02-06-2005, 10:45 AM
Junkelmann did an excellen book on this one, 'panis militaris'. I don't know iof it has been translatred. However, even if not it is amply clear the image of the Roman soldier as a grain-munching, vegetarian ascetic is hogwash.<br>
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It is quite likely that Roman soldiers ate mostly cereal products, and quite often only. The options would be either bread (and the ovens often excavated at military sites, plus the general favour bred found in the Roman world - vide Cato's commet onthe ancestors eating no bread - make this the more likely) or porridges (which would be easier to make and have 'mos maiorum' stamp of approval). I suspect that bread was favored because the organisation was there. On the march I also think simple flatbread would be the better option (if the troops aren't carrying biscuits) because cooking pulses, while easy, is much more time-consuming (cracked wheat that isn't parboiled takes hours).<br>
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That is not yet saying the bread (or porridge) was hard, grainy and plain. We know Roman soldiers preferred wheat over all other grains, and while their bread was unlikely to be made of bolted flour, it would not necessarily be made of coarse-ground meal, especially if larger mills are at hand. Cato's 'de agri cultura' is a good source for the kind of feast day cuisine we can expect in a rural, simple context, and he has a variety of breads, cakes and pulses that can be made tasty with local herbs, cheese, honey, caroenum and other ingredients that would have been available without problems. There is no reason to assume the troops would not have done this when time and finances permitted, and I think modern research is in agreement that Roman soldiers were not poor.<br>
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We also have archeological evidence from military sites for consumption of oil, olives, dates, fish and meat of various animals, and garum. There is no way we can gauge the frequency, but it was certainly there. Personally, given the ready availability of meat and dairy products in much of northern Europe, fish and olive oil in the med, dates and sesame oil on the Euphrates frontier and local fruit and vegetables everywhere, I find the idea that Roman soldiers did not eat them pretty inconceivable.<br>
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When it comes to beverages, water must certainly have played a role - the Romans relished good drinking water. However, wine can not be excluded given that the explosion of vineyards in northern Gaul and the trade to the Rhine and Britain had as its main customer base communities of soldiers and veterans. Then there are the amphora shards in military sites. In Roman literature, the soldier stereotype is so frequently drunk we would come to believe they spent their days staggering from popina to popina. This is certainly exaggerated, but to assume they did not drink alcoholic beverages at all is unwarranted. Maybe no beer, at least in the first and second generation. I'm not even sold on the idea that posca involved vinegar rather than sour wine or verjuice. I've tried all three, and the first is the least satisfying unless you use very high-quality wine vinegar.<br>
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Papyrological evidence indicates soldiers occasionally requisitioned, 'liberated' or extorted foodstuff and those on official business could claim hospitality, including food. Thus we know that at least in the East the troops liked local fare. Since we also know it was for sale I think it is a safe assumption to make that they also bought it, though I have yet to see a piece of evidence that actually proves this<br>
<br>
My reconstruction of a Roman soldier's daily fare would revolve around simple whole wheat bread, but include (depending on season and location) olive or sesame oil, 'formaticum' cheese, olives, dates, fresh fruit, onions, garlic, fresh or dried herbs, curdled milk, cooked vegtables, beans or peas, and sometimes bacon or cured ham, pickled, smoked or dried fish (though not of course, all at the same time. That is the hallmark of a refrigerator culture). None of these items would have been prohibitively expensive, and all could have been made readily available. The common drink would have been water, sometimes mixed with vinegar or low-quality wine.<br>
<br>
On holidays, there may have been finer fare - fresh meat (of sacrificial animals) or fish (bought - the Romans did not sacrifice fish the Promethean way), honey, caroenum, imported dainties or elaborately cooked dishes. I can make most of Apicius' and Vinidarius' stuff with the resources of a field kitchen, given enough time and helpers, but that, of course, would have been the crux most days. <p></p><i></i>
<br>
It is quite likely that Roman soldiers ate mostly cereal products, and quite often only. The options would be either bread (and the ovens often excavated at military sites, plus the general favour bred found in the Roman world - vide Cato's commet onthe ancestors eating no bread - make this the more likely) or porridges (which would be easier to make and have 'mos maiorum' stamp of approval). I suspect that bread was favored because the organisation was there. On the march I also think simple flatbread would be the better option (if the troops aren't carrying biscuits) because cooking pulses, while easy, is much more time-consuming (cracked wheat that isn't parboiled takes hours).<br>
<br>
That is not yet saying the bread (or porridge) was hard, grainy and plain. We know Roman soldiers preferred wheat over all other grains, and while their bread was unlikely to be made of bolted flour, it would not necessarily be made of coarse-ground meal, especially if larger mills are at hand. Cato's 'de agri cultura' is a good source for the kind of feast day cuisine we can expect in a rural, simple context, and he has a variety of breads, cakes and pulses that can be made tasty with local herbs, cheese, honey, caroenum and other ingredients that would have been available without problems. There is no reason to assume the troops would not have done this when time and finances permitted, and I think modern research is in agreement that Roman soldiers were not poor.<br>
<br>
We also have archeological evidence from military sites for consumption of oil, olives, dates, fish and meat of various animals, and garum. There is no way we can gauge the frequency, but it was certainly there. Personally, given the ready availability of meat and dairy products in much of northern Europe, fish and olive oil in the med, dates and sesame oil on the Euphrates frontier and local fruit and vegetables everywhere, I find the idea that Roman soldiers did not eat them pretty inconceivable.<br>
<br>
When it comes to beverages, water must certainly have played a role - the Romans relished good drinking water. However, wine can not be excluded given that the explosion of vineyards in northern Gaul and the trade to the Rhine and Britain had as its main customer base communities of soldiers and veterans. Then there are the amphora shards in military sites. In Roman literature, the soldier stereotype is so frequently drunk we would come to believe they spent their days staggering from popina to popina. This is certainly exaggerated, but to assume they did not drink alcoholic beverages at all is unwarranted. Maybe no beer, at least in the first and second generation. I'm not even sold on the idea that posca involved vinegar rather than sour wine or verjuice. I've tried all three, and the first is the least satisfying unless you use very high-quality wine vinegar.<br>
<br>
Papyrological evidence indicates soldiers occasionally requisitioned, 'liberated' or extorted foodstuff and those on official business could claim hospitality, including food. Thus we know that at least in the East the troops liked local fare. Since we also know it was for sale I think it is a safe assumption to make that they also bought it, though I have yet to see a piece of evidence that actually proves this<br>
<br>
My reconstruction of a Roman soldier's daily fare would revolve around simple whole wheat bread, but include (depending on season and location) olive or sesame oil, 'formaticum' cheese, olives, dates, fresh fruit, onions, garlic, fresh or dried herbs, curdled milk, cooked vegtables, beans or peas, and sometimes bacon or cured ham, pickled, smoked or dried fish (though not of course, all at the same time. That is the hallmark of a refrigerator culture). None of these items would have been prohibitively expensive, and all could have been made readily available. The common drink would have been water, sometimes mixed with vinegar or low-quality wine.<br>
<br>
On holidays, there may have been finer fare - fresh meat (of sacrificial animals) or fish (bought - the Romans did not sacrifice fish the Promethean way), honey, caroenum, imported dainties or elaborately cooked dishes. I can make most of Apicius' and Vinidarius' stuff with the resources of a field kitchen, given enough time and helpers, but that, of course, would have been the crux most days. <p></p><i></i>
Der Kessel ist voll Bärks!
Volker Bach
Volker Bach
