Cooking Apicius

by Apicius, Sally Grainger (Editor)

Sally Grainger has gathered, in one convenient volume, her modern interpretations of 64 of the recipes in the original text. This is not ‘recipes inspired by the old Romans’ but rather a serious effort to convert the extremely gnomic instructions in the Latin into something that can be reproduced in the modern kitchen which actually gives some idea of what the Romans might have eaten. Sally Grainger, therefore, has taken great pains to suggest means of replicating the particular Roman taste for fermented fish sauce. It may sound unpleasant, but actually is not too far removed from the fish sauces of the Far East and any reproduction of Roman cookery must depend on getting this particular aspect right.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, History, Nonfiction, Reference, Historical

128 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2006

About the author

Marcus Gavius Apicius is believed to have been a Roman gourmet and lover of luxury, who lived sometime in the 1st century AD, during the reign of Tiberius. The Roman cookbook Apicius is often attributed to him, though its impossible to prove the connection. He was the subject of On the Luxury of Apicius, a famous work, now lost, by the Greek grammarian Apion.

Evidence for the life of M. Gavius Apicius derives partly from contemporary or almost-contemporary sources but is partly filtered through the above-named work by Apion, whose purpose was presumably to explain the names and origins of luxury foods, especially those anecdotally linked to Apicius.

Reviews

[Deb Omnivorous Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it and I am very glad that I bought it.

I was a bit disappointed in that there was very little references to the original document. If I had read the description of the book (and some of the other comments on it) more carefully I would have known that this would be the case. I was expecting more of a description of the original recipes and I was certainly expecting more in the appendices.

A few of the recipes are very interesting indeed, I will have a bit of a challenge with some ingredients as I do not live in England, I should find some of the others quite easily.

The author included a warning about the overuse of Rue(pgs 23-24) which should be avoided by pregnant women and apparently can cause chemical burns. A warning that the Bay berries can resemble another, toxic berry (pg 25. But strangely failed to mention that Pennyroyal (pg 56) is a known abortifacient.

This will be useful as a plain cook book, there is a lot in there that is suitable to a range of restricted diets (very little dairy, fairly IBS friendly and light on the deadly nightshades). I also hope to be able to use a fair bit of the information in re-enactment.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding redactions of ancient Roman recipes, converted for use by modern cooks. There is also a good chapter of historical data, discussion of common ingredients to have on-hand or make, preparation methodologies, and so on.

Appetizers, meat, fish, vegetables and dessert each have their own sections. Extremely useful for historical research, as well as an outstanding opportunity to try new flavors.

[Liz Chapman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a nice introduction to Roman cooking in the Apicius style. It gave a brief description into the ingredients ,sauces and herbs that were used then and the modern equivalents available today. To find out more about Apicius style cooking and the original document you would have to research further . Try Apicius , A critical Edition with an introduction and English translation by Christopher Grocock and Sally Grainger , Prospect Books 2006

[Jodi · Rating 2 out of 5]

As others have said there were nowhere near enough references to the original texts. It was kinda bland as well and i know it isn't her fault obviously the Romans used a ridiculous amounts of eggs but i couldn't even attempt to try most the stuff due to an egg allergy.

[Tom]

these motherfuckers loved honey lol

[lex]

My obsession with Ancient Greece and Rome brought me to this book, which was clearly written by a dedicated cook and historian.

Sally Grainger has a YouTube channel where she makes these recipes too: https://youtube.com/@atasteoftheancie...

I learned that salt was not commonly used in recipes, replaced by a fermented fish sauce. Nearly every recipe used this fish sauce, along with wine, vinegar, oil, and a number of spices (some of which no longer exist today). I also learned that nearly every part of the animal was eaten (cow udders!) and dishes that involved loose parts (e.g. stuffed meat) were rolled in caul fat (intestinal membrane) to keep it all together. Needless to say, I would have been a picky eater in ancient times. But I would also give a lot to be able to taste these dishes, especially some of those deserts!

[Summer Kinard]

This book provides a culinary glimpse into the ancient near east. I learned about herbs that aren't native where I live and was able to start growing some of them, too! There's nothing like smelling foods from a historical time period to help you imagine it.

[Zee · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I've been really excited about reading this book. I've always been fascinated by really old cookbooks, and Apicus is flatout ancient. I was kind of surprised to find that most of the recipes weren't that outlandish or outdated, though. Besides the herbs and sauces not brunt readily available, the recipes seemed pretty similar to modern ones.

[Jane Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good look at Apicius and the ingredients he used, followed by a selection of recipes and how to interpret them.

[Jonathan]

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