2] IN [combined] WATER AND OIL [3]. THEY ARE THEN STEWED IN
OIL AND IN THE BEST KIND OF BROTH, AND SERVED.
[1] Tor. Poros bene maturos; G.-V. maturos fieri.
[2] One of the rare instances where Apicius mentions salt in
cookery, i.e., salt in a dry form. Pugnum salis—a fist of salt—he
prescribes here. Usually it is liquamen—broth, brine—he uses.
[3] Tor. is correct in finishing the sentence here. G.-V. continue et
eximes., which is the opening of the next sentence, and it makes a
difference in the formula.

[94] ANOTHER WAY TO COOK LEEKS ALITER PORROS
WRAP THE LEEKS WELL IN CABBAGE LEAVES, HAVING FIRST
COOKED THEM AS DIRECTED ABOVE [1] AND THEN FINISH
THEM IN THE ABOVE WAY.
[1] Tor. in primis—first; List., G.-V. in prunis—hot embers.

[95] ANOTHER WAY ALITER PORROS
COOK THE LEEKS WITH [laurel] BERRIES [1], [and otherwise treat
them] AND SERVE AS ABOVE.
[1] Tor. Porros in bacca coctos; List. in cacabo—cooked in a
casserole; Sch. bafa embama—steeped, marinated (in oil); G.-V. in
baca coctos. Another way to read this: baca et fabæ—with beans—
is quite within reason. The following formula, 96, is perhaps only a
variant of the above.
Brandt: with olives, referring to No. 91 as a precedent.

[96] LEEKS AND BEANS ALITER PORROS

AFTER HAVING BOILED THE LEEKS IN WATER, [green string]
BEANS WHICH HAVE NOT YET BEEN PREPARED OTHERWISE,
MAY BE BOILED [in the leek water] [1] PRINCIPALLY ON ACCOUNT
OF THE GOOD TASTE THEY WILL ACQUIRE; AND MAY THEN BE
SERVED WITH THE LEEKS.
[1] Apicius needed no modern science of nutrition to remind him of
the value of the mineral salts in vegetables.

XI

[97] BEETS BETAS
TO MAKE A DISH OF BEETS THAT WILL APPEAL TO YOUR TASTE
[1] SLICE [the beets, [2] with] LEEKS AND CRUSH CORIANDER AND
CUMIN; ADD RAISIN WINE [3], BOIL ALL DOWN TO PERFECTION:
BIND IT, SERVE [the beets] SEPARATE FROM THE BROTH, WITH
OIL AND VINEGAR.
[1] Sentence in Tor.; wanting in List. et al.
[2] List. No mention of beets is made in this formula; therefore, it
may belong to the foregoing leek recipes. V. This is not so. Here the
noun is made subject to the first verb, as is practiced frequently.
Moreover, the mode of preparation fits beets nicely, except for the
flour to which we object in note 3, below. To cook beets with leeks,
spices and wine and serve them (cold) with oil and vinegar is indeed
a method that cannot be improved upon.
[3] Tac., Tor., List., G.-V. uvam passam, Farinam—raisins and flour
—for which there is no reason. Sch. varianam—raisin wine of the
Varianian variety; Bas. Phariam. V. inclined to agree with Sch. and
Bas.

[98] ANOTHER WAY ALITER BETAS ELIXAS
COOK THE BEETS WITH MUSTARD [seed] AND SERVE THEM
WELL PICKLED IN A LITTLE OIL AND VINEGAR.

V. Add bay leaves, cloves, pepper grains, sliced onion and a little
sugar, and you have our modern pickled beets.

XII

[99] GREEN VEGETABLES, POT HERBS OLISERA [1]
[The greens] TIED IN HANDY BUNDLES, COOKED AND SERVED
WITH PURE OIL; ALSO PROPER WITH FRIED FISH.
[1] Tac. Olisera; Tor. Olifera (sev mauis olyra) Tor. is mistaken.
Hum., List. Olisatra; (old Ms. note in our Hum. copy:
“Alessandrina uulgò”) from olusatrum—olus—pot herbs, cabbage,
turnips. G.-V. Holisera, from holus, i.e. olus and from olitor one
who raises pot herbs.

XIII

[100] TURNIPS OR NAVEWS RAPAS SIVE NAPOS
[Turnips are] COOKED [soft, the water is] SQUEEZED [out; then]
CRUSH A GOOD AMOUNT OF CUMIN AND A LITTLE RUE, ADD
PARTHICAN [1] LASER OR [2] VINEGAR, STOCK, CONDENSED
WINE AND OIL [3] HEAT MODERATELY AND SERVE.
[1] i.e. Persian laser; List. laser, Parthicum; (the comma makes a
difference!) Sch. particum—a part.
[2] Tac., Tor. vel acetum; List. G.-V. mel, acetum. Another comma;
and “honey” instead of “or.” V. We doubt this: the vinegar is an
alternative, for it takes the place of the more expensive Persian laser
(which was an essence of the laser root, often diluted with vinegar).
[3] List., G.-V. oleum modice: fervere; Tor. & oleum, quæ modice
fervere facias. Again note Lister’s punctuation here and in the
foregoing notes. The misplaced commas and colons raise havoc
with the formulæ everywhere. Torinus, who in his preface

complains that his authority has no punctuation whatsoever and
thereby indicates that it must have been a very ancient copy, (at least
prior to the 1503 Tac. ed.) is generally not far from the mark. It is
also doubtful that the variants are by him, as is claimed by List. In
this instance, indeed, Tor. is again correct.

[101] ANOTHER WAY [1] ALITER RAPAS SIVE NAPOS
[The turnips are] BOILED, SERVED DRESSED WITH OIL, TO WHICH,
IF DESIRED, YOU MAY ADD VINEGAR [2].
[1] Tor. ad delitias—delightful.
[2] V. Presumably served cold, as a salad; cf. No. 122.

XIV

[102] RADISHES RAPHANOS
PEPPER THE RADISHES WELL; OR, EQUALLY WELL: GRATE IT
WITH PEPPER AND BRINE.
Sch., G.-V. Rafanos; Raphanos agria,—a kind of horseradish;
Plinius: h.e. raphanus sylvestris.

XV

[103] SOFT CABBAGE OLUS MOLLE
THE CABBAGE IS COOKED WITH POT HERBS IN SODA WATER;
PRESS [the water out] CHOP IT VERY FINE: [now] CRUSH PEPPER,
LOVAGE, DRY SATURY WITH DRY ONIONS, ADD STOCK, OIL AND
WINE.

[104] ANOTHER MASHED GREEN VEGETABLE ALTER OLUS MOLLE
[EX APIO]

COOK CELERY IN SODA WATER, SQUEEZE [water out] CHOP FINE.
IN THE MORTAR CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE, ORIGANY, ONION [and
mix with] WINE AND STOCK, ADDING SOME OIL. COOK THIS IN
THE BOILER [1] AND MIX THE CELERY WITH THIS PREPARATION.
[1] in pultario. The pultarius is a pot in which cereals were boiled;
from puls—porridge, pap.

[105] ANOTHER MASHED VEGETABLE ALITER OLUS MOLLE [EX
LACTUCIS]
COOK THE LETTUCE LEAVES WITH ONION IN SODA WATER,
SQUEEZE [the water out] CHOP VERY FINE; IN THE MORTAR CRUSH
PEPPER, LOVAGE, CELERY SEED, DRY MINT, ONION; ADD STOCK,
OIL AND WINE.

[106] TO PREVENT MASHED VEGETABLES FROM TURNING OLUS
MOLLE NE ARESCAT [1]
IT WILL BE REQUIRED ABOVE ALL TO CLEAN THE VEGETABLES
WELL, TO CUT OFF ALL DECAYED PARTS AND TO COVER [the
cooked vegetables] WITH WORMWOOD WATER.
[1] Tor. ne ... exarescat, the difference in the meaning is immaterial.

XVI

[107] FIELD HERBS HERBÆ RUSTICÆ
FIELD AND FOREST [1] HERBS ARE PREPARED [2] [either raw]
WITH STOCK [3] OIL AND VINEGAR [as a salad, [4]] OR AS A
COOKED DISH [5] BY ADDING PEPPER, CUMIN AND MASTICH
BERRIES.
[1] Tor. ac sylvestres; V. German, Feldsalat.
[2] Tor. parantur; wanting in other editions.

[3] Liquamine, here interpreted as brine.
[4] Tac., Sch., et al. a manu; Tor. vel manu—because eaten with the
hand.
[5] Tor. vel in patina.

XVII

[108] NETTLES URTICÆ
THE FEMALE NETTLES, WHEN THE SUN IS IN THE POSITION OF
THE ARIES, IS SUPPOSED TO RENDER VALUABLE SERVICES
AGAINST AILMENTS OF VARIOUS KINDS [1].
[1] Tac., List., Sch., et al. adversus ægritudinem.
Barthius: Quam ægritudinem? etc., etc.
Tor. plurifarias!
Reinsenius: ad arcendum morbum, etc., etc.
Hum. scilicet quamcunque hoc est ... etc., etc., etc.
G.-V. si voles.
V. This innocent little superstition about the curative qualities of the
female nettle causes the savants to engage in various speculations.
Nettles are occasionally eaten as vegetables on the Continent.

XVIII

[109] ENDIVES AND LETTUCE INTUBA ET LACTUCÆ
ENDIVES [are dressed] WITH BRINE, A LITTLE OIL AND CHOPPED
ONION, INSTEAD OF THE REAL LETTUCE [1] IN WINTER TIME

THE ENDIVES ARE TAKEN OUT OF THE PICKLE [2] [and are dressed]
WITH HONEY OR VINEGAR.
[1] Hum. pro lactucis uere; Tor. p. l. accipint; G.-V. p. l. vero
(separated by period)—all indicating that endives are a substitute for
lettuce when this is not available.

[2] Cf. ℞ No. 27, also Nos. 22 and 23.

[110] LETTUCE SALAD, FIELD SALAD AGRESTES LACTUCÆ [1]
[Dress it] WITH VINEGAR DRESSING AND A LITTLE BRINE STOCK;
WHICH HELPS DIGESTION AND IS TAKEN TO COUNTERACT
INFLATION [2].
[1] Tor. sic; Hum. agri l.; Tac. id.; Sch. and G.-V. have acri as an
adjective to vinegar, the last word in the preceding formula.
[2] List. and Hum. continuing: “And this salad will not hurt you”;
but Tor., Sch. and G.-V. use this as a heading for the following
formula.

[111] A HARMLESS SALAD NE LACTUCÆ LÆDANT
[And in order that the lettuce may not hurt you take (with it or after it) the
following preparation] [1] 2 OUNCES OF GINGER, 1 OUNCE OF
GREEN RUE, 1 OUNCE OF MEATY DATES, 12 SCRUPLES OF
GROUND PEPPER, 1 OUNCE OF GOOD HONEY, AND 8 OUNCES OF
EITHER ÆTHIOPIAN OR SYRIAN CUMIN. MAKE AN INFUSION OF
THIS IN VINEGAR, THE CUMIN CRUSHED, AND STRAIN. OF THIS
LIQUOR USE A SMALL SPOONFUL MIX IT WITH STOCK AND A
LITTLE VINEGAR: YOU MAY TAKE A SMALL SPOONFUL AFTER
THE MEAL [2].
[1] Tac. and Tor. Ne lactucæ lædant [take it] cum zingiberis uncijs
duabus, etc. Hum., List., G.-V. cumini unc. II. They and Sch. read
the cum of Tac. and Tor. for cumini, overlooking the fact that the
recipe later calls for Aethopian or Syrian cumin as well. This shifts

the weights of the various ingredients from the one to the other,
completely upsetting the sense of the formula.
[2] Goll. ignores this passage completely.
V. This is another of the medical formulæ that have suffered much
by experimentation and interpretation through the ages. It seems to
be an aromatic vinegar for a salad dressing, and, as such, a very
interesting article, reminding of our present tarragon, etc., vinegars.
To be used judiciously in salads.
Again, as might be expected, the medicinal character of the formula
inspires the medieval doctors to profound meditation and lively
debate.

Cf. ℞ Nos. 34 and 108.

XIX

[112] CARDOONS CARDUI
CARDOONS [are eaten with a dressing of] BRINY BROTH, OIL, AND
CHOPPED [hard] EGGS.
V. Precisely as we do today: French dressing and hard boiled eggs.
We do not forget pepper, of course. Perhaps the ancient “briny
broth” contained enough of this and of other ingredients, such as
fine condiments and spices to make the dressing perfect.

[113] ANOTHER [Dressing for] CARDOONS ALITER CARDUOS
RUE, MINT, CORIANDER, FENNEL—ALL GREEN—FINELY
CRUSHED; ADD PEPPER, LOVAGE, AND [1] BRINE AND OIL [2].
[1] Tac. and Tor. vel.; List., Sch., G.-V. mel—honey—which would
spoil this fine vinaigrette or cold fines herbes dressing. However,
even nowadays, sugar is quite frequently added to salad dressings.

[2] Gollmer claims that this dressing is served with cooked
cardoons, the recipe for which follows below. This is wanting in
Tor.

[114] BOILED CARDOONS ALITER CARDUOS ELIXOS
[Are served with] PEPPER, CUMIN, BROTH AND OIL.

XX

[115] (COW-) PARSNIPS [?] SPONDYLI VEL FONDULI [1]
COW-PARSNIPS ARE FRIED [and eaten] WITH A SIMPLE WINE
SAUCE.
[1] Tac. Spondili uel fonduli and Sphon ...; Tor. as above; Hum.
Spongioli uel funguli; List., id.; Sch. Sfondili uel funguli; G.-V.
Sphondyli uel funduli.
Cf. note to Nos. 46, 121, 122.

[116] ANOTHER WAY ALITER
BOIL THE PARSNIPS IN SALT WATER [and season them] WITH PURE
OIL [1], CHOPPED GREEN CORIANDER AND WHOLE PEPPER.
[1] Tac. Oleo mero; Other editors: Oleo, mero. V. The comma is
misplaced.

[117] ANOTHER WAY ALITER
PREPARE THE BOILED PARSNIPS WITH THE FOLLOWING SAUCE:
CELERY SEED, RUE, HONEY, GROUND PEPPER, MIXED WITH
RAISIN WINE, STOCK AND A LITTLE OIL; BIND THIS WITH ROUX
[bring to a boiling point, immerse parsnips] SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER
AND SERVE.

[118] ANOTHER WAY [Purée of Parsnips] [1] ALITER
MASH THE PARSNIPS, [add] CUMIN, RUE, STOCK, A LITTLE
CONDENSED WINE, OIL, GREEN CORIANDER [and] LEEKS AND
SERVE; GOES WELL WITH SALT PORK [2].
[1] Again faulty punctuation obscures the text. Carefully compare
the following: Tac. and Tor. Spondylos teres, cuminum, etc. Hum.,
List. and G.-V. S. teres cuminum, i.e. crush the cumin. Sch. S. tores
—dry, parch!
[2] Inferes pro salso—serve with salt pork or bacon, or, instead of—
Salsum—salt pork. Dann. Well seasoned with salt! Sch. infares pro
salsa. For further confirmation of salsum cf. ℞ Nos. 148-152.

[119] ANOTHER WAY ALITER
BOIL THE PARSNIPS [sufficiently, if] HARD [1] [then] PUT THEM IN A
SAUCE PAN AND STEW WITH OIL, STOCK, PEPPER, RAISIN WINE,
STRAIN [2] AND BIND WITH ROUX.
[1] Tor. præduratos; List. prædurabis. How can they be hardened?
It may perhaps stand for “parboil.” We agree with Tor. that the hard
ones (præduratos) must be cooked soft.
[2] Tor. and Tac. Colabis—strain; List. and G.-V. Colorabis—color.
No necessity for coloring the gravy, but straining after the binding
with roux is important which proves Tor. correct again. Cf. note 1 to
℞ No. 73 and note 2 to ℞ No. 55.

[120] ANOTHER WAY ALITER [1]
FINISH [marinate] THE PARSNIPS IN OIL AND BROTH, OR FRY
THEM IN OIL, SPRINKLE WITH SALT AND PEPPER, AND SERVE.
[1] Ex G.-V. wanting in Tor. and List. Found in Sch. also. V.
Procedure quite in accordance with modern practice. We envelope
the p. in flour or frying batter.

[121] ANOTHER WAY ALITER [1]
BRUISE THE BOILED PARSNIPS [scallops, muscular part of shellfish]
ELIMINATE THE HARD STRINGS; ADD BOILED SPELT AND
CHOPPED HARD EGGS, STOCK AND PEPPER. MAKE
CROQUETTES OR SAUSAGE FROM THIS, ADDING PIGNOLIA NUT
AND PEPPER, WRAP IN CAUL [or fill in casings] FRY AND SERVE
THEM AS AN ENTRÉE DISH IN A WINE SAUCE.

[1] V. This formula is virtually a repetition of ℞ No. 46, all the more
bewildering because of the divergence of the term (Cf. ℞ No. 115),
which stands for “scallops” or the muscular part of any bivalve, at
least in the above formula.
The Græco-Latin word for cow-parsnip is spondylium, sphondylium,
spondylion. It is almost certain that the preceding parsnips formulæ
are in the right place here. They are in direct line with the other
vegetables here treated—the shellfish—spondylus—would be out of
place in this chapter, Book III, The Gardener. All the recipes, with
the exception of the above, fit a vegetable like parsnips. Even
Lister’s and Humelberg’s interpretation of the term, who read
spongioli—mushrooms—could be questioned under this heading,
Book III.
It is barely possible that this entire series of formulæ, Spondyli uel
fonduli (℞ Nos. 115-121) does belong to Book II among the scallop
hysitia, though we are little inclined to accept this theory.

Cf. ℞ No. 122 which appears to be a confirmation of the view
expressed above.

XXI

[122] CARROTS AND PARSNIPS CAROTÆ ET PASTINACÆ
CARROTS OR PARSNIPS ARE FRIED [and served] WITH A WINE
SAUCE.

V. Exactly like ℞ No. 115, which may be a confirmation that
spondyli stands for cow-parsnips.

[123] ANOTHER WAY ALITER
THE CARROTS [are cooked] SALTED [and served] WITH PURE OIL
AND VINEGAR.
V. As a salad. “Italian Salad” consists of a variety of such cooked
vegetables, nicely dressed with oil and vinegar, or with mayonnaise.
Cf. ℞ No. 102.

[124] ANOTHER WAY ALITER
THE CARROTS [are] BOILED [and] SLICED, STEWED WITH CUMIN
AND A LITTLE OIL AND ARE SERVED. AT THE SAME TIME [1] [here
is your opportunity] MAKE A CUMIN SAUCE [from the carrot juice] FOR
THOSE WHO HAVE THE COLIC [2].
[1] Ex Tor. wanting elsewhere.
[2] Tac. coliorum; Tor. cuminatum colicorum; List. c. coloratum—
colored; G.-V. c. colorium.

END OF BOOK III

EXPLICIT APICII CEPURICA DE OLERIBUS LIBER TERTIUS [Tac.]

THERMOSPODIUM OF PLAIN DESIGN
Water and food heater for everyday purposes. Charcoal fuel.
Foods were kept on top in pans, dishes or pots, and were
thus carried from the kitchen into the dining room. They
were also used for food service in hotel rooms, supplied
from adjacent tavern kitchens, as some hotels had no food
preparation facilities. This handy apparatus was designed for
general utility, as it also served as a portable stove on chilly
days in living rooms that were not heated from the central
heating plant found in larger houses. Ntl. Mus. Naples,
73882; Field M. 24179.

APICIUS
Book IV

ROMAN WINE PRESS
Reconstruction in Naples, in the new section of the National
Museum.

A DISH FOR THE SERVICE OF EGGS
Hildesheim Treasure

BOOK IV. MISCELLANEA
Lib. IV. Pandecter [1]
CHAP. I. BOILED DINNERS.
CHAP. II. DISHES OF FISH, VEGETABLES, FRUITS, AND SO
FORTH.
CHAP. III. FINELY MINCED DISHES, OR ISICIA.
CHAP. IV. PORRIDGE, GRUEL.
CHAP. V. APPETIZING DISHES.

I

[125] BOILED DINNER SALACATTABIA [2]

P EPPER, FRESH MINT, CELERY, DRY PENNYROYAL, CHEESE
[3], PIGNOLIA NUTS, HONEY, VINEGAR, BROTH, YOLKS OF
EGG, FRESH WATER, SOAKED BREAD AND THE LIQUID
PRESSED OUT, COW’S CHEESE AND CUCUMBERS ARE
ARRANGED IN A DISH, ALTERNATELY, WITH THE NUTS; [also add]
FINELY CHOPPED CAPERS [4], CHICKEN LIVERS [5]; COVER
COMPLETELY WITH [a lukewarm, congealing] BROTH, PLACE ON
ICE [and when congealed unmould and] SERVE UP [6].
[1] Read: Pandectes—embracing the whole science.
[2] Read: Salacaccabia—from salsa and caccabus—salt meat
boiled in the pot. Sch. Sala cottabia; G.-V. cattabia.
[3] Sch. casiam instead of caseum.

[4] Sch. Copadiis porcinis—small bits of pork; List. cepas aridas
puto—“shallots, I believe”; Lan. capparis; Vat., G.-V. id.
[5] Dann. Chicken meat.
[6] This dish if pork were added (cf. Sch. in note 4 above) would
resemble our modern “headcheese”; the presence of cheese in this
formula and in our word “headcheese” is perhaps not accidental; the
cheese has been eliminated in the course of time from dishes of this
sort while the name has remained with us. “Cheese” also appears in
the German equivalent for custard—Eierkäse.

[126] APICIAN JELLY SALACATTABIA APICIANA
PUT IN THE MORTAR CELERY SEED, DRY PENNYROYAL, DRY
MINT, GINGER, FRESH CORIANDER, SEEDLESS RAISINS, HONEY,
VINEGAR, OIL AND WINE; CRUSH IT TOGETHER [in order to make a
dressing of it]. [Now] PLACE 3 PIECES OF PICENTIAN BREAD IN A
MOULD, INTERLINED WITH PIECES OF [cooked] CHICKEN,
[cooked] SWEETBREADS OF CALF OR LAMB, CHEESE [1],
PIGNOLIA NUTS, CUCUMBERS [pickles] FINELY CHOPPED DRY
ONIONS [shallots] COVERING THE WHOLE WITH [jellified] BROTH.
BURY THE MOULD IN SNOW UP TO THE RIM; [unmould] SPRINKLE
[with the above dressing] AND SERVE [2].
[1] List. caseum Vestinum—a certain cheese from the Adriatic coast.
[2] The nature of the first passage of this formula indicates a
dressing for a cold dish. The dish was probably unmoulded when
firm, and the jelly covered with this dressing, though the original
does not state this procedure. In that case it would resemble a highly
complicated chicken salad, such as we make today—mayonnaise de
volaille en aspic, for instance. We recall the artistic molds for
puddings and other dishes which the ancients had which were nicely
suited for dishes such as the above.
The Picentian bread—made of spelt—was a celebrated product of
the bakeries of Picentia, a town of lower Italy, near the Tuscan sea,
according to Pliny.

Cf. ℞ No. 141.

[127] OTHER SALACACCABIA ALITER
HOLLOW OUT AN ALEXANDRINE LOAF OF BREAD, SOAK THE
CRUMBS WITH POSCA [a mixture of water, wine, vinegar or lemon
juice] AND MAKE A PASTE OF IT. PUT IN THE MORTAR PEPPER,
HONEY [1] MINT, GARLIC, FRESH CORIANDER, SALTED COW’S
CHEESE, WATER AND OIL. WINE [2] POURED OVER BEFORE
SERVING [3].
[1] Wanting in Tor.
[2] G.-V. insuper nivem—chilled on snow (like the preceding
formula). Tac. insuper vinum; Sch. id.
[3] A panada as is found in every old cookery book. Today it
remains as a dressing for roast fowl, etc. Quoting from “A
Collection of Receipts in Cookery, Physick and Surgery,” London,
1724:
“Panada for a Sick or Weak Stomach. Put the crumbs of a Penny
White-Loaf grated into a Quart of cold Water, set both on the Fire
together with a blade of Mace: When ’tis boil’d smooth, take it off
the fire and put in a bit of Lemon-peel, the juice of a Lemon, a glass
of Sack [Spanish Wine] and Sugar to your Taste. This is very
Nourishing and never offends the Stomach. Some season with butter
and Sugar, adding Currants which on some occasions are proper; but
the first is the most grateful and innocent.”
Mrs. Glasse, a quarter century later, in her famous book [The Art of
Cookery Made Plain and Easy, London, 1747, 1st ed.] omits the
wine, but Mrs. Mason, at about the same time, insists on having it
with panada.
The imaginary or real relation between the sciences of cookery and
medicine is illustrated here.

II

DISHES OF FISH, VEGETABLES, FRUITS AND SO FORTH PATINÆ
PISCIUM, HOLERUM & POMORUM

[128] EVERYDAY DISH PATINA QUOTIDIANA [1]
MAKE A PASTE OF STEWED BRAINS [calf’s, pig’s, etc.] SEASON
WITH PEPPER, CUMIN, LASER, BROTH, THICKENED WINE, MILK
AND EGGS [2] POACH IT OVER A WEAK FIRE OR IN A HOT WATER
[BATH].
[1] Tac. quottidiana; List. cottidiana.
[2] List. ovis—with eggs, which is correct. Tor. holus; Lan. olus—
herbs, cabbage.

Cf. ℞ No. 142.

[129] ANOTHER DISH, WHICH CAN BE TURNED OVER [A Nut
Custard]
ALITER PATINA VERSATILIS
THE DISH, CALLED TURN-OVER, IS THUS MADE [1] CRUSH VERY
FINE WALNUTS AND HAZELNUTS [2] TOAST THEM AND CRUSH
WITH HONEY, MIX IN PEPPER, BROTH, MILK AND EGGS AND A
LITTLE OIL [3].
[1] Tor.
[2] List. torres eas—toast them (wanting in Tor.) which is the thing
to do. Cf. No. 143, practically a repetition of this. Cf. 301.
[3] This laconic formula indicates a custard poached, like in the
preceding, in a mould, which, when cooled off, is unmoulded in the
usual way. This patina versatilis is in fact the modern crême
renversée, with nuts.
It is characteristic of Apicius for incompleteness and want of precise
directions, without which the experiment in the hands of an

inexperienced operator would result in failure.

[130] ANOTHER ALITER PATINA
ANOTHER DISH IS MADE OF THE [1] STRUNKS OF LETTUCE
CRUSHED WITH PEPPER, BROTH, THICKENED WINE, [add] WATER
AND OIL, AND COOK THIS; BIND WITH EGGS, SPRINKLE WITH
PEPPER AND SERVE [2].
[1] Tor.
[2] Very much like a modern soup, purée of lettuce.

[131] VEGETABLE AND BRAIN PUDDING PATINA FRISILIS [1]
TAKE VEGETABLES, CLEAN AND WASH, SHRED [2] AND COOK
THEM [3] COOL THEM OFF AND DRAIN THEM. TAKE 4 [calf’s]
BRAINS, REMOVE [the skin and] STRINGS AND COOK THEM [4] IN
THE MORTAR PUT 6 SCRUPLES OF PEPPER, MOISTEN WITH
BROTH AND CRUSH FINE; THEN ADD THE BRAINS, RUB AGAIN
AND MEANWHILE ADD THE VEGETABLES, RUBBING ALL THE
WHILE, AND MAKE A FINE PASTE OF IT. THEREUPON BREAK
AND ADD 8 EGGS. NOW ADD A GLASSFUL [5] OF BROTH, A
GLASSFUL OF WINE, A GLASSFUL OF RAISIN WINE, TASTE THIS
PREPARATION. OIL THE BAKING DISH THOROUGHLY [put the
mixture in the dish] AND PLACE IT IN THE HOT PLATE, (THAT IS
ABOVE THE HOT ASHES) [6] AND WHEN IT IS DONE [unmould it]
SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE [7].
[1] List. frictilis; Vat. Ms. fusilis; G.-V. id.; Lan. frisilis.
Patina frisilis remains unexplained. None of the various readings
can be satisfactorily rendered. If the vegetables had remained whole
the dish might be compared to a chartreuse, those delightful
creations by the Carthusian monks who compelled by the strictest
rules of vegetarianism evolved a number of fine vegetable dishes.
On the other hand, the poached mixture of eggs and brains is akin to

our farces and quenelles; but in modern cookery we have nothing
just like this patina frisilis.
[2] Wanting in List.
[3] and [4] Wanting in Tor.
[5] Cyathum.
[6] Sentence in () ex Tor.
[7] This and some of the following recipes are remarkable for their
preciseness and completeness.

[132] ANOTHER COLD ASPARAGUS [and Figpecker] DISH ALITER
PATINA DE ASPARAGIS FRIGIDA
COLD ASPARAGUS PIE IS MADE IN THIS MANNER [1] TAKE WELL
CLEANED [cooked] ASPARAGUS, CRUSH IT IN THE MORTAR,
DILUTE WITH WATER AND PRESENTLY STRAIN IT THROUGH THE
COLANDER. NOW TRIM, PREPARE [i.e. cook or roast] FIGPECKERS
[2] [and hold them in readiness]. 3 [3] SCRUPLES OF PEPPER ARE
CRUSHED IN THE MORTAR, ADD BROTH, A GLASS OF WINE, PUT
THIS IN A SAUCEPAN WITH 3 OUNCES OF OIL, HEAT
THOROUGHLY. MEANWHILE OIL YOUR PIE MOULD, AND WITH 6
EGGS, FLAVORED WITH ŒNOGARUM, AND THE ASPARAGUS
PREPARATION AS DESCRIBED ABOVE; THICKEN THE MIXTURE
ON THE HOT ASHES. THEREUPON ARRANGE THE FIGPECKERS IN
THE MOULD, COVER THEM WITH THIS PURÉE, BAKE THE DISH.
[When cold, unmould it] SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE.
[1] Tor.
[2] Lan. and Tac. ficedulas curtas tres; Tor. curtas f.—three
figpeckers cut fine. G.-V. F. curatas. Teres in ... (etc.)—Prepared F.
[3] List. six; G.-V. id.

[133] ANOTHER ASPARAGUS CUSTARD ALIA PATINA DE ASPARAGIS

ASPARAGUS PIE IS MADE LIKE THIS [1] PUT IN THE MORTAR
ASPARAGUS TIPS [2] CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE, GREEN
CORIANDER, SAVORY AND ONIONS; CRUSH, DILUTE WITH WINE,
BROTH AND OIL. PUT THIS IN A WELL-GREASED PAN, AND, IF
YOU LIKE, ADD WHILE ON THE FIRE SOME BEATEN EGGS TO IT
TO THICKEN IT, COOK [without boiling the eggs] AND SPRINKLE
WITH VERY FINE PEPPER.
[1] Tor.
[2] Reference to wine wanting in Tor. We add that the asparagus
should be cooked before crushing.

[134] A DISH OF FIELD VEGETABLES PATINA EX RUSTICIS [1]
BY FOLLOWING THE ABOVE INSTRUCTIONS YOU MAY MAKE [2]
A PIE OF FIELD VEGETABLES, OR OF THYME [3] OR OF GREEN
PEPPERS [4] OR OF CUCUMBERS OR OF SMALL TENDER
SPROUTS [5] SAME AS ABOVE, OR, IF YOU LIKE, MAKE ONE
UNDERLAID WITH BONELESS PIECES OF FISH OR OF CHICKEN
[combined with any of the above vegetables] [6].
[1] Tor. Patina ex oleribus agrestibus.
[2] Tor. wanting in other texts.
[3] Sch., G.-V. tamnis—wild wine; List. cymis cuminis; Lan., Tac.
tinis; Vat. Ms. tannis. Thyme is hardly likely to be the chief
ingredient of such a dish; the chances are it was used for flavoring
and that the above enumerated vegetables were combined in one
dish.
[4] List., G.-V., Goll.—mustard; Dann. green mustard. Tor. sive
pipere viridi—green peppers, which we accept as correct,
gastronomically at least.
[5] Goll., Dann. cabbage, the originals have coliculis—small tender
sprouts on the order of Brussels sprouts or broccoli, all belonging to
the cabbage family.

[6] Pulpa—boneless pieces of meat, also fruit purée; pulpamentum
—dainty bits of meat.

[135] ELDERBERRY CUSTARD OR PIE PATINA DE SAMBUCO [1]
A DISH OF ELDERBERRIES, EITHER HOT OR COLD, IS MADE IN
THIS MANNER [2] TAKE ELDERBERRIES [3] WASH THEM; COOK
IN WATER, SKIM AND STRAIN. PREPARE A DISH IN WHICH TO
COOK THE CUSTARD [4] CRUSH 6 SCRUPLES OF PEPPER WITH A
LITTLE BROTH; ADD THIS TO THE ELDERBERRY PULP WITH
ANOTHER GLASS OF BROTH, A GLASS OF WINE, A GLASS OF
RAISIN WINE AND AS MUCH AS 4 OUNCES OF OIL. PUT THE DISH
IN THE HOT BATH AND STIR THE CONTENTS. AS SOON AS IT IS
GETTING WARM, QUICKLY BREAK 6 EGGS AND WHIPPING
THEM, INCORPORATE THEM, IN ORDER TO THICKEN THE FLUID.
WHEN THICK ENOUGH SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE UP.
[1] G.-V. Sabuco.
[2] Tor. wanting in other texts.
[3] Hum. semen de sambuco—E. seed.
[4] List. Place the berries in a dish; to their juice add pepper, (etc.).

[136] ROSE PIE, ROSE CUSTARD OR PUDDING PATINA DE ROSIS
TAKE ROSES FRESH FROM THE FLOWER BED, STRIP OFF THE
LEAVES, REMOVE THE WHITE [from the petals and] PUT THEM IN
THE MORTAR; POUR OVER SOME BROTH [and] RUB FINE. ADD A
GLASS OF BROTH AND STRAIN THE JUICE THROUGH THE
COLANDER. [This done] TAKE 4 [cooked calf’s] BRAINS, SKIN THEM
AND REMOVE THE NERVES; CRUSH 8 SCRUPLES OF PEPPER
MOISTENED WITH THE JUICE AND RUB [with the brains];
THEREUPON BREAK 8 EGGS, ADD 1 [1] GLASS OF WINE, 1 GLASS
OF RAISIN WINE AND A LITTLE OIL. MEANWHILE GREASE A
PAN, PLACE IT ON THE HOT ASHES [or in the hot bath] IN WHICH
POUR THE ABOVE DESCRIBED MATERIAL; WHEN THE MIXTURE

IS COOKED IN THE BAIN MARIS [2] SPRINKLE IT WITH
PULVERIZED PEPPER AND SERVE [3].
[1] List., G.-V. 1½ glass.
[2] Hot water bath.

[3] Tor. continues ℞ No. 135 without interruption or caption, and
describes the above recipe. He reads: De thoris accipies rosas, but
List. insists that de thoris be read de rosis; Lan., Tac. de toris; V. de
thoris may be read “fresh from the flower bed.”

Cf. ℞ Nos. 167 and 171 in which case the “rose” may stand for rosy
apple, or “Roman Beauty” apple. “Rose apple” also is a small
pimento, size of a plum.

[137] PUMPKIN PIE PATINA DE CUCURBITIS [1]
AND PUMPKIN PIE IS MADE THUS [2] STEWED AND MASHED
PUMPKIN IS PLACED IN THE PAN [or pie dish] SEASONED WITH A
LITTLE CUMIN ESSENCE. ADD A LITTLE OIL; HEAT [bake] AND
SERVE [3].
[1] Dann. Cucumber Dish.
[2] Tor. Wanting in other texts.
[3] Modern English recipes for stewed pumpkin resemble this
Apician precept, but America has made a really palatable dish from
pumpkin by the addition of eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger—spices
which the insipid pumpkin needs. The ancient original may have
omitted the eggs because Apicius probably expected his formula to
be carried out in accordance with the preceding formulæ. Perhaps
this is proven by the fact that Tor. continues the Rose Pie recipe with
et cucurbita patina sic fiet.

[138] SPRATS OR SMELTS AU VIN BLANC PATINA DE APUA [1]

CLEAN THE SMELTS [or other small fish, filets of sole, etc. of white
meat] MARINATE [i.e. impregnate with] IN OIL, PLACE IN A
SHALLOW PAN, ADD OIL, BROTH [2] AND WINE. BUNCH [3] [fresh]
RUE AND MARJORAM AND COOK WITH THE FISH. WHEN DONE
REMOVE THE HERBS, SEASON THE FISH WITH PEPPER AND
SERVE [4].
[1] Ex List. and G.-V. wanting in Tor.
[2] Liquamen, which in this case corresponds to court bouillon, a
broth prepared from the trimmings of the fish, herbs, and wine,
well-seasoned and reduced.
[3] Our very own bouquet garni, a bunch of various aromatic herbs,
inserted during coction and retired before serving.
[4] Excellent formula for fish in white wine, resembling our ways of
making this fine dish.
This again illustrates the laconic style of the ancient author. He
omitted to say that the fish, when cooked, was placed on the service
platter and that the juices remaining in the sauce pan were tied with
one or two egg yolks, diluted with cream, or wine, or court bouillon,
strained and poured over the fish at the moment of serving. This is
perhaps the best method of preparing fish with white meat of a fine
texture. Pink or darker fish do not lend themselves to this method of
preparation.

[139] SMELT PIE, OR, SPRAT CUSTARD PATINA DE ABUA SIVE APUA
[1]
BONELESS PIECES OF ANCHOVIES OR [other small] FISH, EITHER
ROAST [fried] BOILED, CHOP VERY FINE. FILL A CASSEROLE
GENEROUSLY WITH THE SAME [season with] CRUSHED PEPPER
AND A LITTLE RUE, ADD SUFFICIENT BROTH AND SOME OIL,
AND MIX IN, ALSO ADD ENOUGH RAW EGGS SO THAT THE
WHOLE FORMS ONE SOLID MASS. NOW CAREFULLY ADD SOME
SEA-NETTLES BUT TAKE PAIN THAT THEY ARE NOT MIXED
WITH THE EGGS. NOW PUT THE DISH INTO THE STEAM SO THAT

IT MAY CONGEAL [but avoid boiling] [2]. WHEN DONE SPRINKLE
WITH GROUND PEPPER AND CARRY INTO THE DINING ROOM.
NOBODY WILL BE ABLE TO TELL WHAT HE IS ENJOYING [3].
[1] Tac., Tor. sic. List., G.-V. p. de apua sine apua—a dish of
anchovies (or smelts) without anchovies. Tor. formula bears the title
patina de apua, and his article opens with the following sentence:
patin de abua sive apua sic facies. He is therefore quite emphatic
that the dish is to be made with the abua or apua (an anchovy) and
not without apua, as List. has it. Lan. calls the dish: P. de
apabadiade, not identified.
[2] Tor. impones ad uaporem ut cum ouis meare possint—warning,
get along with the eggs, i.e. beware of boiling them for they will
curdle, and the experiment is hopelessly lost. List. however, reads
meare possint thus: bullire p.—boil (!) It is quite plain that Tor. has
the correct formula.
[3] et ex esu nemo agnoscet quid manducet. Dann. renders this
sentence thus: “Nobody can value this dish unless he has partaken
of it himself.” He is too lenient. We would rather translate it literally
as we did above, or say broadly, “And nobody will be any the
wiser.” List. dwells at length upon this sentence; his erudite
commentary upon the cena dubia, the doubtful meal, will be found
under the heading of cena in our vocabulary. List. pp. 126-7. List.
undoubtedly made the mistake of reading sine for sive. He therefore
omitted the apua from his formula. The above boastful sentence
may have induced him to do so.
The above is a fish forcemeat, now seldom used as an integral dish,
but still popular as a dressing for fish or as quenelles. The modern
fish forcemeat is usually made of raw fish, cream and eggs, with the
necessary seasoning. The material is poached or cooked much in the
same manner as prescribed by the ancient recipe.

[140] A RICH ENTRÉE OF FISH, POULTRY AND SAUSAGE IN
CREAM
PATINA EX LACTE

SOAK [pignolia] NUTS, DRY THEM, AND ALSO HAVE FRESH SEA-
URCHINS [1] READY. TAKE A DEEP DISH [casserole] IN WHICH
ARRANGE THE FOLLOWING THINGS [in layers]: MEDIUM-SIZED
MALLOWS AND BEETS, MATURE LEEKS, CELERY, STEWED
TENDER GREEN CABBAGE, AND OTHER BOILED GREEN
VEGETABLES [2], A DISJOINTED [3] CHICKEN STEWED IN ITS
OWN GRAVY, COOKED [calf’s or pig’s] BRAINS, LUCANIAN
SAUSAGE, HARD BOILED EGGS CUT INTO HALVES, BIG
TARENTINIAN SAUSAGE [4] SLICED AND BROILED IN THE
ASHES, CHICKEN GIBLETS OR PIECES OF CHICKEN MEAT. BITS
OF FRIED FISH, SEA NETTLES, PIECES OF [stewed] OYSTERS AND
FRESH CHEESE ARE ALTERNATELY PUT TOGETHER; SPRINKLE
IN BETWEEN THE NUTS AND WHOLE PEPPER, AND THE JUICE AS
IS COOKED FROM PEPPER, LOVAGE, CELERY SEED AND
SILPHIUM. THIS ESSENCE, WHEN DONE, MIX WITH MILK TO
WHICH RAW EGGS HAVE BEEN ADDED [pour this over the pieces of
food in the dish] SO THAT THE WHOLE IS THOROUGHLY
COMBINED, STIFFEN IT [in the hot water bath] AND WHEN DONE
[garnish with] FRESH MUSSELS [sea-urchins, poached and chopped fine]
SPRINKLE PEPPER OVER AND SERVE.
[1] Sea-urchins, wanting in Tor.
[2] Sentence wanting in G.-V.
[3] Pullum raptum, in most texts; G.-V. p. carptum—plucked. Of
course! Should raptum be translated literally? A most atrocious way
of killing fowl, to be sure, but anyone familiar with the habits of the
ancients, particularly with those of the less educated element, should
not wonder at this most bestial fashion, which was supposed to
improve the flavor of the meat, a fashion which, as a matter of fact
still survives in the Orient, particularly in China.
[4] Vat. Ms. Tarentino farsos; Tor. cooks the sausage in the ashes—
coctos in cinere; List. in cinere legendum jecinora—chicken giblets.
Lister’s explanation of the Tarentinian sausage is found in the
vocabulary, v. Longano.

[141] APICIAN DISH PATINA APICIANA [1]
THE APICIAN DISH IS MADE THUS: TAKE SMALL PIECES OF
COOKED SOW’S BELLY [with the paps on it] PIECES OF FISH, PIECES
OF CHICKEN, THE BREASTS OF FIGPECKERS OR OF THRUSHES
[slightly] COOKED, [and] WHICHEVER IS BEST. MINCE ALL THIS
VERY CAREFULLY, PARTICULARLY THE FIGPECKERS [the meat of
which is very tender]. DISSOLVE IN OIL STRICTLY FRESH EGGS;
CRUSH PEPPER AND LOVAGE, POUR OVER SOME BROTH AND
RAISIN WINE, PUT IT IN A SAUCEPAN TO HEAT AND BIND WITH
ROUX. AFTER YOU HAVE CUT ALL IN REGULAR PIECES, LET IT
COME TO THE BOILING POINT. WHEN DONE, RETIRE [from the
fire] WITH ITS JUICE OF WHICH YOU PUT SOME IN ANOTHER
DEEP PAN WITH WHOLE PEPPER AND PIGNOLIA NUTS. SPREAD
[the ragout] OUT IN SINGLE LAYERS WITH THIN PANCAKES IN
BETWEEN; PUT IN AS MANY PANCAKES AND LAYERS OF MEAT
AS IS REQUIRED TO FILL THE DISH; PUT A FINAL COVER OF
PANCAKE ON TOP AND SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AFTER THOSE
EGGS HAVE BEEN ADDED [which serve] TO TIE THE DISH. NOW
PUT THIS [mould or dish] IN A BOILER [steamer, hot water bath, allow to
congeal] AND DISH IT OUT [by unmoulding it]. AN EXPENSIVE
SILVER PLATTER WOULD ENHANCE THE APPEARANCE OF THIS
DISH MATERIALLY.

[1] Cf. ℞ No. 126.

[142] AN EVERY-DAY DISH PATINA QUOTIDIANA [1]
PIECES OF COOKED SOW’S UDDER, PIECES OF COOKED FISH,
CHICKEN MEAT AND SIMILAR BITS, MINCE UNIFORMLY,
SEASON WELL AND CAREFULLY [2]. TAKE A METAL DISH [for a
mould]. BREAK EGGS [in another bowl] AND BEAT THEM. IN A
MORTAR PUT PEPPER, LOVAGE AND ORIGANY [3], WHICH
CRUSH; MOISTEN [this] WITH BROTH, WINE, RAISIN WINE AND A
LITTLE OIL; EMPTY IT INTO THE BOWL [with the beaten eggs, mix]
AND HEAT IT [in the hot water bath]. THEREUPON WHEN [this is]
THICKENED MIX IT WITH THE PIECES OF MEAT. NOW PREPARE

[alternately] LAYERS OF STEW AND PANCAKES, INTERSPERSED
WITH OIL [in the metal mould reserved for this purpose] UNTIL FULL,
COVER WITH ONE REAL GOOD PANCAKE [4], CUT INTO IT A
VENT HOLE FOR CHIMNEY ON THE SURFACE [bake in hot water
bath and when done] TURN OUT UPSIDE DOWN INTO ANOTHER
DISH. SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE.
[1] List. cottidiana; G.-V. cotidiana. Everyday Dish, in contrast to
the foregoing Apician dish which is more sumptuous on account of
the figpeckers or thrushes. In the originals these two formulæ are
rolled into one. Cf. ℞ No. 128.
[2] G.-V. Hæc omnia concides; Tor. condies; List. condies lege
concides which we dispute. Condies—season, flavor—is more
correct in this place; concides—mince—is a repetition of what has
been said already.
[3] Origany wanting in G.-V.
[4] List. superficie versas in discum insuper in superficium pones;
Sch. a superficie versas indusium super focum pones; G.-V. in
discum; Tor. unum uerò laganum fistula percuties à superficie
uersas in discum in superficiem præterea pones—which we have
translated literally above, as we believe Tor. to be correct in this
important matter of having a chimney on top of such a pie.

[143] NUT CUSTARD TURN-OVER [1] PATINA VERSATILIS VICE
DULCIS
PIGNOLIA NUTS, CHOPPED OR BROKEN NUTS [other varieties] ARE
CLEANED AND ROASTED AND CRUSHED WITH HONEY. MIX IN
[beat well] PEPPER, BROTH, MILK, EGGS, A LITTLE HONEY [2] AND
OIL. [Thicken slowly on fire without boiling, fill in moulds, taking care that
the nuts do not sink to the bottom, bake in hot water bath, when cold
unmould].
[1] Practically the only recipe in Apicius fairly resembling a modern
“dessert.” This is practically a repetition of ℞ No. 129, which see.

[2] Tor. modico melle; List. m. mero—pure wine and also pure
honey, i.e. thick honey for sweetening. Wine would be out of place
here. This is an excellent example of nut custard, if the “pepper” and
the “broth” (liquamen), of the original, in other words spices and
brine, or salt, be used very sparingly. For “pepper” nutmeg or
allspice may be substituted, as is used today in such preparations.
The oil seems superfluous, but it is taking the place of our butter.
This very incomplete formula is characteristic because of the
absence of weights and measures and other vital information as to
the manipulation of the materials. None but an experienced
practitioner could make use of this formula in its original state.
Goll. adds toasted raisins, for which there is no authority.
The text now proceeds without interruption to the next formula.

[144] TYROTARICA [1] PATELLA THIROTARICA [2]
TAKE ANY KIND OF SALT FISH [3] COOK [fry or broil it] IN OIL,
TAKE THE BONES OUT, SHRED IT [and add] PIECES OF COOKED
BRAINS, PIECES OF [other, fresh (?)] FISH, MINCED CHICKEN
LIVERS [4] AND [cover with] HOT SOFT [i.e. liquefied] CHEESE. HEAT
ALL THIS IN A DISH; [meanwhile] GRIND PEPPER, LOVAGE,
ORIGANY, SEEDS OF RUE WITH WINE, HONEY WINE AND OIL;
COOK ALL ON A SLOW FIRE; BIND [this sauce] WITH RAW EGGS;
ARRANGE [the fish, etc.]. PROPERLY [incorporate with the sauce]
SPRINKLE WITH CRUSHED CUMIN AND SERVE [5].

[1] G.-V., List., Vat. Ms. Thyrotarnica; cf. notes to ℞ Nos. 427, 428.
[2] Tor.
[3] Tor. Wanting in other texts.
[4] List., G.-V. here add hard boiled eggs, which is permissible,
gastronomically.
[5] Modern fish au gratin is made in a similar way. Instead of this
wine sauce a spiced cream sauce and grated cheese are mixed with

the bits of cooked fish, which is then baked in the dish.
Brains, chicken, etc., too, are served au gratin, but a combination of
the three in one dish is no longer practiced. However, the Italian
method of baking fish, etc., au gratin à l’Italienne contains even
more herbs and wine reduction than the above formula.

[145] SALT FISH BALLS IN WINE SAUCE [1] PATELLA ARIDA [2]
DRY PIECES OF SALT TURSIO [3] ARE BONED, CLEANED [soaked in
water, cooked] SHREDDED FINE AND SEASONED WITH GROUND
PEPPER, LOVAGE, ORIGANY, PARSLEY, CORIANDER, CUMIN, RUE
SEEDS AND DRY MINT. MAKE FISH BALLS OUT OF THIS
MATERIAL AND POACH THE SAME IN WINE, BROTH AND OIL;
AND WHEN COOKED, ARRANGE THEM IN A DISH. THEN MAKE A
SAUCE [utilizing the broth, the court bouillon in which the balls were
cooked] SEASON WITH PEPPER, LOVAGE, SATURY, ONIONS AND
WINE AND VINEGAR, ALSO ADD BROTH AND OIL AS NEEDED,
BIND WITH ROUX [4] [pour over the balls] SPRINKLE WITH THYME
AND GROUND PEPPER [5].
[1] Reminding us of the Norwegian fiske boller in wine sauce, a
popular commercial article found canned in delicatessen stores.
[2] List. patella sicca—dry, perhaps because made of dried fish.
[3] List. isicia de Tursione; G.-V. Thursione. Probably a common
sturgeon, or porpoise, or dolphin. List. describes it as “a kind of salt
fish from the Black Sea; a malicious fish with a mouth similar to a
rabbit”; Dann. thinks it is a sturgeon, but in Goll. it appears as
tunny. The ancients called the sturgeon acipenser; but this name was
gradually changed into styrio, stirio and sturio, which is similar to
tursio (cf. styrio in the vocabulary). The fish in question therefore
may have been sturgeon for which the Black Sea is famous.
[4] List., G.-V. ovis obligabis—tie with eggs—certainly preferable
to the Tor. version.
[5] Tor. thyme.

The above is an excellent way of making fish balls, it being taken
for granted, of course, that the salt fish be thoroughly soaked and
cooked in milk before shaping into balls. The many spices should be
used very moderately, some to be omitted entirely. We read between
the lines of the old formula that the Tursio had a long journey from
Pontus to Rome; fish however dry acquires a notorious flavor upon
such journeys which must be offset by herbs and spices.
It is quite possible that the ancients made a réduction of the herbs
and spices mentioned in this formula; in fact, the presence of
vinegar leads us to believe this, in which case this formula would be
nothing but a very modern sauce. The herbs and spices in a
réduction are crushed and boiled down in vinegar and wine, and
strained off, they leave their finest flavor in the sauce.

[146] VEGETABLE DINNER PATELLA EX OLISATRO [1]
[Any kind of vegetables or herbs] BLANCHED OFF IN WATER WITH [a
little] SODA; SQUEEZE [out the water] ARRANGE IN A SAUCEPAN.
GRIND PEPPER, LOVAGE, CORIANDER, SATURY, ONION WITH
WINE, BROTH, VINEGAR AND OIL; ADD [this] TO THE
VEGETABLES, STEW [all until nearly done] AND TIE WITH ROUX.
SPRINKLE WITH THYME, FINELY GROUND PEPPER AND SERVE.
ANY KIND OF VEGETABLE [2] MAY BE PREPARED IN THE ABOVE
MANNER, IF YOU WISH.
[1] Wanting in Tac. and Tor. G.-V. patellam ex holisatro.
[2] It is worth noting that Tor. and Tac. omit this recipe entirely and
that Tor. concludes the preceding formula with the last sentence of
the above formula, except for the difference in one word. Tor. et de
quacunque libra [List. et al. herba] si volueris facies ut
demonstratum est suprà. This might mean that it is optional (in the
preceding formula) to shape the fish into one pound loaves instead
of the small fish balls, which is often done in the case of forcemeats,
as in veal, beef, ham loaves, or fish pie.

We are inclined to accept the reading of Torinus, for the above way
of preparing “any kind of vegetables or herbs” is somewhat
farfetched. Furthermore, the vegetable dish would more properly
belong in Book III.
Just another example of where readings by various editors are
different because of the interpretations of one word. In this case one
group reads libra whereas the other reads herba.

[147] A DISH OF SARDINES PATELLA DE APUA [1]
SARDINE LOAF (OR OMELETTE) IS MADE IN THIS MANNER [2]
CLEAN THE SARDINES [of skin and bones]; BREAK [and beat] EGGS
AND MIX WITH [half of the] FISH [3]; ADD TO THIS SOME STOCK,
WINE AND OIL, AND FINISH [the composition] BY HEATING IT.
WHEN DONE TO A POINT, ADD [the remaining part of the] SARDINES
TO IT, LET IT STAND A WHILE [over a slow fire to congeal]
CAREFULLY TURN OVER [dish it up] MASK WITH A WARM [4]
WINE SAUCE, SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE.
[1] G.-V. Patina de apua fricta—same as aphya, fried fresh small
fish of the kind of anchovies, sardines, sprats.
In experimenting with this formula we would advise to use salt and
oil judiciously if any at all. We have no knowledge of the ancient
apua fricta other than our making of modern sardines which is to
fry them in oil as quickly as possible after the fish has left the water,
for its meat is very delicate. For an omelette, our modern sardines,
including kippered smelts, sprotten, and similar smoked and
processed fish, contain sufficient salt and fat to season the eggs of
an omelette.
[2] Tor. Sentence wanting in other texts.
[3] Tor. cum aqua; List., G.-V. cum apua. Perhaps a typographical
error in Tor. A little water is used to dilute the eggs of an omelette,
but Apicius already prescribes sufficient liquids (stock or brine,
wine) for that purpose.

[4] Tor. et in calore œnogarum perfundes; List., G.-V. ut coloret—to
keep the omelette in the pan long enough to give it “color.” We
prefer the Torinus version because an omelette should have no or
very little color from the fire (the eggs thus browned are
indigestible) and because hot œnogarum (wine-fish sauce, not in
List.) is accompanying this dish, to give additional savour and a
finishing touch.

[148] FINE RAGOUT OF BRAINS AND BACON PATINA EX LARIDIS
[1] ET CEREBELLIS
THE DISH OF BACON AND BRAINS IS MADE IN THIS MANNER [2]
STRAIN [or chop fine] HARD BOILED EGGS [3] WITH PARBOILED
BRAINS [calf’s or pig’s] THE SKIN AND NERVES OF WHICH HAVE
BEEN REMOVED; ALSO COOK CHICKEN GIBLETS, ALL IN
PROPORTION TO THE FISH [4] PUT THIS AFORESAID MIXTURE IN
A SAUCEPAN, PLACE THE COOKED BACON IN THE CENTER,
GRIND PEPPER AND LOVAGE AND TO SWEETEN ADD A DASH OF
MEAD, HEAT, WHEN HOT STIR BRISKLY WITH A RUE WHIP AND
BIND WITH ROUX.
[1] G.-V. lagitis; Tor. laridis and largitis; Vat. Ms. lagatis; List. pro
lagitis ... legendum Lacertis. The lacertus, according to List., is a
much esteemed salt fish; not identified. List. et al. seem to be
mistaken in their reading of lacertis for laridis. This work stands for
salt pork, from laridum and lardum (French, lard; the English lard is
applied to the rendered fat of pork in general). Cf. notes to ℞ No. 41.
[2] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.
[3] oua dura; Sch. o. dua—two eggs.
[4] This formula would be intelligible and even gastronomically
correct were it not for this word “fish.” However, we cannot accept
Lister’s reading lacertis. We prefer the reading, laridis, bacon. The
French have another term for this—petits salés. Both this and the
Torinus term are in the plural. They are simply small strips of bacon
to which Torinus again refers in the above formula, salsum, coctum

in media pones—put the bacon, when done, in the center (of the
dish). Regarding salsum also see note to ℞ No. 41.
The above dish resembles ragoût fin en coquille, a popular
Continental dish, although its principal ingredients are sweetbreads
instead of brains.

[149] BROILED MULLET PATINA EX PISCIBUS MULLIS [1]
A DISH OF MULLET CONSISTS OF [2] SCALED SALT MULLET
PLACED IN A CLEAN PAN WITH ENOUGH OIL [3] AS IS
NECESSARY FOR COOKING; WHEN DONE ADD [a dash of honey-]
WINE OR RAISIN WINE, SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE.
[1] List., G.-V. mullorum loco salsi—salt mullet.
[2] Tor. wanting in other texts.
[3] List. liquamen—broth, brine, which would be worse than
carrying owls to Athens. As a matter of fact, the mullet if it be what
List. says, loco salsi—salted on the spot, i.e. as caught, near the sea
shore, requires soaking to extract the salt.

[150] A DISH OF ANY KIND OF SALT FISH PATINA EX PISCIBUS
QUIBUSLIBET [1]
ANOTHER FISH DISH IS THUS MADE [2] FRY ANY KIND OF
CURED [3] FISH, CAREFULLY TREATED [soaked and cleaned] PLACE
IN A PAN, COVER WITH SUFFICIENT OIL, LAY [strips of] COOKED
SALT [4] [pork or bacon—petits salés] OVER THE CENTER, KEEP IT
HOT, WHEN REAL HOT, ADD A DASH OF HONEY WINE TO THE
GRAVY AND STIR IT UP [5].
[1] Ex Tor.; G.-V. P. piscium loco salsi.
[2] Tor.; sentence wanting in other texts.
[3] Tor. duratos—hard—no sense here, probably a misprint of the d.
List. curatos—carefully treated, “cured,” processed.

[4] Salsum coctum, cf. notes to ℞ No. 148; Goll., Dann.—sprinkle
[the fish] with salt.... Like Lister’s error in the preceding formula it
would be a great blunder to add salt to a cured fish already saturated
with salt to the utmost. Cf. also note 2 to ℞ Nos. 41, 148.

[5] Virtually a repetition of ℞ No. 149, except for the addition of the
pork.

[151] ANOTHER FISH DISH, WITH ONIONS ALIA PISCIUM PATINA
ANOTHER FISH DISH MAKE AS FOLLOWS [1] CLEAN ANY KIND
OF FISH AND PLACE IT PROPERLY IN A SAUCEPAN WITH
SHREDDED DRY ASCALONIAN ONIONS [shallots] OR WITH ANY
OTHER KIND OF ONIONS, THE FISH ON TOP. ADD STOCK AND
OIL AND COOK. WHEN DONE, PUT BROILED BACON IN THE
CENTER, GIVE IT A DASH OF VINEGAR, SPRINKLE WITH [finely
chopped] SAVORY AND GARNISH WITH [the] ONIONS.
[1] Tor., sentence wanting in other texts.

[152] A LUCRETIAN DISH PATINA LUCRETIANA [1]
CLEAN YOUNG ONIONS, REJECTING THE GREEN TOPS, AND
PLACE [2] THEM IN A SAUCEPAN WITH A LITTLE BROTH, SOME
OIL AND WATER, AND, TO BE COOKED [with the onions] PLACE
SALT PORK [3] IN THE MIDST [of the scallions]. WHEN NEARLY
DONE, ADD A SPOON OF HONEY [4] A LITTLE VINEGAR AND
REDUCED MUST, TASTE IT, IF INSIPID ADD MORE BRINE [broth] IF
TOO SALTY, ADD MORE HONEY, AND SPRINKLE WITH SAVORY
[5].
[1] Dann. Named for Lucretius Epicuræus, a contemporary of
Cicero. List. ab authore cui in usu fuit sic appellata.
[2] G.-V. concides. Not necessary.
[3] salsum crudum—salt pork, i.e. not smoked or cured bacon.
Dann. raw salt; Goll. salt. Impossible, of course! Cf. notes to ℞ Nos.

41, 147, 149.
[4] To glaze the pork, no doubt; reminding us of our own use of
sugar to glaze ham or bacon, and of the molasses added to pork (and
beans).
[5] G.-V. coronam bubulam. In experimenting with this formula
omit salt completely. Instead of honey we have also added maple
syrup once. To make this a perfect luncheon dish a starch is
wanting; we have therefore added sliced raw potatoes and cooked
with the rest, to make it a balanced meal, by way of improving upon
Lucretius. Since the ancients had no potatoes we have, on a different
occasion, created another version by added sliced dasheens
(colocasia, cf. ℞ Nos. 74, 216, 244, 322). It is surprising that the
ancients who used the colocasium extensively did not combine it
with the above dish.

[153] STEWED LACERTUS FISH PATINA DE LACERTIS [1]
CLEAN AND WASH [soak] THE FISH [2] [cook and flake it] BREAK
AND BEAT EGGS, MIX THEM WITH THE FISH, ADD BROTH, WINE
AND OIL. PLACE THIS ON THE FIRE, WHEN COOKED [scrambled]
ADD SIMPLE FISH WINE SAUCE [3] TO IT, SPRINKLE WITH
PEPPER AND SERVE [4].

[1] Ex List. wanting in Tor. G.-V. P. de lagitis; cf. note to ℞ No. 148.
[2] Remembering that List. reads lagitis for lacertis, this formula
appears to be an antique “Scrambled Eggs and Bacon.” Cf. notes to
℞ Nos. 42, 148-150.

[3] Oenogarum, cf. ℞ No. 147, the Sardine Omelette.
[4] To cook the eggs as described above would be disastrous. The
fish, if such was used, was probably first poached in the broth, wine
and oil, and when done, removed from the pan. The fond, or
remaining juice or gravy, was subsequently tied with the egg yolks,
and this sauce was strained over the fish dressed on the service

platter, the œnogarum sparingly sprinkled over the finished dish.
This would closely resemble our modern au vin blanc fish dishes;
the œnogarum taking the place of our meat glacé.
Another interpretation of this vexatious formula is that if fish was
used, the cooked fish was incorporated with the raw beaten eggs
which were then scrambled in the pan. In that event this formula
resembles closely the sardine omelette.

[154] A FISH STEW PATINA ZOMORE [1]
THE ZOMORE FISH DISH IS MADE AS FOLLOWS [2] TAKE RAW
GANONAS [3] AND OTHER [fish] WHICHEVER YOU LIKE, PLACE
THEM IN A SAUCE PAN, ADDING OIL, BROTH, REDUCED WINE, A
BUNCH [4] OF LEEKS AND [green] CORIANDER; WHILE THIS
COOKS, CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE AND A BUNCH OF ORIGANY
WHICH CRUSH BY ITSELF AND DILUTE WITH THE JUICE [5] OF
THE FISH. NOW DISSOLVE [break and beat egg yolks for a liaison]
PREPARE AND TASTE THE DISH, BINDING [the sauce with the yolks]
SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE.
[1] List. Zomoteganite—“a dish of fish boiled in their own liquor”;
G.-V. zomoteganon; Lan. zomoreganonas; Vat. Ms. zomonam
Ganas.
[2] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.
[3] ganonas crudas—an unidentified fish.
[4] “Bouquet garni.”
[5] ius de suo sibi—old Plautian latinity. Cf. H. C. Coote, cit.
Apiciana; the proof of the antiquity and the genuineness of Apicius.

[155] SOLE IN WHITE WINE PATINA EX SOLEIS [1]
A DISH OF SOLE IS THUS MADE [2] BEAT THE SOLE [3] PREPARE
[4] AND PLACE THEM IN A [shallow] SAUCE PAN, ADD OIL, BROTH
AND WINE, AND POACH THEM THUS; NOW CRUSH PEPPER,

LOVAGE, ORIGANY AND ADD OF THE FISH JUICE; THEN BIND
THE SAUCE WITH RAW EGGS [yolks] TO MAKE A GOOD CREAMY
SAUCE OF IT; STRAIN THIS OVER THE SOLE, HEAT ALL ON A
SLOW FIRE [to fill it with live heat] SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND
SERVE [5].
[1] G.-V. P. solearum.
[2] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.
[3] Beat, to make tender, to be able to remove the skin.
[4] Tor. curatos—trim, skin, remove entrails, wash.
[5] One of the best of Apician accomplishments. Exactly like our
modern sole au vin blanc, one of the most aristocratic of dishes. Cf.
℞ No. 487, Excerpta, XIX.

[155a] FISH LIQUOR PATINA EX PISCIBUS
A LIQUOR [in which to cook fish] IS MADE BY TAKING [1] ONE
OUNCE OF PEPPER, ONE PINT OF REDUCED WINE, ONE PINT OF
SPICED WINE AND TWO OUNCES OF OIL.
[1] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.

[156] A DISH OF LITTLE FISH PATINA DE PISCICULIS [1]
TAKE RAISINS, PEPPER, LOVAGE, ORIGANY, ONIONS, WINE,
BROTH AND OIL, PLACE THIS IN A PAN; AFTER THIS HAS
COOKED ADD TO IT THE COOKED SMALL FISH, BIND WITH
ROUX AND SERVE.
[1] Smelts, anchovies, whitebait.

[157] A DISH OF TOOTH FISH, DORY OR SEA MULLET AND
OYSTERS
PATINA DE PISCIBUS DENTICE, AURATA ET MUGILE [1]

TAKE THE FISH, PREPARE [clean, trim, wash] AND HALF BROIL OR
FRY THEM; THEREUPON SHRED THEM [in good-sized] PIECES:
NEXT PREPARE OYSTERS; PUT IN A MORTAR 6 SCRUPLES OF
PEPPER, MOISTEN WITH BROTH AND CRUSH. ADD A SMALL
GLASS OF BROTH, ONE OF WINE TO IT; PUT IN A SAUCE PAN 3
OUNCES OF OIL AND THE [shelled] OYSTERS AND LET THEM
POACH WITH WINE SAUCE. WHEN THEY ARE DONE, OIL A DISH
ON WHICH PLACE THE ABOVE MENTIONED FISH PIECES AND
STEWED OYSTERS, HEAT AGAIN, AND WHEN HOT, BREAK 40 [2]
EGGS [whip them] AND POUR THEM OVER THE OYSTERS, SO THAT
THEY CONGEAL. SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE. [3].
[1] dentex—“tooth-fish”; aurata—“gilt”—dory, red snapper;
mugilis—Sea Mullet, according to some.
[2] G.-V. ova XI—11 eggs. Tac. ova Xl, which may be read XL—
forty.
[3] This dish may be allowed to congeal slowly; if done quickly it
may become a dish of scrambled eggs with fish and oysters.

[158] SEA BASS, OR BARRACUDA PATINA DE LUPO [1]
GRIND PEPPER, CUMIN, PARSLEY, RUE, ONIONS, HONEY, BROTH,
RAISIN WINE AND DROPS OF OIL [2].
[1] G.-V. p. de pisce lupo—wolf, because of its voracity; a sea fish,
sea pike, or sea bass; perhaps akin to our barracuda, wolfish both in
appearance and character. Sch. Perca labrax Lin.
[2] The cleaned fish is cut into convenient portions or fillets, placed
in an oiled pan, the ingredients spread over; it is either poached in
the oven or cooked under the open fire.

Schuch here inserts his ℞ Nos. 153 to 166 which more properly
belong among the Excerpta of Vinidarius and which are found at the
end Book X by Apicius.

[159] A DISH OF SORB-APPLE, HOT OR COLD PATINA DE SORBIS
CALIDA ET FRIGIDA
TAKE MEDLARS, CLEAN THEM; CRUSH THEM IN THE MORTAR
AND STRAIN THROUGH COLANDER. 4 COOKED [calf’s or pork]
BRAINS, SKINNED AND FREED FROM STRINGY PARTS, PUT IN
THE MORTAR WITH 8 SCRUPLES OF PEPPER, DILUTE WITH
STOCK AND CRUSH, ADDING THE MEDLAR PULP AND COMBINE
ALL; NOW BREAK 8 EGGS AND ADD A SMALL GLASS OF BROTH.
OIL A CLEAN PAN AND PLACE IT IN THE HOT BATH OR IN THE
HOT ASHES; AFTER YOU HAVE FILLED IT WITH THE
PREPARATION, MAKE SURE THAT THE PAN GETS ENOUGH HEAT
FROM BELOW; LET IT CONGEAL, AND WHEN DONE SPRINKLE
WITH A LITTLE FINE PEPPER AND SERVE.

Sch. ℞ No. 166.

[160] A DISH OF PEACHES [1] PATINA DE PERSICIS
CLEAN HARD-SKINNED PEACHES AND SLICE, STEW THEM;
ARRANGE IN A DISH, SPRINKLE WITH A LITTLE OIL AND SERVE
WITH CUMIN-FLAVORED WINE [2].
[1] Tor. is not sure whether this is a Persian fish or peaches—
persica.
[2] Dann. Pepper, for which there is no authority.

Sch. ℞ No. 167.

[161] A DISH OF PEARS PATINA DE PIRIS
A DISH OF PEARS IS MADE THIS WAY: [1] STEW THE PEARS,
CLEAN OUT THE CENTER [remove core and seeds] CRUSH THEM
WITH PEPPER, CUMIN, HONEY, RAISIN WINE, BROTH AND A
LITTLE OIL; MIX WITH EGGS, MAKE A PIE [custard] OF THIS,
SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE.

[1] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.

Sch. ℞ No. 168.

[162] A DISH OF SEA-NETTLES PATINA DE URTICA [1]
A DISH OF SEA-NETTLES, EITHER HOT OR COLD, IS MADE THUS:
[2] TAKE SEA-NETTLES, WASH AND DRAIN THEM ON THE
COLANDER, DRY ON THE TABLE AND CHOP FINE. CRUSH 10
SCRUPLES OF PEPPER, MOISTEN WITH BROTH, ADD 2 SMALL
GLASSES OF BROTH AND 6 OUNCES OF OIL. HEAT THIS IN A
SAUCE PAN AND WHEN COOKED TAKE IT OUT AND ALLOW TO
COOL OFF. NEXT OIL A CLEAN PAN, BREAK 8 EGGS AND BEAT
THEM; COMBINE THESE WITH THE ABOVE PREPARATIONS,
PLACE THE PAN ON HOT ASHES TO GIVE IT HEAT FROM BELOW,
WHEN DONE [congealed] SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE.
[1] G.-V. p. urticarum calida et frigida.
[2] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.

[163] A DISH OF QUINCES PATINA DE CYDONIIS [1]
A DISH OF QUINCES IS MADE AS FOLLOWS: [2] QUINCES ARE
COOKED WITH LEEKS, HONEY AND BROTH, USING HOT OIL, OR
THEY ARE STEWED IN HONEY [3].
[1] G.-V. p. de Cydoneis.
[2] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.
[3] This latter method would appeal to our modern notion of
preparing fruits of this sort; we use sugar syrup to cook them in and
flavor with various spices, adding perhaps a little wine or brandy.

III

OF FINELY CHOPPED, MINCED MEATS DE MINUT ALIBUS [1]

[164] A MINCE OF SEA FOOD MINUTAL MARINUM
PLACE THE FISH IN SAUCE PAN, ADD BROTH OIL AND WINE [and
poach it]. ALSO FINELY CHOP LEEK HEADS [the white part only of
leeks] AND [fresh] CORIANDER. [When cool, mince the fish fine] FORM
IT INTO SMALL CAKES [2] ADDING CAPERS [3] AND SEA-
NETTLES WELL CLEANED. THESE FISH CAKES COOK IN A
LIQUOR OF PEPPER, LOVAGE AND ORIGANY, CRUSHED,
DILUTED WITH BROTH AND THE ABOVE FISH LIQUOR WHICH
SKIM WELL, BIND [with roux or eggs] STIR [strain] OVER THE
CAKES, SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE.
[1] G.-V. minutal de piscibus vel Isiciis.
[2] Tac. G.-V. isiciola ... minuta—resembling our modern quenelles
de poisson—tiny fish dumplings.
[3] Tac. cum caparis; Tor. c. capparibus; Vat. Ms. concarpis; List.
G.-V. concerpis.

[165] TARENTINE MINUTAL MINUTAL TARENTINUM [1]
FINELY CHOP THE WHITE PART OF LEEKS AND PLACE IN A
SAUCE PAN; ADD OIL [fry lightly] AND BROTH; NEXT ADD SMALL
SAUSAGE TO BE COOKED LIKEWISE. TO HAVE A GOOD
TARENTINE DISH, THEY MUST BE TENDER. THE MAKING OF
THESE SAUSAGE WILL BE FOUND AMONG THE ISICIA [Nos. 60-
66] [2]. ALSO MAKE A SAUCE IN THE FOLLOWING MANNER:
CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE AND ORIGANY, MOISTEN WITH BROTH,
ADD OF THE ABOVE [sausage] GRAVY, WINE, RAISIN WINE; PUT
IN A SAUCE PAN TO BE HEATED, WHEN BOILING, SKIM
CAREFULLY, BIND, SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE.
[1] G.-V. Terentinum, for which there is no reason. Tarentum, town
of lower Italy, now Taranto, celebrated for its wine and luxurious
living.
[2] Such references to other parts of the book are very infrequent.

[166] APICIAN MINUTAL MINUTAL APICIANUM
THE APICIAN MINUTAL IS MADE AS FOLLOWS: [1] OIL, BROTH
WINE, LEEK HEADS, MINT, SMALL FISH, SMALL TIDBITS [2]
COCK’S FRIES OR CAPON’S KIDNEYS [3] AND PORK
SWEETBREADS; ALL OF THESE ARE COOKED TOGETHER [4]
NOW CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE, GREEN CORIANDER, OR SEEDS,
MOISTENED WITH BROTH; ADD A LITTLE HONEY, AND OF THE
OWN LIQUOR [5] OF THE ABOVE MORSELS, WINE AND HONEY
TO TASTE; BRING THIS TO A BOILING POINT SKIM, BIND, STIR
WELL [strain, pour over the morsels] SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND
SERVE [6].
[1] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.
[2] isitia—quenelles, dumplings of some kind, mostly fine
forcemeats.
[3] testiculi caponum; the capon has no testiculi, these organs
having been removed by an operation when the cock is young. This
operation is said to have been first performed by a Roman surgeon
with the intention of beating the Lex Fannia, or Fannian law,
sponsored by a fanatic named Fannius. It prohibited among other
restrictions the serving of any fowl at any time or repast except a
hen, and this hen was not to be fattened. Note the cunning of the
law: The useful hen and her unlaid eggs could be sacrificed while
the unproductive rooster was allowed to thrive to no purpose,
immune from the butcher’s block. This set the shrewd surgeon to
thinking; he transformed a rooster into a capon by his surgical trick.
The emasculated bird grew fat without his owner committing any
infraction of the Roman law against fattening chickens. Of course
the capon, being neither hen nor rooster, was perfectly safe to eat,
for he was within the law. Thus he became a huge success as an
ancient “bootleg” chicken.
[4] These integral parts must be prepared and poached separately
and merely heated together before the final service.

[5] Again the Plautian colloquialism ius de suo sibi.
[6] This dish is worthy of Apicius. It is akin to our Ragoût
Financière, and could pass for Vol-au-vent à la Financière if it were
served in a large fluffy crust of puff paste.

[167] MINUTAL À LA MATIUS [1] MINUTAL MATIANUM
PUT IN A SAUCE PAN OIL, BROTH FINELY CHOPPED LEEKS,
CORIANDER, SMALL TID-BITS, COOKED PORK SHOULDER, CUT
INTO LONG STRIPS INCLUDING THE SKIN, HAVE EVERYTHING
EQUALLY HALF DONE. ADD MATIAN APPLES [2] CLEANED, THE
CORE REMOVED, SLICED LENGTHWISE AND COOK THEM
TOGETHER: MEANWHILE CRUSH PEPPER, CUMIN, GREEN
CORIANDER, OR SEEDS, MINT, LASER ROOT, MOISTENED WITH
VINEGAR, HONEY AND BROTH AND A LITTLE REDUCED MUST,
ADD TO THIS THE BROTH OF THE ABOVE MORSELS, VINEGAR
TO TASTE, BOIL, SKIM, BIND [strain over the morsels] SPRINKLE
WITH PEPPER AND SERVE.
[1] Named for Matius, ancient author, or because of the Matian
apples used in this dish, also named for the same man. Plinius, Nat.
Hist. lib. XV, Cap. 14-15, Columella, De re Rustica, lib. XII, Cap.
XLIIII.
This is not the first instance where fruits or vegetables were named
for famous men. Beets, a certain kind of them were named for
Varro, writer on agriculture. Matius, according to Varro, wrote a
book on waiters, cooks, cellar men and food service in general, of
which there is no trace today. It was already lost during Varro’s
days.
[2] Cf. note 1, above. This illustrates the age-old connection of pork
and apples.

[168] SWEET MINUTAL MINUTAL DULCE [1]

IN A SAUCE PAN PUT TOGETHER OIL, BROTH, COCTURA [2]
FINELY CUT LEEK HEADS AND GREEN CORIANDER, COOKED
PORK SHOULDER, SMALL TID-BITS. WHILE THIS IS BEING
COOKED, CRUSH PEPPER, CUMIN, CORIANDER OR [its] SEEDS,
GREEN RUE, LASER ROOT, MOISTENED WITH VINEGAR,
REDUCED MUST AND THE GRAVY OF THE ABOVE MORSELS;
ADD VINEGAR TO TASTE: WHEN THIS [sauce] IS COOKED,
HOLLOW OUT CITRON SQUASH [3] CUT IN DICE, BOIL AND
PLACE THEM TOGETHER WITH THE REST IN THE DISH, SKIM,
BIND [strain] THE SAUCE [pour it over the morsels] SPRINKLE WITH
PEPPER AND SERVE.
[1] G.-V. m. ex citriis.
[2] At this late point Apicius commences to use the term coctura
which does not designate any particular ingredient but rather stands
for a certain process of cookery, depending upon the ingredients
used in the dish. We would here interpret it as the frying of the leeks
in oil, etc. In another instance coctura may mean our modern
réduction.
[3] The fruit to be used here has not been satisfactorily identified.
The texts have citrium and citrum—a sweet squash or cucumber—
perhaps even a melon, but not the citron, the mala citrea as read by
List. This specimen is hard to identify because of the many varieties
in the cucumber, squash and the citrus families. Citrus, as a matter
of fact, is but a corruption of cedrus, the cedar tree.
We are not sure whether this fruit is to be stuffed with the ragout
and then baked, as is often the custom to do with such shells; the
texts prescribes distinctly to hollow out the fruit.
The title, implying a “sweet dish” is obviously wrong.
It may be remarked here that Apicius makes no mention of that
marvelous citrus fruit, the lemon, nor of the orange, both of which
are indispensable to modern cookery.

[169] MINUTAL OF FRUIT MINUTAL EX PRÆCOQUIS

IN A SAUCE PAN PUT OIL, BROTH AND WINE, FINELY CUT
SHALLOTS, DICED COOKED PORK SHOULDER. WHEN THIS IS
COOKED, CRUSH PEPPER, CUMIN, DRY MINT, DILL, MOISTEN
WITH HONEY, BROTH, RAISIN WINE [and] A LITTLE VINEGAR,
SOME OF THE GRAVY OF THE ABOVE MORSELS, ADD FRUITS
THE SEEDS OF WHICH HAVE BEEN TAKEN OUT, LET BOIL, WHEN
THOROUGHLY COOKED, SKIM, BIND, SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER
AND SERVE [1].

[1] This, rather than ℞ No. 168, deserves the title, Sweet Minutal,
for it is practically the same, with the addition of the fruit.

[170] MINUTAL OF HARE’S LIVERS MINUTAL LEPORINUM
THE WAY TO MAKE A MINUTAL OF HARE’S GIBLETS MAY BE
FOUND AMONG THE HARE RECIPES [1].
[170a] IN A SAUCE PAN PUT OIL, BROTH AND WINE, FINELY CUT
SHALLOTS, DICED COOKED PORK SHOULDER. WHEN THIS IS
COOKED, CRUSH PEPPER, CUMIN, DRY MINT, DILL, MOISTEN
WITH HONEY, BROTH, RAISIN WINE [and] A LITTLE VINEGAR,
SOME OF THE GRAVY OF THE ABOVE MORSELS, ADD SEEDLESS
FRUITS, LET BOIL, WHEN THOROUGHLY COOKED, SKIM, BIND,
SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE.

[1] ℞ No. 386, Book VIII is one of these recipes. This is one of the
few instances where the ancient original makes any reference to any
other part of the Apicius book.* After this bare reference, the
original proceeds to repeat the text of the preceding formula
verbatim.

* Cf. ℞ No. 165.
Brandt suggests a new title for [170a] ANOTHER SWEET
MINUTAL.

The G.-V. version differs but little from ℞ No. 169.

[171] RED APPLE MINUTAL MINUTAL EX ROSIS [1]
MAKE THIS THE SAME WAY AS DESCRIBED IN THE FOREGOING,
ONLY ADD MORE RAISIN WINE.
[1] List. Roses; Tor. Rosatium; this term, medieval Latin, does not
exist in the ancient language.
Sch. mala rosea—rosy or red apple, most likely to be the correct
interpretation. Cf. ℞ Nos. 136 and 167.
The above title has led to the belief that the ancients made pies, etc.,
of roses, an idea that was much ridiculed in England after the
publication of Lister’s work in 1705.
We concur with Schuch’s interpretation that rosy apples were used,
remembering, however, that the fruit of the rose tree, the hip, dog-
briar, eglantine is also made into dainty confections on the
Continent today. It is therefore entirely possible that this recipe calls
for the fruit of the rose tree.

IV

GRUELS TISANAM VEL SUCUM

[172] BARLEY BROTH, PAP, PORRIDGE, GRUEL TISANA SIVE
CREMORE [1]
CRUSH BARLEY, SOAKED THE DAY BEFORE, WELL WASHED,
PLACE ON THE FIRE TO BE COOKED [in a double boiler] WHEN HOT
ADD ENOUGH OIL, A BUNCH OF DILL, DRY ONION, SATURY AND
COLOCASIUM [2] TO BE COOKED TOGETHER BECAUSE FOR THE
BETTER JUICE, ADD GREEN CORIANDER AND A LITTLE SALT;
BRING IT TO A BOILING POINT. WHEN DONE TAKE OUT THE
BUNCH [of dill] AND TRANSFER THE BARLEY INTO ANOTHER
KETTLE TO AVOID STICKING TO THE BOTTOM AND BURNING,
MAKE IT LIQUID [by addition of water, broth, milk] STRAIN INTO A

POT, COVERING THE TOPS OF THE COLOCASIA. NEXT CRUSH
PEPPER, LOVAGE, A LITTLE DRY FLEA-BANE, CUMIN AND
SYLPHIUM [3] STIR IT WELL AND ADD VINEGAR, REDUCED
MUST AND BROTH; PUT IT BACK INTO THE POT, THE
REMAINING COLOCASIA FINISH ON A GENTLE FIRE [4].
[1] Tor. ptisana siue Cremore.
[2] G.-V. Colœfium; Tor. colœsium and colesium (the different
readings perhaps on account of the similarity of the “long” s with
the f). Tor. spells this word differently every time he is confronted
with it. Tac., Lan. coledium—unidentified. List. colocasium, which
see in notes to ℞ Nos. 74, 200, 216, 244, and 322, also Sch. p. 95.
[3] List. sil frictum; Tor. silphium f.
[4] Tor. continuing without interruption. This formula is reported in
℞ No. 200.

[173] ANOTHER TISANA TISANA TARICHA [1]
THE CEREAL [2] IS SOAKED; CHICKPEAS, LENTILS AND PEAS
ARE CRUSHED AND BOILED WITH IT; WHEN WELL COOKED,
ADD PLENTY OF OIL. NOW CUT GREEN HERBS, LEEKS,
CORIANDER, DILL, FENNEL, BEETS, MALLOWS, CABBAGE
STRUNKS, ALL SOFT AND GREEN AND FINELY CUT, AND PUT IN
A POT. THE CABBAGE COOK [separately. Also] CRUSH FENNEL
SEED, ORIGANY, SYLPHIUM AND LOVAGE, AND WHEN
CRUSHED, ADD BROTH TO TASTE, POUR THIS OVER THE
PORRIDGE, STIR IT TOGETHER AND USE SOME FINELY CHOPPED
CABBAGE STEMS TO SPRINKLE ON TOP [2].
[1] Variants: barrica, farrica; List. legendum, puto, Taricam; id. est
Salsam. Cf. ℞ 144, 149, 426-8. Lan., Tor., G.-V. barricam, not
identified. Sch. farrica—corn spelt; probably not far from the mark.
We would venture to suggest that our “farina” is the thing here used,
or any ordinary corn meal.

[2] This formula is repeated in ℞ No. 201.

V

HORS D’ŒUVRES, APPETIZERS, RELISHES GUSTUM

[174] “MOVEABLE” APPETIZERS GUSTUM VERSATILE
THE MOVEABLE [1] APPETIZERS ARE THUS MADE: [2] SMALL
WHITE BEETS, MATURE LEEKS, CELERY ROOTS [3] STEWED
COCKLES [4] GINGER [5] CHICKEN GIBLETS, SMALL FOWL [6]
SMALL MORSELS COOKED IN THEIR OWN LIQUOR [7]. OIL A
PAN, LINE IT WITH MALLOW LEAVES AND A COMPOSITION OF
DIFFERENT VEGETABLES, AND, IF YOU HAVE ROOM ENOUGH,
BULBS, DAMASCUS PLUMS, SNAILS, TID-BITS [8] SHORT
LUCANIAN SAUSAGE SLICED; ADD BROTH, OIL, WINE, VINEGAR
PUT ON THE FIRE TO HEAT AND SO COOK THEM. MEANWHILE
CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE, GINGER, A LITTLE TARRAGON,
MOISTEN IT AND LET IT COOK. BREAK SEVERAL EGGS IN A
DISH, USE THE REMAINING LIQUOR IN THE MORTAR TO MIX IT
WITH THE SAUCE IN THE DISH AND TO BIND IT. WHEN THIS IS
DONE, MAKE A WINE SAUCE FOR IT AS FOLLOWS: CRUSH
PEPPER, LOVAGE, MOISTENED WITH BROTH, RAISIN WINE TO
TASTE; IN A SMALL SAUCE PAN PUT A LITTLE OIL [with the other
ingredients] HEAT, AND BIND WITH ROUX WHEN HOT. NOW
[unmould] UPSET THE DISH ON A PLATTER, REMOVE THE
MALLOW LEAVES, POUR OVER THE WINE SAUCE, SPRINKLE
WITH PEPPER AND SERVE [9].
[1] Moveable, either because it is one show piece that is carried
from one guest to another, or, as here indicated, a dish that is to be
unmoulded or turned out of its mould or pan before service.
[2] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.
[3] Celery roots, i.e. the thick bulbs. G.-V. apios, bulbos—celery,
onions; note the comma after apios.

[4] Periwinkles, also snails.
[5] Tac., Lan. gingibera; Tor. zinziber; Vat. Ms. gibera; G.-V.
Gigeria; Hum. id.—giblets. Wanting in List.
[6] List. avicellas; Vat. Ms. aucellare and scellas; Tac., Lan. id.; Tor.
pullorum axillas—chicken wings (?); G.-V. ascellas.
[7] ex iure.
[8] isitia—quenelles of forcemeat, etc.
[9] An extremely complicated composition of varied morsels,
definite instructions lacking, however. It is not clear whether the
dish was served hot (in which case the dish would not stand up
long) or whether served cold, jellyfied. Moreover, the title gustum—
hors d’œuvres—is not consistent either with similar creations by
Apicius or with our own notions of such dishes. This title may
merely suggest that such a dish was to be served at the beginning of
a repast. This recipe presents an instance of the difficulty to render
the text and its variants in a manner acceptable to our modern
palates.
We are of the opinion that the above recipe is a contraction of two or
more formulæ, each of which, separately, might make acceptable
hot appetizers.

[175] VEGETABLE RELISH [1] GUSTUM DE OLERIBUS [2]
FOR THIS VEGETABLE DISH BOIL BULBS [3] [in] BROTH, OIL,
AND WINE; WHEN DONE [add] LIVER OF SUCKLING PIG [4]
CHICKEN LIVERS AND FEET AND SMALL BIRDS [5] CUT IN
HALVES, ALL TO BE COOKED WITH THE BULBS. WHEN DONE,
CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE, MOISTENED WITH BROTH, WINE,
RAISIN WINE TO SWEETEN IT. ADD OF THE OWN LIQUOR OF THE
MORSELS, RETIRE THE ONIONS, WHEN DONE [group the morsels
together in the service dish] BIND [the sauce] WITH ROUX IN THE
LAST MOMENT [strain over the morsels] AND SERVE.

[1] An entremet of fowl and livers.
[2] a misnomer, as vegetables play the least part in this dish.
[3] Onions, etc.
[4] jecinora porcelli; Sch. iscinera porcellum.

[5] Tor. axillas and scellas; see note 6 to ℞ 174.

[176] STUFFED PUMPKIN FRITTERS GUSTUM DE CUCURBITIS
FARSILIBUS
A DISH OF STUFFED PUMPKIN [1] IS MADE THUS: [2] PEEL AND
CUT THE PUMPKIN LENGTHWISE INTO OBLONG PIECES WHICH
HOLLOW OUT AND PUT IN A COOL PLACE. THE DRESSING FOR
THE SAME MAKE IN THIS WAY: CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE AND
ORIGANY, MOISTENED WITH BROTH; MINCE COOKED BRAINS
AND BEAT RAW EGGS AND MIX ALL TOGETHER TO FORM A
PASTE; ADD BROTH AS TASTE REQUIRES. STUFF THE ABOVE
PREPARED PIECES OF PUMPKIN THAT HAVE NOT BEEN FULLY
COOKED WITH THE DRESSING; FIT TWO PIECES TOGETHER AND
CLOSE THEM TIGHT [holding them by means of strings or skewers].
[Now poach them and] TAKE THE COOKED ONES OUT AND FRY
THEM [3]. [The proper] WINE SAUCE [for this dish] MAKE THUS:
CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE MOISTENED WITH WINE, RAISIN WINE
TO TASTE, A LITTLE OIL, PLACE IN PAN TO BE COOKED; WHEN
DONE BIND WITH ROUX. COVER THE FRIED PUMPKIN WITH
THIS SAUCE, SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE [4].
[1] Dann. cucumbers, for which there is no authority. Cucumbers
lend themselves equally well for a dish of this kind; they are often
stuffed with a forcemeat of finely minced meats, mushrooms, eggs,
breadcrumbs, or simply with raw sausage meat, cooked as above,
and served as a garnish with entrées.
[2] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.

[3] Presumably in deep fat or oil, a procedure which would require
previous breading in bread crumbs or enveloping in frying batter.
[4] Whether you like pumpkin and brains or not—Apicius in this
dish reveals himself as the consummate master of his art that he
really is—a cook for cooks; Moreover, the lucidity of his diction in
this instance is equally remarkable. It stands out in striking contrast
to his many other formulæ which are so obscured. Many of them
perhaps were precepts of likewise striking originality as this one just
cited.

[177] COMPÔTE OF EARLY FRUIT GUSTUM DE PRÆCOQUIS
CLEAN HARD-SKINNED EARLY FRUITS [1] REMOVE THE SEEDS
AND KEEP THEM COLD IN A PAN. CRUSH PEPPER [2] DRY MINT,
MOISTENED WITH BROTH, ADDING HONEY, RAISIN WINE, WINE
AND VINEGAR; POUR THIS OVER THE FRUIT IN THE PAN,
ADDING A LITTLE OIL. STEW SLOWLY ON A WEAK FIRE,
THICKEN [the juice] WITH ROUX [rice flour or other starch diluted with
water] SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER [2] AND SERVE [3].
[1] Lister praises the early green fruit and the use thereof, and, as a
physician, recommends imitation of the above as follows: In aliis
plurimis locis hujus fructus mentio fit; ususque mirabilis fuit; &
certe propter salubritatem, nostram imitationem meretur.
[2] We do not like the “pepper” in this connection and we venture to
suggest that in this case the term probably stands for some other
kind of aromatic seed less pungent than the grain known to us as
“pepper” and one more acceptable to the fine flavor of fruit, namely
pimiento, allspice for instance, or clove, or nutmeg, or a mixture of
these. “Pepper” formerly was a generic term for all of these spices
but was gradually confined to the grain pepper of black and white
varieties.
[3] We concur with Lister’s idea of the use of early fruits. The use of
early and unripe fruit for this and similar purposes is excellent. The
above formula is a good example of our own “spiced” peaches,

pears, etc., usually taken as a relish. Of course, we use sugar instead
of honey for sweetening, and brandy instead of wine; but the
underlying principles are alike.
This is a good illustration of and speaks well for the economy and
the ingenuity of the ancients.

END OF BOOK IV

EXPLICIT APICII PANDECTER, LIBER QUARTUS [Tac.]

ROUND TABLE
Claw-footed bronze legs on triangular base, consisting of
three molded cylindrical supports, connected by cross-bars.
Near the top the legs take on a greyhound design, with a
three-armed brace connecting them. The round top is of
marble. Pompeii. Ntl. Mus., Naples, 78613; Field M., 24281.

APICIUS
Book V

POMPEII: WINE STOCK ROOM OF A TAVERN
Wine was kept in these great jugs, tightly sealed with plaster
and pitch, properly dated and labeled, often remaining for
many years. Some writers mention wine thus kept for a
hundred years; the porosity of the earthen crocks, often
holding fifty gallons or more, allowed evaporation, so that
the wine in time became as thick as oil or honey, which
necessitated diluting with water.
Smaller amphoræ, with various vintages readily mixed, were
kept cool in “bars” very similar to our present ice cream
cabinets, ready for service for the guests in tavern rooms.
Elaborate dippers (see our illustration) were used to draw the
wine from the amphoræ.

FRUIT OR DESSERT DISH, SEA-SHELL SHAPE
The curved handle ends in the head of a griffin. Ntl. Mus.,
Naples, 76303; Field M. 24298.

BOOK V. LEGUMES
Lib. V. Osprion [1]
CHAP. I. PULSE, MEAL MUSH, PORRIDGE, ETC.
CHAP. II. LENTILS.
CHAP. III. PEAS.
CHAP. IV. BEANS OR PEAS IN THE POD.
CHAP. V. BARLEY BROTH.
CHAP. VI. GREEN BEANS, BAIÆAN BEANS.
CHAP. VII. FENUGREEK.
CHAP. VIII. GREEN STRING BEANS AND CHICK-PEAS.

I

MEAL MUSH, MUSH, PULSE, PAP, PORRIDGE, POLENTA DE
PULTIBUS [2]

[178] JULIAN MEAL MUSH PULTES JULIANÆ [3]

J ULIAN PULSES ARE COOKED THUS: SOAK WELL-CLEANED
SPELT, PUT IT ON THE FIRE; WHEN COOKED, ADD OIL. IF IT
THREATENS TO BECOME THICK, CAREFULLY THIN IT DOWN.
TAKE TWO COOKED BRAINS AND HALF A POUND OF MEAT
GROUND AS FOR FORCEMEAT, CRUSH THIS WITH THE BRAINS
AND PUT IN A POT. CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE AND FENNEL SEED,
MOISTENED WITH BROTH, A LITTLE WINE AND PUT IT ON TOP
OF THE BRAIN AND MEAT. WHEN THIS FORCEMEAT IS HEATED
SUFFICIENTLY, MIX IT WITH THE SPELT [finish boiling] TRANSFER

INTO SERVICE DISH, THINNED. THIS MUST HAVE THE
CONSISTENCY OF A HEAVY JUICE [4].
[1] List. Osprios; G.-V. Ospreon—cookery of leguminous plants.
[2] Puls—formerly a simple porridge of various kinds of cereals or
legumes, eaten by the Romans before bread came into use. Puls
remained in use after the introduction of bread only as a food of the
poor. It was also used at sacrifices. The pultes and pulticulæ given
by Apicius are illustrations of the ever-present desire to improve—
to glorify, as it were, a thing which once was or still is of vital
importance in the daily life of humans. The nouveaux-riches of the
ancient and the modern world cannot find it easy to separate
themselves from their traditions nor are they wont to put up with
their plainness, hence the fancy trimmings. The development of the
American pie is a curious analogy in this respect. We see in this the
intricate working of human culture, its eternal strife for perfection.
And perfection is synonymous with decay. The fare of the
Carthusian monks, professed, stern vegetarians, underwent the same
tortuous evolution.
[3] Named for Didius Julianus, the emperor who was a vegetarian.
Of course, his majesty could not live on a plain porridge, hence the
Apician artistry. The pultes were popular with the many professed
vegetarians though the obliging cooks mixed finely ground meat in
this and other porridges.
Our various cream soups and legume purées—those most salubrious
creations of modern cookery are no doubt lineal descendants from
the Apician pultes. They are so scarce comparatively because they
require all the ingenuity and resourcefulness of a gifted cook to be
perfect.
[4] Dann. remarks that this formula is wanting in List. Both Lister’s
first and second editions have it.

[179] GRUEL AND WINE PULTES ŒNOCOCTI

PORRIDGE AND WINE IS THUS MADE: [1] FLAVOR THE PULSE
WELL WITH WINE [2] AND IMMERSE IN THE JUICE DAINTY
MORSELS [3].
[1] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.
[2] Tor. Oenogari; G.-V. Oenococti.
[3] Tor. cupedias; copadia.

[180] SIMILAR SIMILAM [1]
OR FLAVOR COOKED SPELT WITH THE LIQUOR OF DAINTY
PIECES OF PORK, OR CAPON [2] COOKED IN WINE [3].
[1] Tac. inulam; Tor. mulam—misreading.
[2] Tor.; List. apponis.

[3] For practical reasons we have separated the text of ℞ Nos. 179
and 180 which appears as one in the texts.

[181] MILK TOAST PULTES TRACTOGALATÆ [1]
PUT A PINT OF MILK AND SOME WATER ON THE FIRE IN A NEW
[clean] POT; BREAK ROUND BREAD INTO IT [2] DRY, STIR WELL
TO PREVENT BURNING; ADD WATER AS NECESSARY [3].
[1] Tor. pulticula tractogala.
[2] List. tres orbiculos tractæ; Tor. teres sorbiculos tractæ.
Tractum is a piece of pastry, a round bread or roll in this case, stale,
best suited for this purpose.
[3] The text continues without interruption.

[182] HONEY PAP SIMILITER

HONEY AND MEAD ARE TREATED SIMILARLY, MIXED WITH
MILK, WITH THE ADDITION OF SALT AND A LITTLE OIL.

[178-183] PULSE PULTES [1]
[1] Tor. Alia pulticula.

This is a verbatim repetition of ℞ No. 178.

II

LENTILS LENTICULA [1]

[183] LENTILS AND COW-PARSNIPS LENTICULA EX SPONDYLIS
SIVE FONDYLIS [2]
PUT THE LENTILS IN A CLEAN SAUCE PAN [and cook with salt]. IN
THE MORTAR CRUSH PEPPER, CUMIN, CORIANDER SEED, MINT,
RUE, AND FLEA-BANE, MOISTENED WITH VINEGAR, ADD
HONEY AND BROTH AND REDUCED MUST, VINEGAR TO TASTE
AND PUT THIS IN A SAUCE PAN. THE COOKED COW-PARSNIPS
CRUSH, HEAT [mix with the lentils] WHEN THOROUGHLY COOKED,
TIE, ADD GREEN [fresh olive] OIL AND SERVE IN AN APPROPRIATE
DISH [3].
[1] Tor. De Lenticula et Castaneis.

[2] List. again: ex spongiolis sive fungulis. See notes to ℞ Nos. 115-
120 and 431.
[3] Boletar—a “mushroom” dish. G.-V. in boletari; Tac. insuper
oleum uiridem mittis; Tor. inuolutari—unidentified.

[184] LENTILS [1] AND CHESTNUTS LENTICULAM DE CASTANEIS
[2]

TAKE A NEW SAUCE PAN, PLACE THEREIN THE CHESTNUTS
CAREFULLY CLEANED [3] ADD WATER AND A LITTLE SODA AND
PLACE ON THE FIRE TO BE COOKED. THIS DONE, CRUSH IN THE
MORTAR PEPPER, CUMIN, CORIANDER SEED, MINT, RUE, LASER
ROOT AND FLEA-BANE MOISTENED WITH VINEGAR, HONEY
AND BROTH; ADD VINEGAR TO TASTE AND POUR THIS OVER
THE COOKED CHESTNUTS, ADD OIL AND ALLOW TO BOIL.
WHEN DONE CRUSH IT IN THE MORTAR [4]. TASTE TO SEE IF
SOMETHING IS MISSING AND IF SO, PUT IT IN, AND AT LAST ADD
GREEN [fresh virgin] OIL.
[1] Lentils are omitted in this formula; therefore see the following
formula.
[2] Thus G.-V.; Tor. Chestnuts.
[3] i.e. peeled and skinned. To do this easily, boil the chestnuts with
the skin, whereupon the outer brown shell and the inner membrane
are easily removed.
[4] To make a purée of the chestnuts which strain through the
colander.

[184a] ANOTHER WAY [1] ALITER LENTICULAM
COOK THE LENTILS, SKIM THEM [strain] ADD LEEKS, GREEN
CORIANDER; CRUSH CORIANDER SEED, FLEA-BANE, LASER
ROOT, MINT SEED AND RUE SEED MOISTENED WITH VINEGAR;
ADD HONEY, BROTH, VINEGAR, REDUCED MUST TO TASTE,
THEN OIL, STIRRING [the purée] UNTIL IT IS DONE, BIND WITH
ROUX, ADD GREEN OIL, SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE.

[1] It is evident that ℞ No. 184 and the above are really one formula,
the former dealing with the cooking of the maroons, the latter
describing the lentils. Presumably the two purées are to be mixed, or
to be served as integral parts of one dish.

III

[185] PEAS DE PISIS
COOK THE PEAS, WHEN SKIMMED, LAY LEEKS, CORIANDER
AND CUMIN ON TOP. CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE, CUMIN, DILL AND
GREEN BASILICA, WINE AND BROTH TO TASTE, MAKE IT BOIL;
WHEN DONE STIR WELL, PUT IN WHAT PERCHANCE SHOULD BE
MISSING AND SERVE [1].
[1] This reminds us of Petits Pois à la Française, namely green peas
(often very young ones with the pods) cooked in broth, or bouillon,
with shredded bacon, lettuce, parsley, onions (or leeks, as above)
fresh mint, pepper, salt and other fresh herbs such as chervil. Which
is a very delectable way of preparing the tender pea. Some of its
refreshing green color is sacrificed by this process, but this loss is
amply offset by the savour of the dish.

[186] PEAS [supreme style] PISA FARSILIS [1]
COOK THE PEAS WITH OIL AND A PIECE OF SOW’S BELLY [2] PUT
IN A SAUCE PAN BROTH, LEEK HEADS [the lower white part] GREEN
CORIANDER AND PUT ON THE FIRE TO BE COOKED. OF TID-BITS
[3] CUT LITTLE DICE. SIMILARLY COOK THRUSHES OR OTHER
SMALL [game] BIRDS, OR TAKE SLICED CHICKEN AND DICED
BRAIN, PROPERLY COOKED. FURTHER COOK, IN THE AVAILABLE
LIQUOR OR BROTH, LUCANIAN SAUSAGE AND BACON; COOK
LEEKS IN WATER; CRUSH A PINT OF TOASTED PIGNOLIA NUTS;
ALSO CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE, ORIGANY AND GINGER, DILUTE
WITH THE BROTH OF PORK, TIE [4] TAKE A SQUARE BAKING
DISH SUITABLE FOR TURNING OVER WHICH OIL WELL AND
LINE WITH CAUL [5] SPRINKLE [on the bottom] A LAYER OF
CRUSHED NUTS UPON WHICH PUT SOME PEAS, FULLY
COVERING THE BOTTOM OF THE SQUASH DISH; ON TOP OF THIS
ARRANGE SLICES OF THE BACON [6] LEEKS AND SLICED
LUCANIAN SAUSAGE; AGAIN COVER WITH A LAYER OF PEAS
AND ALTERNATE ALL THE REST OF THE AVAILABLE EDIBLES IN
THE MANNER DESCRIBED UNTIL THE DISH IS FILLED,
CONCLUDING AT LAST WITH A LAYER OF PEAS, UTILIZING

EVERYTHING. BAKE THIS DISH IN THE OVEN, OR PUT IT INTO A
SLOW FIRE [covering it with live coal] SO THAT IT MAY BE BAKED
THOROUGHLY. [Next make a sauce of the following] PUT YOLKS OF
HARD BOILED EGGS IN THE MORTAR WITH WHITE PEPPER,
NUTS, HONEY, WHITE WINE AND A LITTLE BROTH; MIX AND PUT
IT INTO A SAUCE PAN TO BE COOKED; WHEN [the sauce is] DONE,
TURN OUT THE PEAS INTO A LARGE [silver dish] AND MASK
THEM WITH THIS SAUCE WHICH IS CALLED WHITE SAUCE [7].
[1] List. Pisa farsilis; Tor. p. farsilia; Tac., G.-V. pisam farsilem—
same as fartilis, from farcio—fattened, stuffed, or crammed, or as
full as it can hold, metaphorically perhaps “supreme style,” “most
sumptuous,” etc.
[2] This meat being fat enough, the oil seems superfluous.
[3] isicia, formerly called Greek hysitia—any fine forcemeats, cut
into or cooked in tiny dumplings.
[4] Liaison wanting in Tor.
[5] Tor. makes no mention of the square dish and its caul lining.
Caul is the abdominal membrane.
[6] petasonis pulpas; Dann. ham, which is not quite correct. The
petaso is the shoulder part of pork, either cured or fresh, generally
fresh. The cooked pork shoulder here is cut into small pieces.
Nothing is said about the utilization of the sow’s belly mentioned at
the opening of the formula. We assume that the petaso can take its
place in the dish.
[7] There is nothing just like this dish in the history of gastronomy,
considering both the comparatively cheap materials and the
refinement of the gastronomic idea which it embodies. The
chartreuses of Carême are the nearest thing to it. Lister waxes
enthusiastic about it.

[187] INDIAN PEAS PISAM INDICAM [1]

COOK PEAS; WHEN SKIMMED, PUT IN THE SAUCE PAN FINELY
CHOPPED LEEKS AND CORIANDER TO BE COOKED [with the peas].
TAKE SMALL CUTTLE FISH, MOST DESIRABLE BECAUSE OF THE
BLACK LIQUOR AND COOK THEM ALSO. ADD OIL, BROTH AND
WINE, A BUNCH OF LEEK AND [green] CORIANDER AND MAKE IT
BOIL. WHEN DONE, CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE, ORIGANY, A
LITTLE WILD CUMIN [2] MOISTEN WITH THE JUICE [of the peas]
ADD WINE AND RAISIN WINE TO TASTE; MINCE THE FISH VERY
FINE, INCORPORATE IT WITH THE PEAS, AND SPRINKLE WITH
PEPPER [3].
[1] Tor. pisum Indicum.
[2] Tor., Tac. casei modicum; other texts, carei.
[3] The texts continues without interruption to the next formula.

[188] ANOTHER WAY ALITER
COOK THE PEAS, WORK WELL [to make a purée] PLACE IN THE
COLD, STIRRING UNTIL THEY HAVE COOLED OFF. FINELY CHOP
ONIONS AND THE WHITES OF HARD BOILED EGGS, SEASON
WITH SALT AND A LITTLE VINEGAR; THE YOLKS PRESS
THROUGH A COLANDER INTO AN ENTRÉE DISH, SEASON WITH
FRESH OIL AND SERVE [1].
[1] The texts fail to state that the whites, yolks, onions, vinegar and
oil must eventually be combined into a dressing very similar to our
own modern vinaigrette; for decorative and other gastronomic
reasons the separate treatment of the whites and the yolks is both
ingenious and excellent, and is very often practised in good kitchens
today.

[189] PEAS OR BEANS À LA VITELLIUS PISAM VITELLIANAM SIVE
FABAM [1]
PEAS OR BEANS WITH YOLKS ARE MADE THUS: [2] COOK THE
PEAS, SMOOTHEN [3] THEM; CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE, GINGER,

AND ON THE CONDIMENTS PUT HARD BOILED YOLKS, 3
OUNCES OF HONEY, ALSO BROTH, WINE AND VINEGAR; [mix and]
PLACE ALL IN A SAUCE PAN; THE FINELY CHOPPED
CONDIMENTS WITH OIL ADDED, PUT ON THE STOVE TO BE
COOKED; WITH THIS FLAVOR THE PEAS WHICH MUST BE
SMOOTH; AND IF THEY BE TOO HARSH [in taste] ADD HONEY AND
SERVE [4].
[1] List. Pisa Vitelliana—named for Vitellius, ninth Roman
emperor, notorious glutton, according to Hum. who says that V.
invented this dish: ab auctore Vitellio Imperatore luxui deditissimo.
But Tor. differs; his pisum uitellinum stands for peas with yolks—
vitellum—yolk, (also calf) dim. vitellinum; Tac. v——am. Cf. ℞ No.
193.
[2] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.
[3] lias—to make a purée by crushing and straining. Tor. lævigabis,
from levigo—meaning the same.
[4] If Vitellius never invented any other dish than this one, his
gluttony was overrated. As a gastronomer he may be safely
relegated to the vast multitude of ill-advised people whose craving
for carbohydrates (which is perhaps pathological) causes them to
accumulate a surplus of fat. This was fatal to Vitellius and his
faithful court baker who is said to have stuck to his master to the
last. The poor emperor’s embonpoint proved cumbersome when he
fled the infuriated mob. Had he been leaner he might have effected a
“getaway.” He was dragged through the streets and murdered, Dec.
21 or 22, A.D. 69.

[190] ANOTHER WAY ALITER PISAM SIVE FABAM
WHEN [the peas or beans are] SKIMMED MIX BROTH, HONEY, MUST,
CUMIN, RUE, CELERY SEED, OIL AND WINE, STIR [1]. SERVE
WITH CRUSHED PEPPER AND SAUSAGE [2].
[1] G.-V. tudiclabis; Tor. misceas.

[2] cum isiciis—bits of forcemeat.

[191] ANOTHER WAY ALITER PISAM SIVE FABAM
WHEN [the peas or beans are] SKIMMED FLAVOR THEM WITH
CRUSHED PERSIAN [1] LASER, BROTH AND MUST; POUR A
LITTLE OIL OVER AND SERVE.
[1] Parthian, from Parthia, a country of Asia.

[192] A TEMPTING DISH OF PEAS PISAM ADULTERAM [1]
VERSATILEM
THIS ADROIT, TEMPTING DISH OF PEAS IS PREPARED IN THIS
MANNER: [2] COOK PEAS; BRAINS OR SMALL BIRDS, OR BONED
THRUSHES, LUCANIAN SAUSAGE, CHICKEN LIVERS AND
GIBLETS—ALL OF WHICH ARE PUT IN A SAUCE PAN; BROTH, OIL
AND A BUNCH OF LEEKS, GREEN CORIANDER FINELY CHOPPED,
COOK WITH THE BRAINS; CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE AND BROTH
[3].
[1] Sch., Dann. crafty, i.e. not genuine. Adulteram cannot here be
used in its most accepted sense, because the peas are genuine, and
no attempt is made to adulterate or “fake” this dish in any way,
shape or form. Never before have we applied the term “seductive”
to any dish, but this is just what adultera means. “Tempting” of
course is quite common.
[2] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.
[3] This formula is incomplete or mutilated, the last sentence breaks
off in the middle—very likely a description of the sauce or
condiments belonging to the peas.
Each and every component of this (really tempting) dish must be
cooked separately; they are then composed in a dish, nicely
arranged, with the peas in the center, surrounded by the several

morsels, with an appropriate gravy made from the natural liquor or
juices of the component parts poured over the dish.

[193] PEAS À LA VITELLIUS PISAM SIVE FABAM VITELLIANAM [1]
PEAS OR BEANS IN THE STYLE OF VITELLIUS PREPARE THUS: [2]
[The peas or beans] ARE COOKED, WHEN CAREFULLY SKIMMED,
ADD LEEKS, CORIANDER AND MALLOW FLOWERS [3]: WHEN
DONE, CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE, ORIGANY, AND FENNEL SEED
MOISTENED WITH BROTH [and put it] INTO A SAUCE PAN WITH
WINE [4], ADDING OIL, HEAT THOROUGHLY AND WHEN BOILING
STIR WELL; PUT GREEN OIL ON TOP AND SERVE.

[1] Named for the inventor, Emperor Vitellius; cf. notes to ℞ No.
189. Tor. Vitellianum.
[2] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.
[3] Wanting in Dann.
[4] Tor.

IV

[194] BEANS IN THE POD CONCHICLA [1]
COOK THE BEANS [2]; MEANWHILE CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE,
CUMIN, GREEN CORIANDER, MOISTENED WITH BROTH AND
WINE, AND ADD [more] BROTH TO TASTE, PUT INTO THE SAUCE
PAN [with the beans] ADDING OIL; HEAT ON A SLOW FIRE AND
SERVE.
[1] Tor. Concicla—conchis—conchicula—young, immature beans,
string or wax, boiled in the shell or pod.
[2] conchiclam cum faba—young string beans and (dry, white or
kidney) beans, cooked separately of course and mixed when done,
ready for service.

[195] PEAS IN THE POD APICIAN STYLE CONCHICLAM APICIANAM
FOR PEAS IN THE POD [1] APICIAN STYLE TAKE: [2] A CLEAN
EARTHEN POT IN WHICH TO COOK THE PEAS; TO THE PEAS ADD
FINELY CUT LUCANIAN SAUSAGE, LITTLE PORK CAKES [3],
PIECES OF MEAT [4] AND PORK SHOULDER [5]. CRUSH PEPPER,
LOVAGE, ORIGANY, DILL, DRY ONIONS [6] GREEN CORIANDER
MOISTENED WITH BROTH, WINE, AND ADD [more] BROTH TO
TASTE; UNITE THIS WITH THE PEAS IN THE EARTHEN POT TO
WHICH ADD OIL IN SUFFICIENT QUANTITY TO BE ABSORBED BY
THE PEAS; FINISH ON A SLOW FIRE TO GIVE IT LIVE HEAT AND
SERVE.
[1] Peas in the pod are likewise called conchicla; hence perhaps any
legumes cooked in the shells.
[2] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.
[3] isiciola porcina.
[4] pulpas—in this case no specific meat.
[5] petaso; Dann. pieces of ham
[6] cepam siccam—ordinary dry onions, not shallots.

[196] SIMPLE DISH OF PEAS IN THE POD CONCHICLA DE PISA
SIMPLICI [1]
COOK THE PEAS [in the pods] WHEN SKIMMED ADD A BUNCH [2]
OF LEEKS AND GREEN CORIANDER. WHILE BEING COOKED
CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE, ORIGANY, AND [the above] BUNCH [of
herbs] [3] MOISTEN WITH ITS OWN JUICE, WINE [4] ENOUGH TO
SUIT YOUR TASTE, THEN ADD OIL AND FINISH ON A SLOW FIRE
[5].
[1] Thus G.-V.; Tor. Concicla Pisorum.
[2] Sch. feniculum instead of fasciculum.

[3] G.-V. de suo sibi fricabis; Tor. seorsim f.
[4] G.-V. wine wanting in Tor.

[5] Brandt, referring to ℞ No. 154, suggests that the things crushed
in a mortar be placed on top of the peas.

[197] PEAS IN THE POD À LA COMMODUS [1] CONCHICLA
COMMODIANA
MAKE PEAS COMMODIAN STYLE THUS: [2] COOK THE PEAS,
WHEN SKIMMED, CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE, DILL, SHALLOTS
MOISTENED WITH BROTH; ADD WINE AND BROTH TO TASTE:
STIR IN A SAUCE PAN [with the peas] TO COMBINE; FOR EACH
SEXTARIUS OF PEAS BEAT 4 EGGS, AND COMBINE THEM WITH
THE PEAS, PLACE ON THE FIRE TO THICKEN [avoiding ebullition]
AND SERVE.
[1] Hum. Named for Commodus, the emperor; List. for Commodus
Antonius, son of the philosopher Marcus.
[2] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.

[198] ANOTHER STYLE ALITER CONCHICLAM SIC FACIES [1]
CUT [raw] CHICKEN INTO SMALL PIECES, ADD BROTH, OIL AND
WINE, AND STEW IT. CHOP ONIONS AND CORIANDER FINE AND
ADD BRAINS [calf’s or pork, parboiled] THE SKIN AND NERVES
REMOVED, TO THE CHICKEN. WHEN THIS IS COOKED TAKE [the
chicken] OUT AND BONE IT. THE PEAS COOK SEPARATELY,
WITHOUT SEASONING, ONLY USING CHOPPED ONIONS AND
CORIANDER AND THE BROTH OF THE CHICKEN; STRAIN [part of]
THE PEAS AND ARRANGE THEM ALTERNATELY [in a dish with the
pieces of chicken, brains and the unstrained peas] THEN CRUSH PEPPER
AND CUMIN, MOISTENED WITH CHICKEN BROTH. IN THE
MORTAR BEAT 2 EGGS WITH BROTH TO TASTE, POUR THIS OVER
THE CHICKEN AND PEAS, FINISH ON A SLOW FIRE [1], DISH OUT
ON A HEAP OF PEAS, GARNISH WITH PINE NUTS AND SERVE.

[1] By congealing in a mould, which is unmoulded on a heap of
peas. Danneil directs to stuff the whole chicken with the pea
preparation, brains, etc., and to poach it in a square pan.

[199] STUFFED CHICKEN OR SUCKLING PIG CONCHICLATUS
PULLUS VEL PORCELLUS [1]
BONE [either] CHICKEN [or suckling pig] FROM THE CHICKEN
REMOVE THE BREAST BONE AND THE [upper joint bones of the]
LEGS; HOLD IT TOGETHER BY MEANS OF WOODEN SKEWERS,
AND MEANWHILE [2] PREPARE [the following dressing in this
manner]: ALTERNATE [inside of the chicken or pig] PEAS WITH THE
PODS [washed and cooked], BRAINS, LUCANIAN SAUSAGE, ETC.
NOW CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE, ORIGANY AND GINGER,
MOISTENED WITH BROTH, RAISIN WINE AND WINE TO TASTE,
MAKE IT BOIL, WHEN DONE, USE IT MODERATELY FOR
SEASONING AND ALTERNATELY WITH THE OTHER DRESSING;
WRAP [the chicken, or pig] IN CAUL, PLACE IT IN A BAKING DISH
AND PUT IT IN THE OVEN TO BE COOKED SLOWLY, AND SERVE.
[1] G.-V., Tor. Concicla farsilis.
[2] Tor. here splits the formula, using the above title.

V

GRUELS TISANAM ET ALICAM [1]

[200] BARLEY BROTH ALICAM VEL SUCCUM TISANÆ SIC FACIES [2]
CRUSH WELL WASHED BARLEY, SOAKED THE DAY BEFORE,
PLACE ON THE FIRE TO BE COOKED. WHEN HOT ADD PLENTY
OIL, A SMALL BUNCH OF DILL, DRY ONION, SATURY AND
COLOCASIUM, TO BE COOKED TOGETHER BECAUSE THIS GIVES
A BETTER JUICE; ADD GREEN CORIANDER AND A LITTLE SALT;
BRING IT TO A BOILING POINT. WHEN WELL HEATED TAKE OUT

THE BUNCH [dill] AND TRANSFER THE BARLEY INTO ANOTHER
VESSEL TO AVOID BURNING ON THE BOTTOM OF THE POT; THIN
IT OUT [with water, broth, milk] AND STRAIN INTO A POT,
COVERING THE TIPS OF THE COLOCASIA [2]. NEXT CRUSH
PEPPER, LOVAGE, A LITTLE DRY FLEA-BANE, CUMIN AND
SYLPHIUM, STIR WELL, ADD VINEGAR, REDUCED MUST AND
BROTH; PUT IT BACK IN THE POT; THE REMAINING COLOCASIA
FINISH ON A GENTLE FIRE.

[1] A repetition of Book IV, Chap. IV, Tisanam vel sucum, our ℞ No.
172
[2] Tor. still has difficulties with the vegetable called by Lister
colocasium. He reads here colonium and colosium. G.-V. colœfium.
Cf. Note 1 to ℞ No. 172 and Note to Nos. 74, 216, 244 and 322.

[201] ANOTHER GRUEL ALITER TISANAM [1]
SOAK CHICK-PEAS, LENTILS AND PEAS, CRUSH BARLEY AND
COOK WITH THE LEGUMES, WHEN WELL COOKED ADD PLENTY
OF OIL. NOW CUT GREENS, LEEKS, CORIANDER, DILL, FENNEL,
BEETS, MALLOWS, CABBAGE STRUNKS, ALL SOFT AND GREEN
AND VERY FINELY CUT, AND PUT IN A POT. THE CABBAGE COOK
[separately; also] CRUSH FENNEL SEED, PLENTY OF IT, ORIGANY,
SILPHIUM, AND LOVAGE, AND WHEN GROUND, ADD BROTH TO
TASTE, POUR THIS OVER THE PORRIDGE, STIR, AND USE SOME
FINELY CHOPPED CABBAGE STEMS TO SPRINKLE ON TOP.

[1] A repetition of ℞ No. 173.

VI

GREEN BEANS FABACIÆ VIRIDES ET BAIANÆ [1]

[202] GREEN BEANS FABACIÆ VIRIDES

GREEN BEANS ARE COOKED IN BROTH, WITH OIL, GREEN
CORIANDER, CUMIN AND CHOPPED LEEKS, AND SERVED.
[1] Beans grown in Baiæ, also called bajanas or bacanas; beans
without skin or pods.

[203] BEANS SAUTÉ ALITER: FABACIÆ FRICTÆ
FRIED BEANS ARE SERVED IN BROTH.

[204] MUSTARD BEANS ALITER: FABACIÆ EX SINAPI
[The beans previously cooked are seasoned with] CRUSHED MUSTARD
SEED, HONEY, NUTS, RUE, CUMIN, AND SERVED WITH VINEGAR.

[205] BAIÆAN BEANS BAIANAS [1]
COOKED BEANS FROM BAIÆ ARE CUT FINE [and finished with]
RUE, GREEN CELERY, LEEKS, VINEGAR [2] A LITTLE MUST OR
RAISIN WINE AND SERVED [3].
[1] Named for Baiæ, a town of Campania, noted for its warm baths;
a favorite resort of the Romans.
[2] Wanting in Tor.
[3] These apparently outlandish ways of cooking beans compel us to
draw a modern parallel in a cookery book, specializing in Jewish
dishes. To prove that Apicius is not dead “by a long shot,” we shall
quote from Wolf, Rebekka: Kochbuch für Israelitische Frauen,
Frankfurt, 1896, 11th edition. As a matter of fact, Rebekka Wolf is
outdoing Apicius in strangeness—a case of Apicium in ipso Apicio,
as Lister sarcastically remarks of Torinus.

Rebekka Wolf: ℞ No. 211—wash and boil the young beans in fat
bouillon (Apicius: oleum et liquamen) adding a handful of chopped
pepperwort (A.: piper, ligusticum) and later chopped parsley (A.:
petroselinum) some sugar (A.: mel pavo—little honey) and pepper.

Beans later in the season are cooked with potatoes. The young beans
are tied with flour dissolved in water, or with roux.

Id. ibid., ℞ No. 212, Beans Sweet-Sour. Boil in water, fat, salt, add
vinegar, sugar or syrup, “English aromatics” and spices, lemon peel,
and a little pepper; bind with roux.

Id. ibid., ℞ No. 213, Cut Pickled Beans (Schneidebohnen) prepare as
℞ No. 212, but if you would have them more delicious, take instead
of the roux grated chocolate, sugar, cinnamon, lemon peel and
lemon juice, and some claret. If not sour enough, add vinegar, but
right here you must add more fat; you may lay on top of this dish a
bouquet of sliced apples.

Id. ibid., ℞ No. 214, Beans and Pears. Take cut and pickled beans
and prepare as above. To this add peeled fresh pears, cut into
quarters; then sugar, lemon peel cut thin, cinnamon, “English”
mixed spices, and at last the roux, thinned with broth. This dish
must be sweet and very fat.
As for exotic combinations, Apicius surely survives here, is even
surpassed by this Jewish cookery book where, no doubt, very
ancient traditions have been stored away.

VII

[206] THE HERB FENUGREEK FŒNUM GRÆCUM [1]
FENUGREEK [is prepared] IN BROTH, OIL AND WINE.
[1] Tor. or fenum; G.-V. Fænum.

VIII

[207] GREEN STRING BEANS AND CHICK-PEAS PHASEOLI [1]
VIRIDES ET CICER

ARE SERVED WITH SALT, CUMIN, OIL, AND A LITTLE PURE WINE.
[1] Tor. Faseolus, the bean with a long, sabre-like pod; a phasel,
kidney bean, when ripened.

[208] ANOTHER WAY ALITER FASEOLUS ET CICER
[Beans or chick-peas] ARE COOKED IN A WINE SAUCE AND
SEASONED WITH PEPPER [1].
[1] Dann. and Goll.: “roasted” beans.

[209] BOILED, SUMPTUOUSLY ET ELIXATI, SUMPTO [1]
AND COOK THE BEANS, IN A RICH MANNER, REMOVE THE
SEEDS AND SERVE [as a Salad [2]], WITH HARD EGGS, GREEN
FENNEL, PEPPER, BROTH, A LITTLE REDUCED WINE AND A
LITTLE SALT, OR SERVE THEM IN SIMPLER WAYS, AS YOU MAY
SEE FIT.
[1] The original continues with the preceding formula.
[2] For a salad we would add finely chopped onion, pepper, and
some lemon juice.
The purpose of removing the seeds is obscure. G.-V. reads semine
cum ovis; Tac. semie; Hum. s. cum lobis. The passage may mean to
sprinkle (sow) with hard boiled (and finely chopped) eggs, which is
often done on a salad and other dishes.

END OF BOOK V

EXPLICIT APICII OSPRION LIBER QUINTUS [Tac.]

ADJUSTABLE TABLE
Polychrome marble in bronze frame. Four elaborately
designed bronze legs, braced and hinged, so that the table
may be raised or lowered. The legs end in claw feet resting
on a molded base. Above they are encircled with leaves,
from which emerge young satyrs, each holding a rabbit
under the left arm. The legs below the acanthus leaves are
ornamented with elaborate floral patterns, inlaid, with other
inlaid patterns on the connecting braces and around the
frame of the marble top. Bronze and marble tables that could
be folded and taken down after banquets were used by the
Babylonians centuries before this table was designed in
Pompeii. Ntl. Mus., Naples, 72994; Field M. 24290.

APICIUS
Book VI

THE GREAT CRATER
Found at Hildesheim in 1868. This and a number of other
pieces form the collection known as The Hildesheim
Treasure, now at the Kaiser Friedrich Museum, Berlin.

This wine crater is entirely of silver, a piece of supreme
workmanship of Roman origin. Very delicate decoration,
anticipating the Renaissance: Winged griffins and other
monsters, half ox, half lion, at the base; aquatic animals,
genii angling and spearing fish.
There is a second vessel inside, acting as a liner, to take the
weight of the fluid off the decorated bowl. The complete
weight is 9451.8 gr., but the inner liner is stamped CVM
BASI PONDO XXXXI—41 pounds with the base. The
weight of silver pieces was inscribed as a check on the
slaves.
The bowl is 0.36 meter (about 14¼ inches) in height and
0.353 meter in diameter. It stands on the tripod which is
depicted separately.

THE DIONYSOS CUP
The Dionysos head in the center and the two satyrs are
modeled realistically by a most able artist. Lion and lioness
heads on the other side. Hildesheim Treasure.

BOOK VI. FOWL
Lib. VI. Aëropetes [1]
CHAP. I. OSTRICH.
CHAP. II. CRANE OR DUCK, PARTRIDGE, DOVES, WOOD
PIGEON, SQUAB AND DIVERS BIRDS.
CHAP. III. THRUSH [2].
CHAP. IV. FIGPECKER [2].
CHAP. V. PEACOCK [2].
CHAP. VI. PHEASANT [2].
CHAP. VII. GOOSE.
CHAP. VIII. CHICKEN.

[1] Tac., Tor. Trophetes; probably an error in their rendering. List.
Aëroptes, Greek for Fowl.
[2] The titles of these chapters and the classification is not adhered
in the text of Book VI. The chapters are actually inscribed as
follows:
Chap. I, Ostrich; II, Crane or Duck, Partridge, Turtle Dove, Wood
Pigeon, Squab and divers birds; III, Partridge, Heathcock
(Woodcock), Turtle Dove; IV, Wood Pigeon, Squab [Domestic
Fattened Fowl, Flamingo]; V, Sauce for divers birds; VI, Flamingo;
VII, In Order That Birds May Not Be Spoiled; VIII, Goose; IX,
Chicken.

I

OSTRICH IN STRUTHIONE

[210] BOILED OSTRICH IN STRUTHIONE ELIXO

[A stock in which to cook ostrich] PEPPER, MINT, CUMIN, LEEKS [1],
CELERY SEED, DATES, HONEY, VINEGAR, RAISIN WINE,
BROTH, A LITTLE OIL. BOIL THIS IN THE STOCK KETTLE [with the
ostrich, remove the bird when done, strain the liquid] THICKEN WITH
ROUX. [To this sauce] ADD THE OSTRICH MEAT CUT IN
CONVENIENT PIECES, SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER. IF YOU WISH IT
MORE SEASONED OR TASTY, ADD GARLIC [during coction].
[1] G.-V. Cuminum; Tor. C., porrum, which is more likely.

[211] ANOTHER OSTRICH STEW ALITER [in] STRUTHIONE ELIXO
PEPPER, LOVAGE, THYME, ALSO SATURY, HONEY, MUSTARD,
VINEGAR, BROTH AND OIL.

II

CRANE, DUCK, PARTRIDGE, DOVE, WOOD PIGEON, SQUAB, AND
DIVERS BIRDS
IN GRUE VEL ANATE PERDICE TURTURE PALUMBO COLUMBO ET
DIVERSIS AVIBUS

[212] CRANE OR DUCK GRUEM VEL ANATEM
WASH [the fowl] AND DRESS IT NICELY [1] PUT IN A STEW POT,
ADD WATER, SALT AND DILL, PARBOIL [2] SO AS TO HAVE THEM
HALF DONE, UNTIL THE MEAT IS HARD, REMOVE THEM, PUT
THEM IN A SAUCE PAN [to be finished by braising] WITH OIL,
BROTH, A BUNCH OF ORIGANY AND CORIANDER; WHEN
NEARLY DONE, ADD A LITTLE REDUCED MUST, TO GIVE IT
COLOR. MEANWHILE CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE, CUMIN,
CORIANDER, LASER ROOT, RUE [moistened with] REDUCED WINE
AND SOME HONEY, ADD SOME OF THE FOWL BROTH [3] TO IT
AND VINEGAR TO TASTE; EMPTY [the sauce] INTO A SAUCE PAN,

HEAT, BIND WITH ROUX, AND [strain] THE SAUCE OVER THE
FOWL IN AN ENTRÉE DISH.
[1] Lavas et ornas, i.e., singe, empty carcass of intestines, truss or
bind it to keep its shape during coction, and, usually, lard it with
either strips or slices of fat pork and stuff the carcass with greens,
celery leaves, etc.
[2] Dimidia coctura decoques. Apicius here pursues the right course
for the removable of any disagreeable taste often adhering to aquatic
fowl, feeding on fish or food found in the water, by parboiling the
meat. Cf. ℞ No. 214.
[3] Again, as so often: ius de suo sibi; here the liquor of the braising
pan, for stock in which the fowl is parboiled cannot be used for
reasons set forth in Note 2.

[213] ANOTHER WAY OF COOKING CRANE, DUCK OR CHICKEN AL
ITER IN GRUE [VEL] IN ANATE VEL IN PULLO
PEPPER, SHALLOTS, LOVAGE, CUMIN, CELERY SEED, PRUNES OR
DAMASCUS PLUMS STONES REMOVED, FRESH MUST, VINEGAR
[1] BROTH, REDUCED MUST AND OIL. BOIL THE CRANE; WHILE
COOKING IT TAKE CARE THAT ITS HEAD IS NOT TOUCHED BY
THE WATER BUT THAT IT REMAINS WITHOUT. WHEN THE
CRANE IS DONE, WRAP IT IN A HOT TOWEL, AND PULL THE
HEAD OFF SO THAT THE SINEWS FOLLOW IN A MANNER THAT
THE MEAT AND THE BONES REMAIN; FOR ONE CANNOT ENJOY
THE HARD SINEWS [2].
[1] Dann. mead.
[2] Remarkable ingenuity! Try this on your turkey legs. Danneil is
of the opinion that the head and its feathers were to be saved for
decorative purposes, in style during the middle ages when game bird
patties were decorated with the fowl’s plumage, a custom which
survived to Danneil’s time (ca. 1900). But this is not likely to be the

case here, for it would be a simple matter to skin the bird before
cooking it in order to save the plumage for the taxidermist.

[214] CRANE OR DUCK WITH TURNIPS GRUEM VEL ANATEM EX
RAPIS [1]
TAKE OUT [remove entrails, [2]] CLEAN WASH AND DRESS [the bird]
AND PARBOIL [2] IT IN WATER WITH SALT AND DILL. NEXT
PREPARE TURNIPS AND COOK THEM IN WATER WHICH IS TO BE
SQUEEZED OUT [3]. TAKE THEM OUT OF THE POT AND WASH
THEM AGAIN [4]. AND PUT INTO A SAUCE PAN THE DUCK WITH
OIL, BROTH, A BUNCH OF LEEKS AND CORIANDER; THE
TURNIPS CUT INTO SMALL PIECES; THESE PUT ON TOP OF THE
[duck] IN ORDER TO FINISH COOKING. WHEN HALF DONE, TO
GIVE IT COLOR, ADD REDUCED MUST. THE SAUCE IS PREPARED
SEPARATELY: PEPPER, CUMIN, CORIANDER, LASER ROOT
MOISTENED WITH VINEGAR AND DILUTED WITH ITS OWN
BROTH [of the fowl]; BRING THIS TO A BOILING POINT, THICKEN
WITH ROUX. [In a deep dish arrange the duck] ON TOP OF THE
TURNIPS [strain the sauce over it] SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND
SERVE.
[1] Duck and Turnips, a dish much esteemed on the Continent today.
Only few prepare it correctly as does Old Apicius; hence it is not
popular with the multitude.
[2] Tac., Tor. excipies; Hum. legendum: ex rapis.
[3] G.-V. ut exbromari possint; Tor. expromi; Hum. expromari; all of
which does not mean anything. To cook the turnips so that they can
be squeezed out (exprimo, from ex and premo) is the proper thing to
do from a culinary standpoint.
[4] The turnips are cooked half, the water removed, and finished
with the duck, as prescribed by Apicius. It is really admirable to see
how he handles these food materials in order to remove any
disagreeable flavor, which may be the case both with the turnips
(the small white variety) and the duck. Such careful treatment is

little known nowadays even in the best kitchens. Cf. Note 2 to ℞ No.
212.

[215] ANOTHER [SAUCE FOR] CRANE OR DUCK ALITER IN GRUEM
VEL ANATEM ELIXAM
PEPPER, LOVAGE, CUMIN, DRY CORIANDER, MINT, ORIGANY,
PINE NUTS, DATES, BROTH, OIL, HONEY, MUSTARD AND WINE
[1].
[1] Supposedly the ingredients for a sauce in which the parboiled
fowl is braised and served.

[216] ROAST CRANE OR DUCK ALITER GRUEM VEL ANATEM ASSAM
POUR OVER [the roast bird] THIS GRAVY: CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE,
ORIGANY WITH BROTH, HONEY, A LITTLE VINEGAR AND OIL;
BOIL IT WELL, THICKEN WITH ROUX [strain] IN THIS SAUCE
PLACE SMALL PIECES OF PARBOILED PUMPKIN OR
COLOCASIUM [1] SO THAT THEY ARE FINISHED IN THE SAUCE;
ALSO COOK WITH IT CHICKEN FEET AND GIBLETS (all of which)
SERVE IN A CHAFING DISH, SPRINKLE WITH FINE PEPPER AND
SERVE.

[1] Cf. ℞ Nos. 74, 216, 244, 322.

[217] BOILED CRANE OR DUCK IN ANOTHER MANNER ALITER IN
GRUE VEL ANATE ELIXA
PEPPER, LOVAGE, CELERY SEED, ROCKET, OR CORIANDER,
MINT, DATES, HONEY, VINEGAR, BROTH, REDUCED MUST AND
MUSTARD. LIKEWISE USED FOR FOWL ROAST [braised] IN THE
POT.

III

WAYS TO PREPARE PARTRIDGE, HEATH-COCK OR WOODCOCK,
AND BOILED TURTLE-DOVE
IN PERDICE ET ATTAGENA ET IN TURTURE ELIXIS

[218] PARTRIDGE IN PERDICE
PEPPER, LOVAGE, CELERY SEED, MINT, MYRTLE BERRIES, ALSO
RAISINS, HONEY [1] WINE, VINEGAR, BROTH, AND OIL. USE IT
COLD [2] THE PARTRIDGE IS SCALDED WITH ITS FEATHERS, AND
WHILE WET THE FEATHERS ARE TAKEN OFF; [the hair singed] IT IS
THEN COOKED IN ITS OWN JUICE [braised] AND WHEN DONE
WILL NOT BE HARD IF CARE IS TAKEN [to baste it]. SHOULD IT
REMAIN HARD [if it is old] YOU MUST CONTINUE TO COOK IT
UNTIL IT IS TENDER.
[1] Honey wanting in Tor.
[2] G.-V. Aliter. This is one formula.

[219] [SAUCE] FOR PARTRIDGE, HEATH-COCK AND TURTLE-
DOVE
IN PERDICE ET ATTAGENA ET IN TURTURE
PEPPER, LOVAGE, MINT, RUE SEED, BROTH, PURE WINE, AND
OIL, HEATED.

IV

WOOD PIGEONS, SQUABS, FATTENED FOWL, FLAMINGO IN
PALUMBIS COLUMBIS AVIBUS IN ALTILE ET IN FENICOPTERO

[220] FOR ROASTS: PEPPER, LOVAGE, CORIANDER, CARRAWAY,
SHALLOTS, MINT, YOLKS OF EGG, DATES, HONEY, VINEGAR,
BROTH, OIL AND WINE.

[221] ANOTHER [sauce] FOR BOILED [birds] ALITER IN ELIXIS
TO THE BOILED FOWL ADD [1] PEPPER, CARRAWAY, CELERY
SEED, PARSLEY, CONDIMENTS, MORTARIA [2] DATES, HONEY,
VINEGAR, WINE, OIL AND MUSTARD.
[1] Tor. wanting in other texts.

[2] Mortaria: herbs, spices, things pounded in the “mortar.” Cf. ℞
No. 38.

[222] ANOTHER [sauce] ALITER
PEPPER, LOVAGE, PARSLEY, CELERY SEED, RUE, PINE NUTS,
DATES, HONEY, VINEGAR, BROTH, MUSTARD AND A LITTLE OIL.

[223] ANOTHER [sauce] ALITER
PEPPER, LOVAGE, LASER, WINE [1] MOISTENED WITH BROTH.
ADD WINE AND BROTH TO TASTE. MASK THE WOOD PIGEON OR
SQUAB WITH IT. SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER [2] AND SERVE.
[1] Tac., Tor. laserum, vinum; G.-V. l. vivum.
[2] Wanting in Tor.

V

[224] SAUCE FOR DIFFERENT BIRDS IUS IN DIVERSIS AVIBUS
PEPPER, DRY CUMIN, CRUSHED. LOVAGE, MINT, SEEDLESS
RAISINS OR DAMASCUS PLUMS, LITTLE HONEY, MYRTLE WINE
TO TASTE, VINEGAR, BROTH, AND OIL. HEAT AND WHIP IT WELL
WITH CELERY AND SATURY [1].
[1] For centuries sauce whips were made of dry and green twigs, the
bark of which was carefully peeled off.

[225] ANOTHER SAUCE FOR FOWL ALITER IUS IN AVIBUS
PEPPER, LOVAGE, PARSLEY, DRY MINT, FENNEL BLOSSOMS [1]
MOISTENED WITH WINE; ADD ROASTED NUTS FROM PONTUS [2]
OR ALMONDS, A LITTLE HONEY, WINE, VINEGAR, AND BROTH
TO TASTE. PUT OIL IN A POT, AND HEAT AND STIR THE SAUCE,
ADDING GREEN CELERY SEED, CAT-MINT; CARVE THE FOWL
AND COVER WITH THE SAUCE [3].
[1] Dann. Cnecus.
[2] Turkish hazelnuts.
[3] Tor. continuing without interruption.

[226] WHITE SAUCE FOR BOILED FOWL IUS CANDIDUM IN AVEM
ELIXAM
PEPPER, LOVAGE, CUMIN, CELERY SEED, TOASTED NUTS FROM
PONTUS, OR ALMONDS, ALSO SHELLED PINE NUTS, HONEY [1] A
LITTLE BROTH, VINEGAR AND OIL.
[1] Tor. vel; List. mel.

[227] GREEN SAUCE FOR FOWL IUS VIRIDE IN AVIBUS
PEPPER, CARRAWAY, INDIAN SPIKENARD, CUMIN, BAY LEAVES,
ALL KINDS OF GREEN HERBS, DATES, HONEY, VINEGAR, WINE,
LITTLE BROTH, AND OIL.

[228] WHITE SAUCE FOR BOILED GOOSE IUS CANDIDUM IN
ANSERE ELIXO
PEPPER, CARRAWAY, CUMIN, CELERY SEED, THYME, ONION,
LASER ROOT, TOASTED NUTS, HONEY, VINEGAR, BROTH AND
OIL [1]

[1] A “sweet-sour” white sauce with herbs and spices is often served
with goose in northern Germany.

[229] TREATMENT OF STRONG SMELLING BIRDS OF EVERY
DESCRIPTION
AD AVES HIRCOSAS [1] OMNI GENERE
FOR BIRDS OF ALL KINDS THAT HAVE A GOATISH [1] SMELL [2]
PEPPER, LOVAGE, THYME, DRY MINT, SAGE, DATES, HONEY,
VINEGAR, WINE, BROTH, OIL, REDUCED MUST, MUSTARD. THE
BIRDS WILL BE MORE LUSCIOUS AND NUTRITIOUS, AND THE
FAT PRESERVED, IF YOU ENVELOP THEM IN A DOUGH OF FLOUR
AND OIL AND BAKE THEM IN THE OVEN [3].
[1] Probably game birds in an advanced stage of “haut goût” (as the
Germans use the antiquated French term), or “mortification” as the
French cook says. Possibly also such birds as crows, black birds,
buzzards, etc., and fish-feeding fowl. Moreover, it must be borne in
mind that the refrigeration facilities of the ancients were not too
good and that fresh goods spoiled quickly. Hence, perhaps,
excessive seasoning, at least, as compared to our modern methods.
List. aves piscivoras; Hum. thinks the birds to be downright spoiled:
olidas, rancidas, & grave olentes.
[2] Tor. Sentence wanting in other texts.
[3] For birds with a goatish smell Apicius should have repeated his
excellent formula in ℞ No. 212, the method of parboiling the birds
before final coction, if, indeed, one cannot dispense with such birds
altogether. The above recipe does not in the least indicate how to
treat smelly birds. Wrapping them in dough would vastly increase
the ill-savour.
As for game birds, we agree with most connoisseurs that they
should have just a suspicion of “haut goût”—a condition of
advanced mellowness after the rigor mortis has disappeared.

[230] ANOTHER TREATMENT OF ODOR ALIUD CONTRA UIROSUM
ODOREM [1]
[IF THE BIRDS SMELL, [1]] STUFF THE INSIDE WITH CRUSHED
FRESH OLIVES, SEW UP [the aperture] AND THUS COOK, THEN
RETIRE THE COOKED OLIVES.
[1] Tor.; other texts aliter avem, i.e. that the olive treatment is not
necessarily confined to ill smelling birds alone.

VI

[231] FOR FLAMINGO [and Parrot] IN PHŒNICOPTERO
SCALD [1] THE FLAMINGO, WASH AND DRESS IT, PUT IT IN A
POT, ADD WATER, SALT, DILL, AND A LITTLE VINEGAR, TO BE
PARBOILED. FINISH COOKING WITH A BUNCH OF LEEKS AND
CORIANDER, AND ADD SOME REDUCED MUST TO GIVE IT
COLOR. IN THE MORTAR CRUSH PEPPER, CUMIN, CORIANDER,
LASER ROOT, MINT, RUE, MOISTEN WITH VINEGAR, ADD DATES,
AND THE FOND OF THE BRAISED BIRD, THICKEN, [strain] COVER
THE BIRD WITH THE SAUCE AND SERVE. PARROT IS PREPARED
IN THE SAME MANNER.
[1] Prior to removing the feathers; also singe the fine feathers and
hair.

[232] ANOTHER WAY ALITER
ROAST THE BIRD. CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE, CELERY SEED,
SESAM [1] PARSLEY, MINT, SHALLOTS, DATES, HONEY, WINE,
BROTH, VINEGAR, OIL, REDUCED MUST TO TASTE.
[1] Tor. sesamum, defrutum; G.-V. s. frictum.

VII

[233] TO PREVENT BIRDS FROM SPOILING AVES OMNES NE
LIQUESCANT
SCALDED WITH THE FEATHERS BIRDS WILL NOT ALWAYS BE
JUICY; IT IS BETTER TO FIRST EMPTY THEM THROUGH THE
NECK AND STEAM THEM SUSPENDED OVER A KETTLE WITH
WATER [1].
[1] Dry picking is of course the best method. Apicius is trying to
overcome the evils of scalding fowl with the feathers. This formula
is mutilated; the various texts differ considerably.

VIII

[FOR GOOSE] [IN ANSERE]

[234] BOILED GOOSE WITH COLD APICIAN SAUCE ANSEREM
ELIXUM EX IURE APICIANO FRIGIDO
CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE, CORIANDER SEED [1] MINT, RUE,
MOISTEN WITH BROTH AND A MODERATE AMOUNT OF OIL.
TAKE THE COOKED GOOSE OUT OF THE POT AND WHILE HOT
WIPE IT CLEAN WITH A TOWEL, POUR THE SAUCE OVER IT AND
SERVE.
[1] G.-V.; Tor. (fresh) coriander, more suited for a cold sauce.

IX

[FOR CHICKEN] [IN PULLO]

[235] RAW SAUCE FOR BOILED CHICKEN IN PULLO ELIXO IUS
CRUDUM

PUT IN THE MORTAR DILL SEED, DRY MINT, LASER ROOT,
MOISTEN WITH VINEGAR, FIG WINE, BROTH, A LITTLE
MUSTARD, OIL AND REDUCED MUST, AND SERVE [1] [Known as]
DILL CHICKEN [2].
[1] This and the preceding cold dressings are more or less variations
of our modern cold dressings that are used for cold dishes of all
kinds, especially salads.
[2] Tor. heads the following formula præparatio pulli anethi—
chicken in dill sauce, which is the correct description of the above
formula. Tac., G.-V. also commence the next with pullum
anethatum, which is not correct, as the following recipe contains no
dill.

[236] ANOTHER CHICKEN ALITER PULLUS [1]
A LITTLE HONEY IS MIXED WITH BROTH; THE COOKED
[parboiled] CHICKEN IS CLEANED [skin taken off, sinews, etc.,
removed] THE CARCASS DRIED WITH A TOWEL, QUARTERED, THE
PIECES IMMERSED IN BROTH [2] SO THAT THE SAVOUR
PENETRATES THOROUGHLY. FRY THE PIECES [in the pan] POUR
OVER THEIR OWN GRAVY, SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER, SERVE.

[1] Hum., List. cf. Note 2 to ℞ No. 235.
[2] Marinated; but the nature of this marinade is not quite clear; a
spicy marinade of wine and herbs and spices would be appropriate
for certain game birds, but chicken ordinarily requires no marinade
except some oil before frying. It is possible that Apicius left the
cooked chicken in the broth to prevent it from drying out, which is
good.

[237] CHICKEN PARTHIAN STYLE PULLUM PARTHICUM [1]
DRESS THE CHICKEN CAREFULLY [2] AND QUARTER IT. CRUSH
PEPPER, LOVAGE AND A LITTLE CARRAWAY [3] MOISTENED
WITH BROTH, AND ADD WINE TO TASTE. [After frying] PLACE THE

CHICKEN IN AN EARTHEN DISH [4] POUR THE SEASONING OVER
IT, ADD LASER AND WINE [5] LET IT ASSIMILATE WITH THE
SEASONING AND BRAISE THE CHICKEN TO A POINT. WHEN
DONE SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE.
[1] Lister is of the opinion that the pullus Parthicus is a kind of
chicken that came originally from Asia, Parthia being a country of
Asia, the present Persia or northern India, a chicken of small size
with feathers on its feet, i.e., a bantam.
[2] Pluck, singe, empty, wash, trim. The texts: a navi. Hum. hoc est,
à parte posteriore ventris, qui ut navis cavus & figuræ ejus non
dissimile est. Dann. takes this literally, but navo (navus) here simply
means “to perform diligently.”
[3] Tor. casei modicum; List. carei—more likely than cheese.
[4] Cumana—an earthenware casserole, excellent for that purpose.
[5] G.-V. laser [et] vivum.

[238] CHICKEN SOUR PULLUM OXYZOMUM
A GOOD-SIZED GLASS OF OIL, A SMALLER GLASS OF BROTH,
AND THE SMALLEST MEASURE OF VINEGAR, 6 SCRUPLES OF
PEPPER, PARSLEY AND A BUNCH OF LEEKS.
G.-V. [laseris] satis modice.
These directions are very vague. If the raw chicken is quartered,
fried in the oil, and then braised in the broth with a dash of vinegar,
the bunch of leeks and parsley, seasoned with pepper and a little
salt, we have a dish gastronomically correct. The leeks may be
served as a garnish, the gravy, properly reduced and strained over
the chicken which like in the previous formula is served in a
casserole.

[239] GUINEA HEN PULLUM NUMIDICUM

PREPARE [1] THE CHICKEN [as usual; par-] BOIL IT; CLEAN IT [2]
SEASONED WITH LASER AND PEPPER, AND FRY [in the pan; next]
CRUSH PEPPER, CUMIN, CORIANDER SEED, LASER ROOT, RUE,
FIG DATES AND NUTS, MOISTENED WITH VINEGAR, HONEY,
BROTH AND OIL TO TASTE [3] WHEN BOILING THICKEN WITH
ROUX [strain] POUR OVER THE CHICKEN, SPRINKLE WITH
PEPPER AND SERVE.
[1] Curas.
[2] Remove skin, tissues, bones, etc., cut in pieces and marinate in
the pickle.
[3] Immerse the chicken pieces in this sauce and braise them to a
point.

[240] CHICKEN WITH LASER PULLUM LASERATUM
DRESS THE CHICKEN CAREFULLY [1] CLEAN, GARNISH [2] AND
PLACE IN AN EARTHEN CASSEROLE. CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE,
LASER MOISTENED WITH WINE [3] ADD BROTH AND WINE TO
TASTE, AND PUT THIS ON THE FIRE; WHEN DONE SERVE WITH
PEPPER SPRINKLED OVER.

[1] a navi. cf. Note 2 to ℞ No. 237.
[2] G.-V. lavabis, ornabis, with vegetables, etc.
[3] G.-V. laser vivum.

[241] ROAST CHICKEN PULLUM PAROPTUM
A LITTLE LASER, 6 SCRUPLES OF PEPPER, A GLASS OF OIL, A
GLASS OF BROTH, AND A LITTLE PARSLEY.
[1] Paropsis, parapsis, from the Greek, a platter, dish.
A most incomplete formula. It does not state whether the ingredients
are to be added to the sauce or the dressing. We have an idea that the

chicken is pickled in this solution before roasting and that the pickle
is used in making the gravy.

[242] BOILED CHICKEN IN ITS OWN BROTH PULLUM ELIXUM EX
IURE SUO
CRUSH PEPPER, CUMIN, A LITTLE THYME, FENNEL SEED, MINT,
RUE, LASER ROOT, MOISTENED WITH VINEGAR, ADD FIG DATES
[1] WORK WELL AND MAKE IT SAVORY WITH HONEY, VINEGAR,
BROTH AND OIL TO TASTE: THE BOILED CHICKEN PROPERLY
CLEANED AND DRIED [with the towel] IS MASKED WITH THIS
SAUCE [2].
[1] Goll. cloves—cariophyllus; the originals have caryotam and
careotam.
[2] Apparently another cold sauce of the vinaigrette type similar to
℞ No. 235.

[243] CHICKEN AND PUMPKIN PULLUM ELIXUM CUM CUCURBITIS
ELIXIS
TO THE ABOVE DESCRIBED DRESSING ADD MUSTARD, POUR
OVER [1] AND SERVE.
[1] G.-V. Perfundes; Tor. piper fundes.
The pumpkin, not mentioned here, is likewise served cold boiled,
seasoned with the same dressing. It is perhaps used for stuffing the
chicken and cooked simultaneously with the same.

[244] CHICKEN AND DASHEENS [1] PULLUM ELIXUM CUM
COLOCASIIS ELIXIS
THE ABOVE SAUCE IS ALSO USED FOR THIS DISH. STUFF THE
CHICKEN WITH [peeled] DASHEENS AND [stoned] GREEN OLIVES,
THOUGH NOT TOO MUCH SO THAT THE DRESSING MAY HAVE
ROOM FOR EXPANSION, TO PREVENT BURSTING WHILE THE

CHICKEN IS BEING COOKED IN THE POT. HOLD IT DOWN WITH A
SMALL BASKET, LIFT IT UP FREQUENTLY [2] AND HANDLE
CAREFULLY SO THAT THE CHICKEN DOES NOT BURST [3].
[1] Dasheens are the equivalent of the ancient colocasium; at least
they are very close relatives. Cf. Notes to ℞ Nos. 74, 216, 244, 322.
[2] For inspection. G.-V. levas; Tor. lavabis, for which there is no
reason.
[3] Dann. and Goll., not knowing the colocasium or dasheen have
entirely erroneous versions of this formula. The dasheen is well
adapted for the stuffing of fowl. Ordinarily the dasheen is boiled or
steamed, mashed, seasoned and then stuffed inside of a raw chicken
which is then roasted. Being very starchy, the dasheen readily
absorbs the fats and juices of the roast, making a delicious dressing,
akin in taste to a combined potato and chestnut purée.
As the above chicken is cooked in bouillon or water, the dasheen
may be used in a raw state for filling. We have tried this method.
Instead of confining the chicken in a basket, we have tied it in a
napkin and boiled slowly until done. Serve cold, with the above
dressing.

[245] CHICKEN À LA VARUS [1] PULLUS VARDANUS
COOK THE CHICKEN IN THIS STOCK: BROTH, OIL, WINE, A
BUNCH OF LEEKS, CORIANDER, SATURY; WHEN DONE, CRUSH
PEPPER, NUTS WITH 2 GLASSES OF WATER [2] AND THE JUICE OF
THE CHICKEN. RETIRE THE BUNCHES OF GREENS, ADD MILK TO
TASTE. THE THINGS CRUSHED IN THE MORTAR ADD TO THE
CHICKEN AND COOK IT TOGETHER: THICKEN THE SAUCE WITH
BEATEN WHITES OF EGG [3] AND POUR THE SAUCE OVER THE
CHICKEN. THIS IS CALLED “WHITE SAUCE.”
[1] G.-V. Vardanus; Tor. Vardamus; Hum. Vardanus legendum, puto,
Varianus, portentuosæ luxuriæ Imperator. Hum. thinks the dish is
dedicated to emperor Varianus (?) The word may also be the

adjective of Varus, Quintilius V., commander of colonial armies and
glutton, under Augustus. Varus committed suicide after his defeat in
the Teutoburg Forest by the Germans.
[2] G.-V. broth, own stock—ius de suo sibi.
[3] Strain, avoid ebullition after the eggs have been added. Most
unusual liaison; usually the yolks are used for this purpose. The
whites are consistent with the name of the sauce.

[246] CHICKEN À LA FRONTO [1] PULLUM FRONTONIANUM
A HALF-COOKED CHICKEN MARINADED IN A PICKLE OF BROTH,
MIXED WITH OIL, TO WHICH IS ADDED A BUNCH OF DILL,
LEEKS, SATURY AND GREEN CORIANDER. FINISH IT IN THIS
BROTH. WHEN DONE, TAKE THE CHICKEN OUT [2] DRESS IT
NICELY ON A DISH, POUR OVER THE [sauce, colored with]
REDUCED MUST, SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE.
[1] Named for a Roman by the name of Fronto. There is a sucking
pig à la Fronto, too. Cf. ℞ No. 374. M. Cornelius Fronto was orator
and author during the reign of Emperor Hadrian. According to
Dann. a certain Frontone under Emperor Severus.
[2] List., G.-V. levabis; Tor. lavabis, for which there is little or no
occasion. He may mean to clean, i.e. remove skin, tissues, sinews,
small bones, etc.

[247] CREAMED CHICKEN WITH PASTE [1] PULLUS
TRACTOGALATUS [2]
COOK THE CHICKEN [as follows, in] BROTH, OIL, WITH WINE
ADDED, TO WHICH ADD A BUNCH OF CORIANDER AND [green]
ONIONS. WHEN DONE TAKE IT OUT [3] [strain and save] THE
BROTH, AND PUT IT IN A NEW SAUCE PAN, ADD MILK AND A
LITTLE SALT, HONEY AND A PINT [4] OF WATER, THAT IS, A
THIRD PART: PLACE IT BACK ON A SLOW FIRE TO SIMMER.
FINALLY BREAK [the paste, [1]] PUT IT LITTLE BY LITTLE INTO [the

boiling broth] STIRRING WELL SO IT WILL NOT BURN. PUT THE
CHICKEN IN, EITHER WHOLE OR IN PIECES [5] DISH IT OUT IN A
DEEP DISH. THIS COVER WITH THE FOLLOWING SAUCE [6]
PEPPER, LOVAGE, ORIGANY, MOISTENED WITH HONEY AND A
LITTLE REDUCED MUST. ADD SOME OF THE [chicken] BROTH,
HEAT IN A SMALL SAUCE PAN AND WHEN IT BOILS THICKEN
WITH ROUX [7] AND SERVE.
[1] Spätzle, noodles, macaroni; this dish is the ancient “Chicken
Tetrazzini.” Dann. Chicken pie or patty.
[2] tractum and gala, prepared with paste and milk. Cf.
tractomelitus, from tractum and meli, paste and honey.

[3] Cf. Note 2 to ℞ Nos. 244 and 246.
[4] List. minimum; Tor. heminam; Sch. eminam. See Measures. The
noodle paste should be cooked separately in the water.
[5] List. vel carptum, which is correct. Tor. vel careotam, out of
place here.
[6] This sauce seems to be superfluous. Very likely it is a separate
formula for a sauce of some kind.
[7] Seems superfluous, too. The noodle paste in the chicken gravy
makes it sufficiently thick.

[248] STUFFED CHICKEN [OR PIG] PULLUS FARSILIS [1]
EMPTY THE CHICKEN THROUGH THE APERTURE OF THE NECK
SO THAT NONE OF THE ENTRAILS REMAIN. CRUSH PEPPER,
LOVAGE, GINGER, CUT MEAT [2] COOKED SPELT, BESIDES
CRUSH BRAINS COOKED IN THE [chicken] BROTH, BREAK EGGS
AND MIX ALL TOGETHER IN ORDER TO MAKE A SOLID
DRESSING; ADD BROTH TO TASTE AND A LITTLE OIL, WHOLE
PEPPER, PLENTY OF NUTS. WITH THIS DRESSING STUFF EITHER
A CHICKEN OR A SUCKLING PIG, LEAVING ENOUGH ROOM FOR
EXPANSION [3].

[1] Tor. fusilis.
[2] Preferably raw pork or veal.
[3] A most sumptuous dressing; it compares favorably with our
popular stale bread pap usually called “chicken dressing.”

[249] STUFFED CAPON LIKEWISE SIMILITER IN CAPO FACIES [1]
THE CAPON IS STUFFED IN A SIMILAR WAY BUT IS COOKED
WITH ALL THE BONES REMOVED [2].
[1] Sch. in capso. May be interpreted thus: Cooked in an envelope
of caul or linen, in which case it would correspond to our modern
galantine of chicken.
[2] Tor. ossibus eiectis; Hum. omnibus e.; i.e. all the entrails, etc.,
which is not correct. The bones must be removed from the capon in
this case.

[250] CHICKEN AND CREAM SAUCE [1] PULLUS LEUCOZOMUS [2]
TAKE A CHICKEN AND PREPARE IT AS ABOVE. EMPTY IT
THROUGH THE APERTURE OF THE NECK SO THAT NONE OF THE
ENTRAILS REMAIN. TAKE [a little] WATER [3] AND PLENTY OF
SPANISH OIL, STIR, COOK TOGETHER UNTIL ALL MOISTURE IS
EVAPORATED [4] WHEN THIS IS DONE TAKE THE CHICKEN OUT,
SO THAT THE GREATEST POSSIBLE AMOUNT OF OIL REMAINS
BEHIND [5] SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE [6].
[1] The ancient version of Chicken à la Maryland, Wiener
Backhähndl, etc.
[2] Tor. Leocozymus; from the Greek leucozomos, prepared with
white sauce. The formula for the cream sauce is lacking here. Cf. ℞
No. 245.
[3] The use of water to clarify the oil which is to serve as a deep
frying fat is an ingenious idea, little practised today. It surely saves

the fat or oil, prevents premature burning or blackening by frequent
use, and gives a better tasting friture. The above recipe is a mere
fragment, but even this reveals the extraordinary knowledge of
culinary principles of Apicius who reveals himself to us as a master
of well-understood principles of good cookery that are so often
ignored today. Cf. Note 5 to ℞ No. 497.
[4] The recipe fails to state that the chicken must be breaded, or that
the pieces of chicken be turned in flour, etc., and fried in the oil.
[5] Another vital rule of deep fat frying not stated, or rather stated in
the language of the kitchen, namely that the chicken must be crisp,
dry, that is, not saturated with oil, which of course every good fry
cook knows.
[6] With the cream sauce, prepared separately, spread on the platter,
with the fried chicken inside, or the sauce in a separate dish, we
have here a very close resemblance to a very popular modern dish.
(Schuch and Danneil insert here Excerpta XXIX, XXX and XXXI.)

END OF BOOK VI

[explicit] TROPHETES APICII. LIBER SEXTUS [Tac.]

FRYING PAN, ROUND
Provided with a lip to pour out fluids, a convenience which
many modern pans lack. The broad flat handle is of one
piece with the pan and has a hole for suspension. On some
ancient pans these handles were hinged so as to fold over the
cavity of the pan, to save room in storing it away,
particularly in a soldier’s knapsack. Ntl. Mus., Naples,
76571; Field M. 24024.

FRONTISPICE, SECOND LISTER EDITION
purporting to represent the interior of an ancient kitchen. J.
Gœree, the artist and engraver, has invented it. The general
tidiness differs from contemporary Dutch kitchens and the
clothing of the cooks reminds one of Henry VIII, who issued
at Eltham in 1526 this order: “... provide and sufficiently
furnish the kitchens of such scolyons as shall not goe naked
or in garments of such vilenesse as they doe ... nor lie in the

nights and dayes in the kitchens ... by the fire-side....”—MS.
No. 642, Harleian Library.

APICIUS
Book VII

THE GREAT PALLAS ATHENE DISH
One of the finest show platters in existence. Of Hellenic
make. The object in the right hand of Athene has created
considerable conjecture but has never been identified.
Hildesheim Treasure.

FRYING PAN, OVAL
This oblong pan was no doubt primarily used in fish
cookery. An oblong piece of food material fitted snugly into
the pan, thus saving fats and other liquids in preparation.
Around the slender handle was no doubt one of non-heat-
conducting material. The shape and the lip of the pan
indicate that it was not used for “sauter.” Ntl. Mus., Naples,
76602; Field M. 24038.

BOOK VII. SUMPTUOUS DISHES
Lib. VII. Polyteles
CHAP. I. SOW’S WOMB, CRACKLINGS, BACON, TENDERLOIN,
TAILS AND FEET.
CHAP. II. SOW’S BELLY.
CHAP. III. FIG-FED PORK.
CHAP. IV. TID-BITS, CHOPS, STEAKS.
CHAP. V. ROASTS.
CHAP. VI. BOILED AND STEWED MEATS.
CHAP. VII. PAUNCH.
CHAP. VIII. LOINS AND KIDNEYS.
CHAP. IX. PORK SHOULDER.
CHAP. X. LIVERS AND LUNGS.
CHAP. XI. HOME-MADE SWEETS.
CHAP. XII. BULBS, TUBERS.
CHAP. XIII. MUSHROOMS.
CHAP. XIV. TRUFFLES.
CHAP. XV. TAROS, DASHEENS.
CHAP. XVI. SNAILS.
CHAP. XVII. EGGS.

[In addition to the above chapters two more are inserted in the text
of Book VII, namely Chap. X, Fresh Ham and Chap. XI, To Cook
Salt Pork; these being inserted after Chap. IX, Pork Shoulder,
making a total of XIX Chapters.]

I

SOW’S WOMB, CRACKLINGS, UDDER, TENDERLOIN, TAILS AND
FEET
VULVÆ STERILES, CALLUM LUMBELLI COTICULÆ ET UNGELLÆ

[251] SPAYED SOW’S WOMB [1] VULVÆ STERILES

S TERILE SOW’S WOMB (ALSO UDDER AND BELLY) IS
PREPARED IN THIS MANNER: TAKE [2] LASER FROM
CYRENE OR PARTHIA, VINEGAR AND BROTH.
[1] The vulva of a sow was a favorite dish with the ancients,
considered a great delicacy. Sows were slaughtered before they had
a litter, or were spayed for the purpose of obtaining the sterile
womb.
[2] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.

[252] ANOTHER WAY ALITER
TAKE PEPPER, CELERY SEED, DRY MINT, LASER ROOT, HONEY,
VINEGAR AND BROTH.

[253] SPAYED SOW’S WOMB VULVÆ STERILES
WITH PEPPER, BROTH AND PARTHIAN LASER.

[254] ANOTHER WAY ALITER
WITH PEPPER, LOVAGE [1] AND BROTH AND A LITTLE
CONDIMENT.
[1] Wanting in Lister.

[255] CRACKLINGS, PORK SKIN, TENDERLOIN, TAILS AND FEET C
ALLUM, LUMBELLI [1] COTICULÆ, UNGELLÆ

SERVE WITH PEPPER, BROTH AND LASER (WHICH THE GREEKS
CALL “SILPHION”) [2].
[1] Tor., G.-V. libelli.
[2] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.

[256] GRILLED SOW’S WOMB VULVAM UT TOSTAM FACIAS
ENVELOPE IN BRAN, AFTERWARDS [1] PUT IN BRINE AND THEN
COOK IT.
[1] We would reverse the process: first pickle the vulva, then coat it
with bran (or with bread crumbs) and fry.

II

[257] SOW’S BELLY SUMEN
SOW’S UDDER OR BELLY WITH THE PAPS ON IT IS PREPARED IN
THIS MANNER [1] THE BELLY BOIL, TIE IT TOGETHER WITH
REEDS, SPRINKLE WITH SALT AND PLACE IT IN THE OVEN, OR,
START ROASTING ON THE GRIDIRON. CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE,
WITH BROTH, PURE WINE, ADDING RAISIN WINE TO TASTE,
THICKEN [the sauce] WITH ROUX AND POUR IT OVER THE ROAST.
[1] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.

[258] STUFFED SOW’S BELLY SUMEN PLENUM
FULL [1] SOW’S BELLY IS STUFFED WITH [2] CRUSHED PEPPER,
CARRAWAY, SALT MUSSELS; SEW THE BELLY TIGHT AND ROAST.
ENJOY THIS WITH A BRINE SAUCE AND MUSTARD.
[1] Full grown, also stuffed with forcemeat.
[2] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.

III

FIG-FED PORK FICATUM [1]
[1] Tor. De Sycoto, id est, Ficato.

[259] WINE SAUCE FOR FIG-FED PORK IN FICATO ŒNOGARUM [1]
FIG-FED PORK LIVER (THAT IS, LIVER CRAMMED WITH FIGS) IS
PREPARED IN A WINE SAUCE WITH [2] PEPPER, THYME, LOVAGE,
BROTH, A LITTLE WINE AND OIL [3].
[1] Tor. Ficatum, iecur suillum.
[2] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.
[3] Reinsenius, ficatum [or sicatum] projecore.
According to the invention of Marcus Apicius, pigs were starved,
and the hungry pigs were crammed with dry figs and then suddenly
given all the mead they wanted to drink. The violent expansion of
the figs in the stomachs, or the fermentation caused acute
indigestion which killed the pigs. The livers were very much
enlarged, similar to the cramming of geese for the sake of obtaining
abnormally large livers. This latter method prevailed in the
Strassburg District until recently when it was prohibited by law.

[260] ANOTHER WAY ALITER
TRIM [the liver] MARINATE IN BROTH, WITH PEPPER, LOVAGE,
TWO LAUREL BERRIES, WRAP IN CAUL, GRILL ON THE
GRIDIRON AND SERVE.
Goll. Stick figs into the liver by making apertures with the knife or
with a needle.
It is by no means clear that the liver is meant.

IV

TID-BITS, CHOPS, CUTLETS OFFELLÆ [1]

[261] OSTIAN [2] MEAT BALLS OFFELLÆ OSTIENSES
PREPARE THE MEAT IN THIS MANNER [3] CLEAN THE MEAT [of
bones, sinews, etc.] SCRAPE IT AS THIN AS A SKIN [and shape it].
CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE, CUMIN, CARRAWAY, SILPHIUM, ONE
LAUREL BERRY, MOISTENED WITH BROTH; IN A SQUARE DISH
PLACE THE MEAT BALLS AND THE SPICES WHERE THEY
REMAIN IN PICKLING FOR TWO OR THREE DAYS, COVERED
CROSSWISE WITH TWIGS. THEN PLACE THEM IN THE OVEN [to
be roasted], WHEN DONE TAKE THE FINISHED MEAT BALLS OUT.
CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE, WITH THE BROTH, ADD A LITTLE
RAISIN WINE TO SWEETEN. COOK IT, THICKEN WITH ROUX,
IMMERSE THE BALLS IN THE SAUCE AND SERVE.
[1] G.-V. Ofellæ; apparently the old Roman “Hamburger Steak.”
The term covers different small meat pieces, chops, steaks, etc.
[2] Ostia, town at the mouth of the river Tiber, Rome’s harbour.
[3] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.

[262] APICIAN ROULADES OFFELLAS APICIANAS
BONE THE MEAT FOR THE [roulades—a pork loin, roll it, tie it] OVEN,
SHAPE ROUND, COVER WITH OR WRAP IN RUSHES. [Roast] WHEN
DONE, RETIRE, ALLOW TO DRIP AND DRY ON THE GRIDIRON
BUT SO THAT THE MEAT DOES NOT HARDEN. CRUSH PEPPER,
LOVAGE, RUSH [1], CUMIN, ADDING BROTH AND RAISIN WINE
TO TASTE. PLACE THE ROULADES WITH THIS SAUCE TOGETHER
IN A SAUCE PAN [finish by braising] WHEN DONE, RETIRE THE
ROULADES AND DRY THEM. SERVE WITHOUT THE GRAVY
SPRINKLED WITH PEPPER. IF TOO FAT REMOVE THE OUTER
SKIN [2].

[1] Cyperis, —os, —um, cypirus, variants for a sort of rush;
probably “Cyprian Grass.”
[2] Dann. Dumplings; but this formula appears to deal with boneless
pork chops, pork roulades or “filets mignons.”

[263] PORK CUTLETS, HUNTER STYLE OFFELLÆ APRUGNEO [1]
MORE
IN THE SAME MANNER YOU CAN MAKE TIDBITS OF SOW’S
BELLY [2] PORK CHOPS PREPARED IN A MANNER TO RESEMBLE
WILD BOAR ARE [3] PICKLED IN OIL AND BROTH AND PLACED
IN SPICES. WHEN THE CUTLETS ARE DONE [marinated] THE
PICKLE IS PLACED ON THE FIRE AND BOILED; THE CUTLETS
ARE PUT BACK INTO THIS GRAVY AND ARE FINISHED WITH
CRUSHED PEPPER, SPICES, HONEY, BROTH, AND ROUX. WHEN
THIS IS DONE SERVE THE CUTLETS WITHOUT THE BROTH AND
OIL, SPRINKLED WITH PEPPER.
[1] G.-V. Aprugineo; List. Offellæ Aprugneæ, i.e. wild boar chops or
cutlets. Vat. Ms. aprogneo more; Tor. pro genuino more; Tac.
aprogeneo—from aprugnus, wild boar.
Mutton today is prepared in a similar way, marinated with spices,
etc., to resemble venison, and is called Mouton à la Chasseur,
hunter style.
[2] This sentence, probably belonging to the preceding formula,
carried over by Torinus.
[3] This sentence only in Torinus.

[264] TIDBITS ANOTHER WAY ALITER OFFELLÆ
THE BALLS OR CUTLETS ARE [1] PROPERLY FRIED IN THE PAN,
NEARLY DONE. [Next prepare the following] ONE WHOLE [2] GLASS
BROTH, A GLASS OF WATER, A GLASS OF VINEGAR AND A GLASS

OF OIL, PROPERLY MIXED; PUT THIS IN AN EARTHEN BAKING
DISH [immerse meat pieces] FINISH ON THE FIRE AND SERVE.
[1] Tor.
[2] Tor. Summi; List. sumis, i.e. broth of the pork.

[265] TIDBITS IN ANOTHER STYLE ALITER OFFELLAS
ALSO FRY THE CUTLETS THIS WAY: [1] IN A PAN WITH PLENTY
OF WINE SAUCE, SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE.
[ANOTHER WAY] [2] THE CUTLETS PREVIOUSLY SALT AND
PICKLED IN A BROTH OF CUMIN, ARE PROPERLY FRIED [3].
[1] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.
[2] The texts have two formulæ; by the transposition of the two
sentences the formula appears as a whole and one that is intelligible
from a culinary point of view.
[3] The texts have: in aqua recte friguntur; the acqua presumably
belongs to the cumin pickle. To fry in water is not possible.

V

CHOICE ROASTS [1] ASSATURÆ

[266] ROASTING, PLAIN ASSATURAM SIMPLICEM [2]
SIMPLY PUT THE MEATS TO BE ROASTED IN THE OVEN,
GENEROUSLY SPRINKLED WITH SALT, AND SERVE [it glazed]
WITH HONEY [3].
[1] Tor. De assaturæ exquisitæ apparatu.
[2] Brandt adds “plain.”
[3] Corresponding to our present method of roasting; fresh and
processed ham is glazed with sugar.

Roasting in the oven is not as desirable as roasting on the spit,
universally practised during the middle ages. The spit seems to have
been unknown to the Romans. It is seldom used today, although we
have improved it by turning it with electrical machinery.

[267] ANOTHER STYLE FOR ROASTS ALITER ASSATURAS
TAKE 6 SCRUPLES OF PARSLEY, OF LASER [1] JUST AS MANY, 6
OF GINGER, 5 LAUREL BERRIES, 6 SCRUPLES OF PRESERVED
LASER ROOT, CYPRIAN RUSH 6, 6 OF ORIGANY, A LITTLE
COSTMARY, 3 SCRUPLES OF CHAMOMILE [or pellitory], 6
SCRUPLES OF CELERY SEED, 12 SCRUPLES OF PEPPER, AND
BROTH AND OIL AS MUCH AS IT WILL TAKE UP [2].
[1] G.-V. asareos [?] Asarum, the herb foalbit, wild spikenard.
[2] No directions are given for the making of this compound which
are essential to insure success of this formula. Outwardly it
resembles some of the commercial sauces made principally in
England (Worcestershire, etc.), which are served with every roast.

[268] ANOTHER [Condiment for] ROAST ALITER ASSATURAS
CRUSH DRY MYRTLE BERRIES WITH CUMIN AND PEPPER,
ADDING HONEY ALSO BROTH, REDUCED MUST AND OIL. HEAT
AND BIND WITH ROUX. POUR THIS OVER THE ROAST THAT IS
MEDIUM DONE, WITH SALT; SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND
SERVE.

[269] ANOTHER ROAST [Sauce] ALITER ASSATURAS
6 SCRUPLES PEPPER, 6 SCRUPLES LOVAGE, 6 SCRUPLES
PARSLEY, 6 SCRUPLES CELERY SEED, 6 SCRUPLES DILL, 6
SCRUPLES LASER ROOT, 6 SCRUPLES WILD SPIKENARD [1], 6
SCRUPLES CYPRIAN RUSH, 6 SCRUPLES CARRAWAY, 6
SCRUPLES CUMIN, 6 SCRUPLES GINGER, A PINT OF BROTH AND
A SPOONFUL OIL.

[1] Tor. assareos; cf. note 1 to ℞ No. 267.

[270] ROAST NECK [1] ASSATURAS IN COLLARI
PUT IN A BRAISIÈRE [2] AND BOIL PEPPER, SPICES, HONEY,
BROTH; AND HEAT THIS WITH THE MEAT IN THE OVEN. THE
NECK PIECE ITSELF, IF YOU LIKE, IS ALSO ROASTED WITH
SPICES AND THE HOT GRAVY IS SIMPLY POURED OVER AT THE
MOMENT OF SERVING [3].
[1] A piece of meat from the neck of a food animal, beef, veal, pork;
a muscular hard piece, requiring much care to make it palatable, a
“pot roast.”
[2] A roasting pan especially adapted for braising tough meats, with
closefitting cover to hold the vapors.
[3] Tor. combines this and the foregoing formula. G.-V. siccum
calidum, for hot gravy. Perhaps a typographical error for succum.

VI

BOILED, STEWED MEATS, AND DAINTY FOOD IN ELIXAM ET
COPADIA

[271] SAUCE FOR ALL BOILED DISHES JUS IN ELIXAM OMNEM
PEPPER, LOVAGE, ORIGANY, RUE, SILPHIUM, DRY ONION, WINE,
REDUCED WINE, HONEY, VINEGAR, A LITTLE OIL, BOILED
DOWN, STRAINED THROUGH A CLOTH AND POURED UNDER
THE HOT COOKED MEATS [1].
[1] A very complicated sauce for boiled viands. Most of the
ingredients are found in the Worcestershire Sauce.

[272] SAUCE FOR BOILED VIANDS JUS IN ELIXAM

MAKE IT THUS: [Tor.] PEPPER, PARSLEY, BROTH, VINEGAR, FIG-
DATES, ONIONS, LITTLE OIL, POURED UNDER VERY HOT.

[273] ANOTHER JUS IN ELIXAM
CRUSH PEPPER, DRY RUE, FENNEL SEED, ONION, FIGDATES,
WITH BROTH AND OIL.

[274] WHITE [bread] [1] SAUCE FOR BOILED VIANDS JUS
CANDIDUM IN ELIXAM
WHITE SAUCE FOR BOILED DISHES IS MADE THUS: [2] PEPPER,
BROTH, WINE, RUE, ONIONS, NUTS, A LITTLE SPICE, BREAD
SOAKED TO THE SATURATION POINT, OIL, WHICH IS COOKED
AND SPREAD UNDER [the meat].
[1] Our present bread sauce, somewhat simpler, but essentially the
same as the Apician sauce, is very popular with roast partridge,
pheasant and other game in England.
[2] Tor. sentence wanting in other texts.

[275] ANOTHER WHITE SAUCE FOR BOILED VIANDS ALITER JUS
CANDIDUM IN ELIXAM
ANOTHER WHITE SAUCE FOR BOILED DISHES CONTAINS: [1]
PEPPER, CARRAWAY, LOVAGE, THYME, ORIGANY, SHALLOTS,
DATES, HONEY, VINEGAR, BROTH AND OIL.

[276] WHITE SAUCE FOR DAINTY FOOD IN COPADIIS [1] JUS
ALBUM
TAKE CUMIN, LOVAGE, RUE SEED, PLUMS FROM DAMASCUS [2]
SOAK IN WINE, ADD HONEY MEAD AND VINEGAR, THYME AND
ORIGANY TO TASTE [3].

[1] Lacking definite description of the copadia it is hard to
differentiate between them and the offelæ.—Cupedia (Plaut. and
Goll.), nice dainty dishes, from cupiditas, appetite, desire for dainty
fare. Hence cupedinarius (Terent.) and cupediarius (Lamprid.) a
seller or maker of dainties, a confectioner.
[2] Damascena; they correspond apparently to our present stewed
(dried) prunes. It is inconceivable how this sauce can be white in
color, but, as a condiment and if taken in small quantity, it has our
full approval.
[3] G.-V. agitabis, i.e. stir the sauce with a whip of thyme and
origany twigs. Cf. note to following.

[277] ANOTHER WHITE SAUCE FOR APPETIZERS ALITER JUS
CANDIDUM IN COPADIIS
IS MADE THUS [1] PEPPER, THYME, CUMIN, CELERY SEED,
FENNEL, RUE, MINT [2], MYRTLE BERRIES, RAISINS, RAISIN
WINE, AND MEAD TO TASTE; STIR IT WITH A TWIG OF SATURY
[3].
[1] Tor.
[2] G.-V., rue wanting.
[3] An ingenious way to impart a very subtle flavor. The sporadic
discoveries of such very subtle and refined methods (cf. notes to ℞
No. 15) should dispell once and for all time the old theories that the
ancients were using spices to excess. They simply used a greater
variety of flavors and aromas than we do today, but there is no proof
that spices were used excessively. The great variety of flavors at the
disposal of the ancients speaks well for the refinement of the
olfactory sense and the desire to bring variety into their fare. Cf. ℞
Nos. 345, 369 and 385.

[278] SAUCE FOR TIDBITS JUS IN COPADIIS

PEPPER, LOVAGE, CARRAWAY, MINT, LEAVES OF SPIKENARD
(WHICH THE GREEKS CALL “NARDOSACHIOM”) [sic!] [1] YOLKS,
HONEY, MEAD, VINEGAR, BROTH AND OIL. STIR WELL WITH
SATURY AND LEEKS [2] AND TIE WITH ROUX.
[1] Tor. [sic!] spicam nardi—sentence wanting in other texts. G.-V.
nardostachyum, spikenard.

[2] A fagot of satury and leeks! Cf. notes to ℞ Nos. 276 and 277.

[279] WHITE SAUCE FOR TIDBITS JUS ALBUM IN COPADIIS
IS MADE THUS: [1] PEPPER, LOVAGE, CUMIN, CELERY SEED,
THYME, NUTS, WHICH SOAK AND CLEAN, HONEY, VINEGAR,
BROTH AND OIL TO BE ADDED [2].
[1, 2] First three and last three words in Tor.

[280] SAUCE FOR TIDBITS JUS IN COPADIIS
PEPPER, CELERY SEED, CARRAWAY, SATURY, SAFFRON,
SHALLOTS, TOASTED ALMONDS, FIGDATES, BROTH, OIL AND A
LITTLE MUSTARD; COLOR WITH REDUCED MUST.

[281] SAUCE FOR TIDBITS JUS IN COPADIIS
PEPPER, LOVAGE, PARSLEY, SHALLOTS, TOASTED ALMONDS,
DATES, HONEY, VINEGAR, BROTH, REDUCED MUST AND OIL.

[282] SAUCE FOR TIDBITS JUS IN COPADIIS
CHOP HARD EGGS, PEPPER, CUMIN, PARSLEY, COOKED LEEKS,
MYRTLE BERRIES, SOMEWHAT MORE HONEY, VINEGAR, BROTH
AND OIL.

[283] RAW DILL SAUCE FOR BOILED DISH IN ELIXAM ANETHATUM
CRUDUM

PEPPER, DILL SEED, DRY MINT, LASER ROOT, POUR UNDER:
VINEGAR, DATE WINE, HONEY, BROTH, AND A LITTLE
MUSTARD, REDUCED MUST AND OIL TO TASTE; AND SERVE IT
WITH ROAST PORK SHOULDER.

[284] BRINY SAUCE FOR BOILED DISH JUS IN ELIXAM ALLECATUM
PEPPER, LOVAGE, CARRAWAY, CELERY SEED, THYME,
SHALLOTS, DATES, FISH BRINE [1] STRAINED HONEY, AND WINE
TO TASTE; SPRINKLE WITH CHOPPED GREEN CELERY AND OIL
AND SERVE.
[1] G.-V. allecem; Tor. Halecem.

VII

PAUNCH VENTRICULA

[285] PIG’S PAUNCH VENTREM PORCINUM
CLEAN THE PAUNCH OF A SUCKLING PIG WELL WITH SALT AND
VINEGAR AND PRESENTLY WASH WITH WATER. THEN FILL IT
WITH THE FOLLOWING DRESSING: PIECES OF PORK POUNDED
IN THE MORTAR, THREE BRAINS—THE NERVES REMOVED—MIX
WITH RAW EGGS, ADD NUTS, WHOLE PEPPER, AND SAUCE TO
TASTE. CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE, SILPHIUM, ANISE, GINGER, A
LITTLE RUE; FILL THE PAUNCH WITH IT, NOT TOO MUCH,
THOUGH, LEAVING PLENTY OF ROOM FOR EXPANSION LEST IT
BURSTS WHILE BEING COOKED. PUT IT IN A POT WITH BOILING
WATER, RETIRE AND PRICK WITH A NEEDLE SO THAT IT DOES
NOT BURST. WHEN HALF DONE, TAKE IT OUT AND HANG IT
INTO THE SMOKE TO TAKE ON COLOR; NOW BOIL IT OVER
AGAIN AND FINISH IT LEISURELY. NEXT TAKE THE BROTH,
SOME PURE WINE AND A LITTLE OIL, OPEN THE PAUNCH WITH A
SMALL KNIFE. SPRINKLE WITH THE BROTH AND LOVAGE;
PLACE THE PIG NEAR THE FIRE TO HEAT IT, TURN IT AROUND IN

BRAN [or bread crumbs] IMMERSE IN [sprinkle with] BRINE AND
FINISH [the outer crust to a golden brown] [1].
[1] The good old English way of finishing a roast joint called
dredging.
Lister has this formula divided into two; Danneil and Schuch make
three different formulas out of it.

VIII

LOINS AND KIDNEYS LUMBI ET RENES

[286] ROAST LOINS MADE THUS LUMBULI ASSI ITA FIUNT
SPLIT THEM INTO TWO PARTS SO THAT THEY ARE SPREAD OUT
[1] SPRINKLE THE OPENING WITH CRUSHED PEPPER AND [ditto]
NUTS, FINELY CHOPPED CORIANDER AND CRUSHED FENNEL
SEED. THE TENDERLOINS ARE THEN ROLLED UP TO BE
ROASTED; TIE TOGETHER, WRAP IN CAUL, PARBOIL IN OIL [2]
AND BROTH, AND THEN ROAST IN THE OVEN OR BROIL ON THE
GRIDIRON.
[1] “Frenched,” the meat here being pork tenderloin.
[2] G.-V. best broth and a little oil, which is more acceptable.

IX

HAM PERNA

[287] [Baked Picnic] HAM [Pork Shoulder, fresh or cured] PERNAM
THE HAM SHOULD BE BRAISED WITH A GOOD NUMBER OF FIGS
AND SOME THREE LAUREL LEAVES; THE SKIN IS THEN PULLED
OFF AND CUT INTO SQUARE PIECES; THESE ARE MACERATED

WITH HONEY. THEREUPON MAKE DOUGH CRUMBS OF FLOUR
AND OIL [1] LAY THE DOUGH OVER OR AROUND THE HAM,
STUD THE TOP WITH THE PIECES OF THE SKIN SO THAT THEY
WILL BE BAKED WITH THE DOUGH [bake slowly] AND WHEN
DONE, RETIRE FROM THE OVEN AND SERVE [2].
[1] Ordinary pie or pastry dough, or perhaps a preparation similar to
streusel, unsweetened.
[2] Experimenting with this formula, we have adhered to the
instructions as closely as possible, using regular pie dough to
envelop the parboiled meat. The figs were retired from the sauce
pan long before the meat was done and they were served around the
ham as a garnish. As a consequence we partook of a grand dish that
no inmate of Olympus would have sneezed at.
In Pompeii an inn-keeper had written the following on the wall of
his establishment: Ubi perna cocta est si convivæ apponitur non
gustat pernam linguit ollam aut caccabum.
When we first beheld this message we took the inn-keeper for a
humorist and clever advertiser; but now we are convinced that he
was in earnest when he said that his guests would lick the sauce pan
in which his hams were cooked.

[288] TO COOK PORK SHOULDER PERNÆ [1] COCTURAM
HAM SIMPLY COOKED IN WATER WITH FIGS IS USUALLY
DRESSED ON A PLATTER [baking pan] SPRINKLED WITH CRUMBS
AND REDUCED WINE, OR, STILL BETTER, WITH SPICED WINE
[and is glazed under the open flame, or with a shovel containing red-hot
embers].
[1] Perna is usually applied to shoulder of pork, fresh, also cured.
Coxa is the hind leg, or haunch of pork, or fresh ham. Cf. note 1 to
℞ No. 289.

X

[289] FRESH HAM MUSTEIS [1] PETASONEM [2]
A FRESH HAM IS COOKED WITH 2 POUNDS OF BARLEY AND 25
FIGS. WHEN DONE SKIN, GLAZE THE SURFACE WITH A FIRE
SHOVEL FULL OF GLOWING COALS, SPREAD HONEY OVER IT,
OR, WHAT’S BETTER: PUT IT IN THE OVEN COVERED WITH
HONEY. WHEN IT HAS A NICE COLOR, PUT IN A SAUCE PAN
RAISIN WINE, PEPPER, A BUNCH OF RUE AND PURE WINE TO
TASTE. WHEN THIS [sauce] IS DONE, POUR HALF OF IT OVER THE
HAM AND IN THE OTHER HALF SOAK SPECIALLY MADE GINGER
BREAD [3] THE REMNANT OF THE SAUCE AFTER MOST OF IT IS
THOROUGHLY SOAKED INTO THE BREAD, ADD TO THE HAM [4].
[1] Musteus, fresh, young, new; vinum mustum, new wine, must.
Properly perhaps, Petasonem ex mustaceis; cf. note 3.
[2] Hum. verum petaso coxa cum crure [shank] esse dicitur....
Plainly, we are dealing here with fresh, uncured ham.
[3] A certain biscuit or cake made of must, spices and pepper,
perhaps baked on laurel leaves. Mustaceus was a kind of cake, the
flour of which had been kneaded with must, cheese, anise, etc., the
cake was baked upon laurel leaves.
[4] Tor. continues without interruption. He has the three foregoing
formulæ thrown into one.

XI

[290] BACON, SALT PORK LARIDI [1] COCTURA
COVER WITH WATER AND COOK WITH PLENTY OF DILL;
SPRINKLE WITH A LITTLE OIL AND A TRIFLE OF SALT.
[1] Lister, at this point, has forgotten his explanation of laridum, and
now accepts the word in its proper sense. This rather belated

correction by Lister confirms the correctness of our own earlier
observations. Cf. note to ℞ Nos. 41 and 148.

XII

LIVERS AND LUNGS JECINORA SIVE PULMONES

[291] SHEEP LIVER JECINORA HŒDINA VEL AGNINA [1]
COOK THUS: MAKE A MIXTURE OF WATER, MEAD, EGGS AND
MILK IN WHICH THOROUGHLY SOAK THE SLICED LIVER. STEW
THE LIVER IN WINE SAUCE, SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND
SERVE.
[1] G.-V. Iecinera hœdina.

[292] ANOTHER WAY TO COOK LUNG ALITER IN PULMONIBUS
LIVER AND LUNG ARE ALSO COOKED THIS WAY: [1] SOAK WELL
IN MILK, STRAIN IT OFF IF OFFENSIVE IN TASTE [2] BREAK 2
EGGS AND ADD A LITTLE SALT, MIX IN A SPOONFUL HONEY AND
FILL THE LUNG WITH IT, BOIL AND SLICE [3].
[1] Tor.
[2] Lungs of slaughtered animals are little used nowadays. The
soaking of livers in milk is quite common; it removes the offensive
taste of the gall.
[3] G.-V. continue without interruption.

[293] A HASH OF LIVER ALITER
CRUSH PEPPER, MOISTEN WITH BROTH, RAISIN WINE, PURE OIL,
CHOP THE LIGHTS [1] FINE AND ADD WINE SAUCE [2].
[1] Edible intestines, livers, lung, kidney, etc., are thus named.

[2] List., Tor., G.-V. have both recipes in one. Dann. is in doubt
whether to separate them or not.

XIII

HOME-MADE SWEET DISHES AND HONEY SWEET-MEATS DULCIA
DOMESTICA [1] ET MELCÆ

[294] HOME-MADE SWEETS DULCIA DOMESTICA
LITTLE HOME CONFECTIONS (WHICH ARE CALLED DULCIARIA)
ARE MADE THUS: [2] LITTLE PALMS OR (AS THEY ARE
ORDINARILY CALLED) [3] DATES ARE STUFFED—AFTER THE
SEEDS HAVE BEEN REMOVED—WITH A NUT OR WITH NUTS AND
GROUND PEPPER, SPRINKLED WITH SALT ON THE OUTSIDE AND
ARE CANDIED IN HONEY AND SERVED [4].
[1] Dulcia, sweetmeats, cakes; hence dulciarius, a pastry cook or
confectioner.
The fact that here attention is drawn to home-made sweet dishes
may clear up the absence of regular baking and dessert formulæ in
Apicius. The trade of the dulciarius was so highly developed at that
time that the professional bakers and confectioners supplied the
entire home market with their wares, making it convenient and
unprofitable for the domestic cook to compete with their organized
business, a condition which largely exists in our modern highly
civilized centers of population today. Cf. “Cooks.”
[2 + 3] Tor.
[4] Still being done today in the same manner.

[295] ANOTHER SWEETMEAT ALITER DULCIA
GRATE [scrape, peel] SOME VERY BEST FRESH APHROS [1] AND
IMMERSE IN MILK. WHEN SATURATED PLACE IN THE OVEN TO

HEAT BUT NOT TO DRY OUT; WHEN THOROUGHLY HOT RETIRE
FROM OVEN, POUR OVER SOME HONEY, STIPPLE [the fruit] SO
THAT THE HONEY MAY PENETRATE, SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER [2]
AND SERVE.
[1] Tor., Tac., Lan. musteos aphros; Vat. Ms., G.-V. afros; List.
apios, i.e. celery, which is farthest from the mark. Goll. interprets
this a “cider apple,” reminiscent, probably, of musteos, which is
fresh, new, young, and which has here nothing to do with cider.
Aphros is not identified. Perhaps the term stood for Apricots (Old
English: Aphricocks) or some other African fruit or plant; Lister’s
celery is to be rejected on gastronomical grounds.
The above treatment would correspond to that which is given
apricots and peaches today. They are peeled, immersed in cream and
sweetened with sugar. Apicius’ heating of the fruit in milk is new to
us; it sounds good, for it has a tendency to parboil any hard fruit,
make it more digestible and reduce the fluid to a creamy
consistency.
[2] The “pepper” again, as pointed out in several other places, here
is some spice of agreeable taste as are used in desserts today.

[296] ANOTHER SWEET DISH ALITER DULCIA
BREAK [slice] FINE WHITE BREAD, CRUST REMOVED, INTO
RATHER LARGE PIECES WHICH SOAK IN MILK [and beaten eggs]
FRY IN OIL, COVER WITH HONEY AND SERVE [1].
[1] “French” Toast, indeed!—Sapienti sat!

[297] ANOTHER SWEET ALITER DULCIA
IN A CHAFING-DISH PUT [1] HONEY, PURE WINE, RAISIN WINE,
RUE, PINE NUTS, NUTS, COOKED SPELT, ADD CRUSHED AND
TOASTED HAZELNUTS [2] AND SERVE.

[1] G.-V. Piperato mittis. Piperatum is a dish prepared with pepper,
any spicy dish; the term may here be applied to the bowl in which
the porridge is served. Tac. Dulcia piperata mittis.
[2] Dann. Almonds.

[298] ANOTHER SWEET ALITER DULCIA
CRUSH PEPPER, NUTS, HONEY, RUE, AND RAISIN WINE WITH
MILK, AND COOK THE MIXTURE [1] WITH A FEW EGGS WELL
WORKED IN, COVER WITH HONEY, SPRINKLE WITH [crushed nuts,
etc.] AND SERVE.
[1] Tractam, probably with a starch added, or else it is a nut custard,
practically a repetition of ℞ Nos. 129 and 143.

[299] ANOTHER SWEET ALITER DULCIA
TAKE A PREPARATION SIMILAR [1] [to the above] AND IN THE HOT
WATER [bath or double boiler] MAKE A VERY HARD PORRIDGE OF
IT. THEREUPON SPREAD IT OUT ON A PAN AND WHEN COOL CUT
IT INTO HANDY PIECES LIKE SMALL COOKIES. FRY THESE IN
THE BEST OIL, TAKE THEM OUT, DIP INTO [hot] HONEY,
SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER [2] AND SERVE.
[1] This confirms the assumption that some flour or meal is used in
℞ No. 298 also without which this present preparation would not
“stand up.”
[2] It is freely admitted that the word “pepper” not always stands for
the spice that we know by this name. Cf. note 2 to ℞ No. 295 et al.

[300] A STILL BETTER WAY ALITER
IS TO PREPARE THIS WITH MILK INSTEAD OF WATER.

[301] CUSTARD TYROPATINAM

ESTIMATE THE AMOUNT OF MILK NECESSARY FOR THIS DISH
AND SWEETEN IT WITH HONEY TO TASTE; TO A PINT [1] OF
FLUID TAKE 5 EGGS; FOR HALF A PINT [2] DISSOLVE 3 EGGS IN
MILK AND BEAT WELL TO INCORPORATE THOROUGHLY, STRAIN
THROUGH A COLANDER INTO AN EARTHEN DISH AND COOK ON
A SLOW FIRE [in hot water bath in oven]. WHEN CONGEALED
SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE [3].
[1] Sextarium.
[2] ad heminam.
[3] Dann. calls this a cheese cake, which is a far-fetched conclusion,
although standard dictionaries say that the tyropatina is a kind of
cheese cake. It must be borne in mind, however, that the ancient
definition of “custard” is “egg cheese,” probably because of the
similarity in appearance and texture.

Cf. ℞ Nos. 129 and 143.

[302] OMELETTE SOUFFLÉE [1] OVA SPHONGIA EX LACTE
FOUR EGGS IN HALF A PINT OF MILK AND AN OUNCE OF OIL
WELL BEATEN, TO MAKE A FLUFFY MIXTURE; IN A PAN PUT A
LITTLE OIL, AND CAREFULLY ADD THE EGG PREPARATION,
WITHOUT LETTING IT BOIL [2] HOWEVER. [Place it in the oven to let
it rise] AND WHEN ONE SIDE IS DONE, TURN IT OUT INTO A
SERVICE PLATTER [fold it] POUR OVER HONEY, SPRINKLE WITH
PEPPER [3] AND SERVE [4].
[1] Dann. misled by the title, interprets this dish as “Floating
Island”; he, the chef, has completely misunderstood the ancient
formula.
[2] Tor. sinas bullire—which is correct. List. facies ut bulliat—
which is monstrous.
[3] G.-V.
[4] Tor. continues without interruption.

[303] CHEESE AND HONEY MEL ET CASEUM [1]
PREPARE [cottage] CHEESE EITHER WITH HONEY AND BROTH
[brine] OR WITH SALT, OIL AND [chopped] CORIANDER [2].
[1] G.-V. Melca ... stum; List. mel castum, refined honey; Tac. Mel
caseum; Tor. mel, caseum. Cf. ℞ No. 294.
[2] To season cottage (fresh curd) cheese today we use salt, pepper,
cream, carraway or chopped chives; sometimes a little sugar.

XIV

[304] BULBS [1] BULBOS
SERVE WITH OIL, BROTH AND VINEGAR, WITH A LITTLE CUMIN
SPRINKLED OVER.
[1] Onions, roots of tulips, narcissus. Served raw sliced, with the
above dressing, or cooked. Cf. notes to ℞ No. 307.

[305] ANOTHER WAY ALITER
SOAK [1] THE BULBS AND PARBOIL THEM IN WATER;
THEREUPON FRY THEM IN OIL. THE DRESSING MAKE THUS:
TAKE THYME, FLEA-BANE, PEPPER, ORIGANY, HONEY,
VINEGAR, REDUCED WINE, DATE WINE, IF YOU LIKE [2] BROTH
AND A LITTLE OIL. SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE.
[1] Tor. tundes; probably a typographical error, as this should read
fundis, i.e. infundis. Wanting in the other texts.

[306] ANOTHER WAY ALITER
COOK THE BULBS INTO A THICK PURÉE [1] AND SEASON WITH
THYME, ORIGANY, HONEY, VINEGAR, REDUCED WINE, DATE
WINE, BROTH AND A LITTLE OIL.

[1] Tundes, i.e. mash. Practically a correction of ℞ No. 305, repeated
by Tor.

[307] VARRO SAYS OF BULBS [1] VARRO SI QUID DE BULBIS DIXIT
COOKED IN WATER THEY ARE CONDUCIVE TO LOVE [2] AND
ARE THEREFORE ALSO SERVED AT WEDDING FEASTS, BUT ALSO
SEASONED WITH PIGNOLIA NUT OR WITH THE JUICE OF
COLEWORT, OR MUSTARD, AND PEPPER.
[1] The first instance in Apicius where the monotony and business-
like recital of recipes is broken by some interesting quotation or
remark.
Brandt is of the opinion that this remark was added by a posterior
reader.
[2] The texts: qui Veneris ostium quærunt—“seek the mouth of
Venus.”
This favorite superstition of the ancients leads many writers, as
might be expected, into fanciful speculations. Humelberg, quoting
Martial, says: Veneram mirè stimulant, unde et salaces à Martiali
vocantur. 1. XIII, Ep. 34:

Cum sit anus conjunx, cum sint tibi mortua membra
Nil aliud, bulbis quam satur esse potes.

We fail to find this quotation from Varro in his works, M. Teren.
Varronis De Re Rustica, Lugduni, 1541, but we read in Columella
and Pliny that the buds or shoots of reeds were called by some
“bulbs,” by others “eyes,” and, remembering that these shoots make
very desirable vegetables when properly cooked, we feel inclined to
include these among the term “bulbs.” Platina also adds the squill or
sea onion to this category. Nonnus, p. 84, Diæteticon, Antwerp,
1645, quotes Columella as saying: Jam Magaris veniant genitalia
semina Bulbi.

[308] FRIED BULBS BULBOS FRICTOS
ARE SERVED WITH WINE SAUCE [Oenogarum].

XV

MUSHROOMS OR MORELS [1] FUNGI FARNEI VEL BOLETI

[309] MORELS [2] FUNGI FARNEI
MORELS ARE COOKED QUICKLY IN GARUM AND PEPPER, TAKEN
OUT, ALLOWED TO DRIP; ALSO BROTH WITH CRUSHED PEPPER
MAY BE USED [to cook the mushrooms in].
[1] It is noteworthy that the term spongiolus which creates so much
misunderstanding in Book II is not used here in connection with
mushrooms. Cf. ℞ No. 115.
[2] “Ashtree-Mushrooms.”

[310] FOR MORELS IN FUNGIS FARNEIS
PEPPER, REDUCED WINE, VINEGAR AND OIL.

[311] ANOTHER WAY OF COOKING MORELS ALITER FUNGI FARNEI
IN SALT WATER, WITH OIL, PURE WINE, AND SERVE WITH
CHOPPED CORIANDER.

[312] MUSHROOMS BOLETOS FUNGOS
FRESH MUSHROOMS ARE STEWED [1] IN REDUCED WINE WITH
A BUNCH OF GREEN CORIANDER, WHICH REMOVE BEFORE
SERVING.
[1] Tor.

[313] ANOTHER STYLE OF MUSHROOMS BOLETOS ALITER [1]
MUSHROOM STEMS [or buds, very small mushrooms] ARE COOKED
IN BROTH. SERVE SPRINKLED WITH SALT.
[1] Tor. Boletorum coliculi; G.-V. calyculos.

[314] ANOTHER WAY OF COOKING MUSHROOMS BOLETOS ALITER
SLICE THE MUSHROOM STEMS [1] [stew them as directed above] AND
FINISH BY COVERING THEM WITH EGGS [2] ADDING PEPPER,
LOVAGE, A LITTLE HONEY, BROTH AND OIL TO TASTE.
[1] Thyrsos.
[2] G.-V. in patellam novam; nothing said about eggs. Tor. concisos
in patellam; ovaque perfundes; Tac. ova perfundis.
A mushroom omelette.

XVI

[315] TRUFFLES TUBERA
SCRAPE [brush] THE TRUFFLES, PARBOIL, SPRINKLE WITH SALT,
PUT SEVERAL OF THEM ON A SKEWER, HALF FRY THEM; THEN
PLACE THEM IN A SAUCE PAN WITH OIL, BROTH, REDUCED
WINE, WINE, PEPPER, AND HONEY. WHEN DONE [retire the truffles]
BIND [the liquor] WITH ROUX, DECORATE THE TRUFFLES NICELY
AND SERVE [1].
[1] This formula clearly shows up the master Apicius. Truffles,
among all earthly things, are the most delicate and most subtle in
flavor. Only a master cook is privileged to handle them and to do
them justice.
Today, whenever we are fortunate enough to obtain the best fresh
truffles, we are pursuing almost the same methods of preparation as

described by Apicius.
The commercially canned truffles bear not even a resemblance of
their former selves.

[316] ANOTHER WAY TO PREPARE TRUFFLES ALITER TUBERA
[Par]BOIL THE TRUFFLES, SPRINKLE WITH SALT AND FASTEN
THEM ON SKEWERS, HALF FRY THEM AND THEN PLACE THEM
IN A SAUCE PAN WITH BROTH, VIRGIN OIL, REDUCED WINE, A
LITTLE PURE WINE [1] CRUSHED PEPPER AND A LITTLE HONEY;
ALLOW THEM TO FINISH [gently and well covered] WHEN DONE,
BIND THE LIQUOR WITH ROUX, PRICK THE TRUFFLES SO THEY
MAY BECOME SATURATED WITH THE JUICE, DRESS THEM
NICELY, AND WHEN REAL HOT, SERVE.
[1] Preferably Sherry or Madeira.

[317] ANOTHER WAY ALITER
IF YOU WISH YOU MAY ALSO WRAP THE TRUFFLES IN CAUL OF
PORK, BRAISE AND SO SERVE THEM.

[318] ANOTHER TRUFFLE ALITER TUBERA
STEW THE TRUFFLES IN WINE SAUCE, WITH PEPPER, LOVAGE,
CORIANDER, RUE, BROTH, HONEY, WINE, AND A LITTLE OIL.

[319] ANOTHER WAY FOR TRUFFLES ALITER TUBERA
BRAISE THE TRUFFLES WITH PEPPER, MINT, RUE, HONEY, OIL,
AND A LITTLE WINE. HEAT AND SERVE.

[320] ANOTHER WAY FOR TRUFFLES ALITER TUBERA [1]
PEPPER, CUMIN, SILPHIUM, MINT, CELERY, RUE, HONEY,
VINEGAR, OR WINE, SALT OR BROTH, A LITTLE OIL.

[1] Wanting in G.-V.

[321] ANOTHER WAY FOR TRUFFLES ALITER TUBERA [1]
COOK THE TRUFFLES WITH LEEKS, SALT, PEPPER, CHOPPED
CORIANDER, THE VERY BEST WINE AND A LITTLE OIL.
[1] Wanting in Tor.

This, to our notion of eating truffles, is the best formula, save ℞
Nos. 315 and 316.

XVII

TARO, DASHEEN IN COLOCASIO

[322] COLOCASIUM [1] TARO, DASHEEN COLOCASIUM
FOR THE COLOCASIUM (WHICH IS REALLY THE COLOCASIA
PLANT, ALSO CALLED “EGYPTIAN BEAN”) USE [2] PEPPER,
CUMIN, RUE, HONEY, OR BROTH, AND A LITTLE OIL; WHEN
DONE BIND WITH ROUX [3] COLOCASIUM IS THE ROOT OF THE
EGYPTIAN BEAN WHICH IS USED EXCLUSIVELY [4].

[1] Cf. notes to ℞ Nos. 74, 172, 216, 244; also the copious
explanations by Humelberg, fol. III.
[2] Tor. who is trying hard to explain the colocasium. His name,
“Egyptian Bean” may be due to the mealiness and bean-like texture
of the colocasium tuber; otherwise there is no resemblance to a
bean, except, perhaps, the seed pod which is not used for food. This
simile has led other commentators to believe that the colocasium in
reality was a bean.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has in recent years imported
various specimens of that taro species (belonging to the colocasia),
and the plants are now successfully being farmed in the southern

parts of the United States, with fair prospects of becoming an
important article of daily diet. The Department has favored us
repeatedly with samples of the taro, or dasheen, (Colocasium
Antiquorum) and we have made many different experiments with
this agreeable, delightful and important “new” vegetable. It can be
prepared in every way like a potato, and possesses advantages over
the potato as far as value of nutrition, flavor, culture and keeping
qualities are concerned. As a commercial article, it is not any more
expensive than any good kind of potato. It grows where the potato
will not thrive, and vice versa. It thus saves much in freight to parts
where the potato does not grow.
The ancient colocasium is no doubt a close relative of the modern
dasheen or taro. The Apician colocasium was perhaps very similar
to the ordinary Elephant-Ear, colocasium Antiquorum Schott, often
called caladium esculentum, or tanyah, more recently called the
“Dasheen” which is a corruption of the French “de Chine”—from
China—indicating the supposed origin of this variety of taro. The
dasheen is a broad-leaved member of the arum family. The name
dasheen originated in the West Indies whence it was imported into
the United States around 1910, and the name is now officially
adopted.
Mark Catesby, in his Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the
Bahama Islands, London, 1781, describes briefly under the name of
arum maximum Aegypticum a plant which was doubtless one of the
tanyahs or taros. He says: “This was a welcome improvement
among the negroes and was esteemed a blessing; they being
delighted with all their African food, particularly this, which a great
part of Africa subsists much on.”
Torinus, groping for the right name, calls it variously colosium,
coledium, coloesium, till he finally gets it right, colocasium.
[3] The root or tubers of this plant was used by the ancients as a
vegetable. They probably boiled and then peeled and sliced the
tubers, seasoning the pieces with the above ingredients, heated them

in bouillon stock and thickened the gravy in the usual way. Since the
tuber is very starchy, little roux is required for binding.
[4] Afterthought by Tor. printed in italics on the margin of his book.

XVIII

SNAILS COCHLEAS

[323] MILK-FED SNAILS COCHLEAS LACTE PASTAS
TAKE SNAILS AND SPONGE THEM; PULL THEM OUT OF THE
SHELLS BY THE MEMBRANE AND PLACE THEM FOR A DAY IN A
VESSEL WITH MILK AND SALT [1] RENEW THE MILK DAILY.
HOURLY [2] CLEAN THE SNAILS OF ALL REFUSE, AND WHEN
THEY ARE SO FAT THAT THEY CAN NO LONGER RETIRE [to their
shells] FRY THEM IN OIL AND SERVE THEM WITH WINE SAUCE. IN
A SIMILAR WAY THEY MAY BE FED ON A MILK PORRIDGE [3].
[1] Just enough so they do not drown.
[2] Wanting in Tor.
[3] The Romans raised snails for the table in special places called
cochlearia. Fluvius Hirpinus is credited with having popularized the
snail in Rome a little before the civil wars between Cæsar and
Pompey. If we could believe Varro, snails grew to enormous
proportions. A supper of the younger Pliny consisted of a head of
lettuce, three snails, two eggs, a barley cake, sweet wine,
refrigerated in snow.
Snails as a food are not sufficiently appreciated by the Germanic
races who do not hesitate to eat similar animals and are very fond of
such food as oysters, clams, mussels, cocles, etc., much of which
they even eat in the raw state.

[324] ANOTHER WAY ALITER