"Cookery - Roman"

Not being skilled as a cook with historic propensities and thinking that I should start somewhere I picked up Jane Renfrew's "Roman Cookery - Recipes and History". That was a couple of months ago. The pocket-sized booklet has about 96 pages which includes parts on Recipes (31 pages) and History (44 pages) of food in Roman Britain, techiques of preparation, equipment and serving food. A rich harvest of photographs illustrates the text in an appropriate manner - many were taken by Peter Williams. For the would-be devotee of Roman cookery the author has provided a short Bibliography and an Index of about 60 recipes in the book

Wanting to treat my grandchildren to a special breakfast my first attempt was boiled "White Mice in a Green Herb Sauce". I left out the green herb sauce as being likely as not to be too tart and alcoholic for breakfast. The children were not squeamish about the mice! (I should say that no mammals* were used in the recipe.)

At breakfast we adopted a traditional modern style of eating - none of the lolling about on cushions with entertainment as per banqueting Roman style - the exception, perhaps, was me as a both a "slave" and non-Roman entertainer.

The Romans in the British Isles and Romano-Britons (all of wealth, I suppose) seemed to eat to an exceptionally fine menu including: milk-fed snails, "dormice" (recipe not given), partridge, oysters, venison and various cakes. Honey was a favoured ingredient as too was liquamen - fermented entrails of fish - the least appertising item for my palate!

* To doubly reassure my readers I add that the "white mice" were hard-boiled eggs!

Published by English Heritage 2004 (revised edition) ISBN 1 85074 870 5