This and more were discussed at a recent seminar titled Pickled Lettuce, Boiled Pigeon & Amber Wine: Eating Like a Roman, held at Co.As.It. in Carlton as part of National Archaeology Week. The event was presented in collaboration with the University of Melbourne and the Hellenic Museum, and was masterfully led by Professor Tamara Lewit, who made millennia-old culinary practices (conceptually) digestible and captivating for the entire audience (including the youngest attendee, a lone child).
Professor Lewit is an Honorary Fellow at the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne and a member of the Society of Antiquaries of London. She’s a passionate researcher and communicator of Roman and late antiquity history. Lewit has also collaborated with her sister, acclaimed author Anna Ciddor, contributing to two of her children’s novels set in Ancient Roman.
“How can we know what people were actually eating 2000 years ago?” Lewit asked at the start of the talk. “Fortunately, we have a Roman recipe collection containing 500 dishes. It’s known as De Re Coquinaria.”
Thanks to this cookbook, we know that the ancient Romans were, in many ways, pioneers of what we now call the Mediterranean diet, famous for its emphasis on fresh ingredients like meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, legumes, cereals and, of course, plenty of olive oil.
At its peak, the Roman Empire spanned the entire Mediterranean basin, the northern coast of Africa, much of Europe and even parts of Britain. “So, we might wonder,” Lewit said, “were these populations conquered not only by the Roman army, but also by Roman food?” It’s not so different from what McDonald’s has achieved in the modern world!” While fast food menus are standardised globally, they often include local variations - just like Roman cuisine.
The type of meat consumed varied by region. In Italy, pork was especially popular due to pigs’ rapid reproduction and the ease of salting and curing pork, an essential method for preserving food during long military campaigns. “At the Roman site of Vindolanda on Hadrian’s Wall in Scotland, we found tablets recording a centurion named Felicio paying for 45 pounds of bacon,” Lewit noted. Meanwhile, in the rugged highlands of Turkey, sheep and goats were more suitable livestock, as shown by animal remains discovered in the area.
Much like in modern Tuscan cuisine, animal offal was prized and often seasoned with herbs and spices like cumin, mint, coriander, thyme, oregano and sage, along with a salty fermented fish sauce. This appears to be something similar to modern curry.
Romans were also avid fish consumers. In contrast to today’s global average of just 10 per cent, fish made up around 30 per cent of the Roman diet. “A recent collagen analysis of skeletons from Herculaneum revealed that women ate more meat, while men consumed more fish,” Lewit explained, “It’s likely because many of them were fishermen, as suggested by specific skeletal markers.”
“In archaeology, as in other fields, isotopic analysis shows different results in bones depending on whether someone ate more fish or more meat. After all, we are what we eat.”
Olive oil was another staple of the time, used not only in cooking and baking but also as a base for perfumes. During production, olives were crushed in stone mills much like those still found in parts of Europe and the Mediterranean just a few centuries ago. Nothing was wasted.
“After pressing and decanting, the leftover pulp, which was smelly and thick, was repurposed as insect repellent, fertiliser, lubricant and leather treatment. Crushed seeds were even used as fuel,” Lewit said. “In fact, a recent Spanish initiative aims to convert olive byproducts into biofuel for airplanes,” she added, providing another example of how Roman-era innovations remain relevant today.
Wine production in Italy dates back to at least the third century BCE. At the time, wine was a daily necessity, largely because drinking water was often contaminated with pathogens. “Alcohol sterilises the pH, it’s antibacterial,” Lewit explained. “Romans, like the Greeks, drank large quantities of wine, usually diluted with water. Roman doctors even recommended weaning infants with wine-soaked bread.”
Some ancient wine-making methods, like fermenting grapes in buried terracotta amphorae to maintain a stable temperature, are still used today by many “natural wine” producers.
What the Romans couldn’t understand, though, was why wine sometimes turned to vinegar or spoiled. Remedies ranged from adding marble dust, pine resin and crushed shells to making offerings to the gods. If the wine was still undrinkable, it was relegated to the lower classes. In some cases, spoiled wine was mixed with ingredients like wormwood, ground snails or even pigeon droppings and used as medicine.
Food and wine also played a key role in funeral rites. Many Roman graves have been found with small holes, through which wine was poured so the deceased could enjoy it in the afterlife.
Then, of course, there were the grand banquets, opulent affairs that have been immortalised in paintings and classic films like Fellini’s Satyricon. Hosted by the elite, these feasts took place in the triclinium, the formal dining room not found in most ordinary homes. Guests reclined barefoot on cushioned couches, dressed in comfortable garments and were surrounded by flowers, incense and perfumes (often used to mask the odour of unrefrigerated meat and fish). Entertainment included dancers, poets and musicians.
Proper table etiquette included eating with the right hand, never reaching for the first portion, chewing slowly, refraining from speaking while eating, sipping wine in small amounts and summoning servants with words rather than whistles or finger snaps.
For the wealthy, flamingo meat was a delicacy and was typically served with leeks and a sauce made from pepper, cumin, coriander, mint, vinegar and dates.
For the average Roman, though, meals were more modest, often eaten standing. In major cities, food was usually bought from street vendors and taken to go. For the poor, basic staples included wild birds, goats, snails, fruit and barley porridge.
“Bread and grain were often distributed for political reasons, mainly to adult male citizens who could vote,” Lewit pointed out. “If you were an immigrant or fatherless child, tough luck.”
It’s enough to tempt you into playing spot the difference.
