From Publishers Weekly
Faas, a Dutch food historian and chef, opens with the caveats that this is "no historical treatise" and that the more than 150 recipes will be difficult to prepare in a modern kitchen. Excuses aside, this is a capable study of the fascinating ancient Roman culture and the foods that graced its tables. A culinary history leads up to and through the Empire, when imported foods were all the rage and forks were unheard of. (Slaves were ordered to grow long hair so that their masters could wipe their hands on it.) Granted that these recipes are unlikely to be usable, as Faas points out, it's still unfortunate that such recipes as Broad Beans with Meatballs leave out certain details (such as, the type of pan used and the cooking time). Although Faas is most enthusiastic about foods that won't cause the modern palate to salivate-e.g., Stuffed Mouse and Dolphin Balls as well as "the meat of nursing puppies"-of greatest interest here are the comparisons between ancient Roman foods and modern Italian cooking. A dish of Fried Courgettes marinated in vinegar would not be out-of-place on today's antipasto table, and the Lupin beans that were once fed to livestock are now brined and eaten as a snack.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Booklist
Translated from the original Dutch, this book documents Roman cooking in its historical and anthropological setting from the city's founding to the empire's collapse. The result serves to correct many myths about ancient Rome's eating habits, and the book also provides menus and recipes for those who want to explore one of civilization's first sophisticated cuisines. As Faas documents, Romans loved strongly flavored foods, and they used imported spices liberally, with so much black pepper in some dishes that modern palates would find them unattractive and overwhelmingly hot. Faas inventories Roman foodstuffs one by one, noting their origins and uses. Although bread was a staple, Romans consumed plenty of meat. The more exotic the animal, the more sought after it was, and the Romans eagerly devoured beasts after they first entertained in the amphitheater. To restrain this eating mania, Rome instituted some of the first sumptuary laws. Faas' intriguing recipes are generally reproducible, but they often rely on access to primitive spices and herbs such as lovage and pennyroyal. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
