Roman Food and MMO's....

A year or so back, the MMO "City of Heroes" released Issue 12, the 12th in the series of free expansions. One of the new game play scenarios for Issue 12, was time travel, and one of the places you could go was ancient Rome. I love Rome, not the city (as it stands now) but the history of it and the HBO series. I also love the Rome of "Angles and Demons", "Jumper", even "Roman Holiday".
Here is my take on Historic Roman Food, a little history, a little Alton Brown and a little MMO fun. This article was originally written for The City Scoop, a e-fan-zine on the discussion boards of "City of Heroes/City of Villains".


With Issue 12’s subject matter and myself being a bit of a food historian, I thought I would step back and shed some light on the food of ancient Rome, the Italian peninsula and the whole of the Roman Empire.
The first major food fallacy is that there was no pasta in Italy before Marco Polo. This is so wrong; however it was not the pastas we are used to. Since the tomato is a New World crop as is corn, bell peppers and chilies, these were not staples in the Roman diet, so no Marana, no Bolognaise, no nada. However there were wheat dumplings that were boiled in salted water or stuffed with fillings of cheeses, herbs and meat, then baked or boiled. These were often served with sauces of browned butter, cream and cheeses, plain or with the “Roman Ketchup”. This sauce was truly the ancestor of Worcestershire sauce and the Asian fish sauce, and was made similar to the Asian style. The leftovers of the fishing industry were set in the warm Roman sunshine to ferment, with a lot of salt to keep the flies away. After about a month, the guts and heads were reduced to a lemon yellow paste that was used on just about everything from the morning portage to the evening meals.
Most food was boiled, since it was easier to maintain a temperature in water. And when you are cooking over open fire this can be a plus. Mini ovens, similar to the Middle Eastern Tanginess were often used as well. Terracotta vessels, often with leaded glazes, were placed in or near the fire and left to bake all day. Bread was the main staple of the Roman diet, for all classes, from slaves to the wealthiest Senator. But don’t think that it was the white fluffy stuff we have today. All of the Roman flour was stone ground and leavened with wild yeasts. It had most of its proteins in tact, had a more chewy texture and, if you were poor, little bits of granite from the mill. Fish was also a main stay of the free Roman diet, since it was readily available. Meat was highly prized since it was so hard to store. Beef wasn’t really that often eaten, keeping cows for dairy was common though. Chickens and other domesticated fowl were also kept for eggs. Goats and sheep were also a source of proteins. However there were other meat sources, most common to the larger cities and the lower classes. Rat and pigeon were common tavern fair, often being caught in the building itself.
Speaking of taverns, yes wine was the primary drink of the Roman world, but again not as we are used to it today. Most wine was diluted with water or milk, heated, spiced or sopped up with bread. It was really a social faux pas to be drunk or drink undiluted wine.
Any liquid that could be fermented was, this was a natural occurrence and a great way to preserve things. Grape and other fruit juices for wines, wheat for beers and honey for mead, all fermented using the natural wild yeasts in the air. The quality of the beverage again was dependant on a person’s station and personal wealth. The poor receiving the dregs, wine with more in common with vinegar than with Chianti. One thing is true, all wine was red, and this is due to the nature of the wine making process.
No meal would be complete without desert, and Roman meals were no exception. Bread could be layered with fruit, honey and cream to make a trifle / parfait, or English style puddings could be baked with mashed fruit, bread crumbs, honey and spices. It would be a long time before cannolies and tiramisu.
If you are ready for your own Roman Feast, here are a few recipes, and instructions on how to make a clay oven.


Fast clay oven

Measure the inside of your standard oven or interior of your BBQ, if you are cooking over an open fire you can skip this step. Head to a hardware store or garden center and buy a terracotta pot set, pot and saucer, which will fit in your oven or BBQ. Make sure that when the pot is turned upside down, not only will it fit in your oven but there is room between the lip of the pot and the lip of the saucer. Preheat your new clay oven by placing it into your main heat source and then turning on the heat. If you are using an open fire, just let it get to a decent temperature before you start cooking.


Clay oven fish with herbs

4 whole dressed trout or other fresh water fish
Fresh herbs, rosemary, thyme, dill, bay leaf, parsley
Butter
Salt

Lightly grease a sheet of aluminum foil (not authentic but great for easy cleanup) with butter. Lightly salt the fish, inside and out. Stuff the fish with the herbs. Preheat your oven and clay oven to 350 deg. F. Then bake for 15 - 30 min or until the fish is firm, and slightly flaky. Pepper is a nice touch, but also not historically accurate. If you want to you can buy a cedar plank from a cooking supply store to add more authentic flavor.


Pear and plum pudding

2 pears, slightly soft, peeled and cubed
2 plums pealed and cube
½ of unseasoned bread crumbs
Up to ¼ cup of honey (depending on the sweetness of the fruit)
1 egg
Cinnamon, nutmeg and clove to taste

In a medium bowl add the fruit, mash with the back of a wooden spoon until a paste is formed. Add the bread crumbs, honey egg and spices; stir until it is well combined. Grease a shallow baking dish, pie tin or cake round with some butter; pour the mixture into the dish. Bake inside your clay oven, at 350 deg. F. for about 30 min or until the mixture is set and a knife sent into the center comes out clean. Turn out and cool, then slice like a cake or leave in the pan and spoon out portions.

(These recipes were taken from a BBC/History International show on Roman England.)