a bout ancient Roman eating habits Cibus The diet was similar to a modern Mediterranean diet except there were no potatoes tomatoes peppers corn or chilies Bread provided the basic accompaniment to any meal ID: 718621
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Slide1
Cibus
Every
morsel
of information you EVER wanted to know
a
bout ancient Roman eating habits!Slide2
Cibus
The diet was similar to a modern Mediterranean diet, except there were no potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, corn, or chilies
Bread provided the basic accompaniment to any meal
Prepared sauces could be purchase in the market or made at home (fish sauces, sweet sauces, etc ) Slide3
Cibus
A favorite sauce was
garum
Made from fish guts, heavily salted, and then allowed to ferment in large open tanks Seasoning tended to be hot, spicy, and sweet and sour Slide4
Cibus
The principal diet of the Roman plebeians, the peasant class, is radically different from the diet of the upper class.
Their staple foods consisted mainly of wheat or barley, olive oil, wine, some fish and homegrown vegetables.Slide5
Cibus
Meat was expensive
Pork was the most popular meat in Rome
Fish was probably in the same price bracket as meat Since meat and fish were expensive, most Romans relied on bread and vegetablesSlide6
Cibus
Fruits: apples, pears, plums, quinces (resembles a pear, from the Middle East), apricots, peaches, pomegranates, cherries Slide7
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Nuts: almonds, filberts, hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts
Produce: Artichokes, carrots, melons, asparagus, chicory, onions, beans, cucumbers, peas, beets, garlic, poppy seeds, cabbage, lentils, pumpkins, radishes, turnips
Not eaten: potatoes, corn, tomatoes Beverages: water, milk, wine Slide8
Cibus
Because many Romans lived in apartments without kitchens, they would not bake their own
breads.
A baker, pistor, could become quite
wealthy!Slide9
Cibus
3 meals were served a day:
Breakfast –
Ientaculum It was a small meal if anything Some sort of bread, some wine, and cheese and/or fruitSlide10
Cibus
Lunch –
Prandium
For the wealthy it would be a light, cold lunch For plebs it would often be their main meal and often would be a one pot dish Dinner for the plebs – Vesperna
Probably no meat, very plain one-dish meal
No couch for reclining Slide11
Cibus
Dinner -
Cena
main meal for the wealthy peopleThree courses:Starter – gustus
,
gustatio
Main meal
–
cena
prima,
cena
secunda
,
cena
tertia
Dessert –
secunda
mensa
was cakes and/or fruits
The
cena
was the
only
meal eaten while reclining Slide12
Culina Slide13
Culina
In wealthy homes, slaves did the cooking
Most of the cooking was carried out on small iron tripods and gridirons over burning charcoalSlide14
Kitchen from the
House of the
Vettii
in PompeiiSlide15
Buccellare
Spoons were the only pieces of cutlery that seem to have been used regularly
Two prong forks existed, but their use is not described in literature
It is possible the forks were used in restaurants and bars where customers wanted to eat their food more quickly without dirtying their hands
Double bladed knives were used for mincing Slide16
Buccellare
As food was eaten at the table with fingers and bread, everything was either chopped into manageable chunks or pureed before serving Slide17Slide18
Vomitorium
a
vomitorium
was a passageway in an amphitheater or theater that opened into a tier of seats from below or behind. The vomitoria deposited mobs of people into their seats and afterward disgorged them with equal abruptness into the streetsSlide19
Triclinium
The triclinium was named after the three couches typically found in the dining rooms of upper-class Romans
The lectus, or couch, was an all-purpose piece of furniture. Usually made of wood with bronze adornments, the open bottom was crisscrossed with leather straps, which supported stuffed cushions
A chair with a back (cathedra), for example, was considered suitable only for women or old menDining couches were fairly wide, for each couch held three diners, who reclined on their left side resting on large cushions while slaves served them multi-course mealsSlide20