Ancient Roman Meals Essay Research Paper Ancient

Ancient Roman Meals Essay, Research Paper

Ancient Roman Meals

The ancient Romans were similar to todays generations in their eating

habits but never ate three hearty meals a day. Ientaculum and prandium were

merely appetizers that filled their stomachs unitl the large cena, the event

they look forward to since awakening. They had names for their meals similar to

ours, breakfast (ientaculum), lunch (prandium), and dinner (cena).

Breakfast, ientaculum was usually taken about nine o’clock and consisted

of merely a few pieces of bread sprinkled in salt or dipped in wine, and with a

few raisins and olives, and a little cheese added. The poorest Romans ate

little other than wheat either crushed to make a porridge or ground into flour

for bread.

Lunch, or prandium was usually taken at noon. It was usually nothing

more than a piece of bread accompanied by cold meat, vegetables, and fruit

washed down with a glass of wine. Both ientaculum and prandium were so short

there was no need to set the table or wash ones hands.

The only serious meal was the evening dinner or cena. Dinner time was

practically the same for all Romans due to the lack of artificial light. Dinner

was after the bath at the end of the eigth hour in winter and at the ninth in

summer. The food is mostly cold,-breads, salads, olives, cheeses, and meats

remaing from last nights dinner. Occasionally, hot dishes such as ham and pig’s

heads are feasted upon. Some wealthy Romans would have as many as seven courses

to feed on.

Trimalchio, a wealthy Roman would have a bronzed donkey with appetizer

dishes of olives, stuffed dormice rolled in honey and poppy seed, hot sausages

were laid on a silver grill next to pomegranate and damson seeds. The guests

were still busy with the hors d’oeuvres when a tray would be brought in with a

basket on it, in which there was a wooden hen spreading her wings. Under the

straw were Peahen eggs that would base passed out. Each egg contained a fat

becafico rolled up in spiced egg yolkf. There were plates with the twelve signs

of Zodiac on them that had food matas ching the symbol, ram, bull, crab, figs,

lion, etc. Some hosts would heat a wfshole pig and then entertain his guests by

having skilled swordmen carve the pa fig like he was killing it. After eating,

many guests would entertain each othed sfr in belching. It was considered

polite to belch and release wind after a ni sce meal. Guests would simply snap

their fingers and servants would come running with vases to contain urine.

Spitting was also allowed on the floors of the triclinium.

It is hard to imagine eating after a large dinner but dessert was next.

In rich homes, dessert would be served after a bath and then led into a second

dining room where wine flowed like water. Dessert consisted of every kind of

fruit imaginable. Poppy-seed mixed with honey is a standard dish for dessert

The majority of the common Romans baked bread in public bakeries. The

standard loaves are made very flat, about two inches thick, and marked with

notches on the top. There were three kinds of grains used to make bread.

Coarse grain (panis sordidus) for the common people. Panis secundus for the

higher class and the very white and sweet siligincus for the rich. At feasts

there will be wonderful pastry castles and sweet cakes truly amazing with the

use of honey, chopped fruits, and nuts.

Vegetables and fruits were plenitful in Rome. For many miles one could

see gardens that send artichokes, asparagus, beans, beets, cucumber, lentils,

melons, onions, peas, and pumpkins into the city. Garlic is also very popular

in Roman dishes. Italy was an excellent fruit country and apples, pears, plums,

grapes, and quinces were common in the markets. A wide selection of nuts

including walnuts, filberts, and almonds were used in cooking and jsut plain

eating. Peaches, apricots, cherries, and pomegranates were found in Rome but

were not as abundant. Salad greens were in great demand in Rome.

The demand for meat in Rome was constantly increasing as the years went

by. Butcher shops became more popular which allowed poor people the opportunity

to get meat. The poor people would buy goat’s flesh which was competely ignored

by finniky eaters. Beef was never really popular in Rome. Common people never

tasted beef unless it was presented at a sacrifice or great public festival.

Even for the rich, beef was no real treat. Pork was always popular. Pork in

all forms especially bacon and sausage was a treat to all Romans. Poultry was

in greater demand than meat. Coops full of common fowl, ducks, and geese were

on sale on every street corner. Hares, rabbits, venison, and wild boar were

also available. The butcher shops were far less important than the fish dealer

shops. Poor people would eat salt fish of pickled fish, from little sardines to

slices of the

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