Ancient Roman eating habits

ROMAN BANQUETS

Before eating, the guests at a Roman aristocrat's banquet changed their clothes putting on a woolen tunic provided for this purpose.

The dishes were presented first to the master of the house, accompanied by music and a servant executing a dance step. Meanwhile the guests, both men and women, ate reclining with a crown of flowers over their heads.

If a diner became too full to eat anymore, a servant was called over to tickle his throat. He then vomited into a special bowl kept for that purpose, and proceeded with the rest of the meal.

Belching at the table was a sign of politeness.

The banquets were livened up by performances by acrobats, dancers, flute players and theatrical performances.

Banquet in Nero's palace 

Knives and spoons were only occasionally used; most people ate with their fingers despite the prevalence of sticky sauces.

DIET OF THE ROMANS

Meat was an expensive food, as herds of domestic animals were rare. The majority of the population in the Roman empire, especially in its early days. lived on pulmentum, a porridge of barley, chickpeas or emmer wheat flour. It was made by roasting, and pounding the grain then cooking it in a large cauldron. Sometimes it was diluted with milk and it was accompanied by bread, fish or ground pine nuts.

Meanwhile in a Roman villa in Britain, the day began with a light breakfast of bread and fruit whilst in wealthy citizens in Rome started the day with such items as bean meal mash and unleavened bread-cakes.

Lunch or "prandium" at noon consisted of a cold meal of eggs, fish and vegetables or in Rome fruit, a sweetmeat and cheese.

Dinner, the "convium" would commence at 4.00pm and last several hours. It would start with a small course of something like cheese with herbs, seasoned eggs, nuts and shellfish, followed by two main courses of enormous quantities of meat or fish.

Pompeii family feast painting Naples.

The Romans were passionate about fish and the best quality eels, lampreys etc were kept, transported and sold live.

Fish sauces were often used to disguise the poor taste of the food. A popular one was liquamen made from the gills blood and the inside of the fish left with salt to stew in the sun.

The exceptionally wealthy Romans ate elaborate dishes such as dormice and songbirds garnished with rich sauces, herbs and spices. Other choice dishes were grilled feet of a camel or pink flamingo tongue. The diners would then finish off with elaborate pastries sweetened with honey and finally fruits with wine.

Sometimes the Roman troops ate their meat in pies. The pastry made from flour, oil and water was wrapped round the meat keeping it warm on long marches.

When not eating meat the Roman soldiers' diet was gruel made from wheat together with cheese, onions and salted fish.

ROMAN COOKING

The primary ingredient of Roman cooking was garum, a pungent paste made out of fermented fish entrails.

The Romans loved to combine sweet and sour tastes, such as coriander and pepper and honey was used to flavor savory as well as sweet dishes.

They didn't waste any meat - anything edible is eaten, except the bones and eyes.

Fast-food outlets known as popinae served fried fish, ham and sausages.

Food was prepared with a sense of occasion and theater: desserts were disguised as pyramids, birds sculpted out of veal, root vegetables carved in the shape of fish.

Ancient British cooking was primitive until the arrival of the Romans, who brought with them the concept of using eggs to blend and set foods.

FUN ROMAN CULINARY FACTS

Drusus Caesar, son of the Roman emperor Tiberius, so loved broccoli that he ate little else for more than a month. He only stopped when his urine turned green.

The Roman emperor Varius Avitus Bassianus (218-222), also known as Heliogabalus was notorious for his culinary extravagances. A different colored dinner service appeared at every feast he gave which was composed of such meats as chicken, pork or pheasant.

Heliogabalus By © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro 

Heliogabalus devised a moveable day-long feast around the city of Rome, eating the starter at one house, the main course at another, and the dessert at a third.

Heliogabalus, once dined on the brains of 600 ostriches accompanied by peas laced with gold and rice sprinkled with pearls.

Sources Food For Thought by Ed Pearce, The London Times