Food

[Caius Fabius]

As I sit here on the north shore of the Black Sea, I have been eating with the local people, and many of their foods are still made and consumed in a style of pre-electric kitchens. The food combinations seem unusual, the preparation is often very primitive, but the outcome is excellent. Yes they do have some New World foods, but many of the recipes are very close to Apicius!<br>
On the other hand, Apicius was not writing down the common people's diet, but writing for those who had money and wanted to try different tastes. Cabbage and greens gets boring after a while! I must say that the lovely ladies here, who don't have much red meat, sugar, or colas in their diet, and who walk everywhere and eat lots of salads, have a very pleasing appearance.<br>
In the USA we are accustomed to going to the grocery and getting what we need, in Rome, you went to the market, to many many vendors and got what was in season, and available in your price range! I sometimes enjoy doing that here, but I do miss the supermarkets and my automobile! You can only buy as much food and stuff at one time as you can carry! That, along with the lack of freezers and refridgerators can really change your shopping habits! On the other hand, if you don't buy that item today, it may be unavailable tomorrow! Add those ideas into your thoughts of how Romans shopped for food! <p>"Just before class started, I looked in the big book where all the world's history is written, and it said...." Neil J. Hackett, PhD ancient history, professor OSU, 1987</p><i></i>