I have been remiss: I’ve neglected to introduce you to one of the books I acquired this Christmas: A Concise Encyclopedia of Gastronomy (originally published 1952) by famous English wine merchant Andre L. Simon. Apologies for the omission; I hope a slice of blackberry cake will set things right.
Friends, bloggers, countrymen…we have reached the last of the Roman posts (for this series, at least). Thank you all for bearing with me, and for leaving such wonderful encouraging comments throughout this pet project of mine. We go out on a sweet note…
Dulcia piperata: . . . mittis mel, merum, passum, rutam. eo mittis nucleos, nuces, alicam elixatam. concisas nuces avellanas tostas adicies, et inferes.
– Apicius, De Re Coquinaria VII.xi.4
Translation: Add in honey, wine, raisin wine, and rue. Mix into this pine nuts, nuts, and boiled cracked wheat. Add chopped toasted hazelnut and serve.
And now back to filling my front page with Latin…
Lenticulam de castaneis. Accipies caccabum novum, et castaneas purgatas diligenter mittis. Adicies aquam et nitrum modice, facies ut coquatur. Cum coquitur, mittis in mortario piper, cuminum, semen coriandri, mentam, rutam, laseris radicem, puleium, fricabis. suffundis acetum, mel, liquamen, aceto temperabis, et super castaneas coctas refundis. adicies oleum, facies ut ferveat. cum bene ferbuerit, tudiclabis [ut in mortario teres]. gustas, si quid deest, addes. cum in boletar miseris, addes oleum viridem.
– Apicius, De Re Coquinaria V.ii.2
Translation: Take a new saucepan, put carefully peeled chestnuts in it, add water and a little soda and set it to cooking. While it is cooking, crush in the mortar pepper, cumin, coriander seed, mint, rue, laser root and pennyroyal. Moisten with vinegar, honey, and fish sauce; add vinegar to taste and pour over the cooked chestnuts. Add oil and bring to a boil. When it is simmering, crush the nuts as you would in the mortar. Taste to see if something is missing and if so, put it in. When you have put it in a serving dish, add green virgin oil.
I’m taking a brief break from our normally scheduled Ancient Roman programming to update you on the results of the wonderful, successful Bake Sale for Japan held nationwide this past Saturday.
Haudus sive agnum Particum: mittes in turnum; teres piper rutam cepam satureiam damascena enucleata laseris modicum vinum liquamen et oleum. feruens colluitur in disco, ex aceto sumitur.
– Apicius, De Re Coquinaria VIII.vi.10
Translation: Parthian kid or lamb: Put it in the oven. Grind together pepper, rue, onion, savory, pitted, damsons, laser, wine, fish sauce, and oil. Douse the meat in boiling sauce, and serve it with vinegar.
In metulis: liquamen porrum concisum cuminum passum satureiam uinum; mixtum facies aquatius et ibi mitulos quoques.
– Apicius, De Re Coquinaria IX.ix
Translation: For mussels: fish sauce, chopped leek, cumin, raisin wine, savory, wine; add water to the mixture and cook the mussels in it.
In ovis hapalis: piper, ligusticum, nucleos infusos. suffundes mel, acetum, liquamine temperabis.
– Apicius, De Re Coquinaria VII.xvii.3
In English: “For soft-boiled eggs: pepper, lovage, soaked nuts. Pour on honey, vinegar, mix in fish sauce.”
