Food in Roman Britain

by Joan P. Alcock

Descriptions of food in Roman Britain are usually based on the cookery book of Apicius, as if the whole island dined on gourmet food. In contract Joan Alcock draws on the archaeological eveidence, as well as on Classical and Celtic literature, to discover the full range of native and imported foods needed for a growing urban populations as well as a large resident army. In addition to looking at the very varied foot and drink available - from meat, fish and dairy products to vegetables, nuts and herbs - Dr Alcock examines the eating, cooking and dining habits of people who inhabited the province. Comparison is made with other parts of the Roman Empire and, where relevant, to modern food practices. Both civilian and military diets are discussed and the nutritional benefits (or otherwise) of these diets are assessed. Complete with almost 130 illustrations (many in full colour) this is a book which will be a revelation to anyone with an interest in Roman Britain - or, indeed, in the history of cooking.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Food History

208 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2001

About the author

Joan Pilsbury Alcock is an archeologist and historian and an Honorary Fellow of London South Bank University and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London. She is the author of Life in Roman Britain (1996) and Food in Roman Britain (2001), among other works.

Reviews

[Andrew Brozyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not especially interested in reproducing recipes from the Roman era, but I am fascinated by ancient food culture. Food in Roman Britain is an excellent way to discover the foods, drinks, trade, cooking methods, and customs that surrounded Romano-British meals.

The book is well written, and a comfortable read. One can be confident that Alcock's assertions are backed up with good research, there is a bibliography, yet it is not easy to check her specific references. At the time the publisher's unfortunate policy was to do without citations. I can only assume that the marketing people at Tempus Publishing were concerned that casual readers would be scared off by any scholarly looking footnotes.

I was especially interested in the author's chapter on the Roman military diet. Decades ago history books stated that Roman soldiers survived on a vegetarian diet. Alcock easily toasts that myth. We learn about the great variety of food available to the troops, how it was acquired, how it was transported on the march, and stored in camp. The Romans knack for organization expressed itself in the food supply. Alcock explains arious officers' duties in food management, and goes on to describe how individual soldiers prepared and ate their meals.

Contents:
1. Background evidence
2. Cereal products
3. Meat, game and poultry
4. Fish, shellfish and other crustaceans
5. Dairy products
6. Vegetables, fruits and nuts
7. Herbs, spices, salt and honey
8. Olive oil and liquamen
9. Wine, beer and water
10. The kitchen
11. The dining room
12. Shops and markets
13. Army diet
14. Diet and nutrition

A good companion to Alcock's book is Eating and Drinking in Roman Britain, by H.E.M. Cool. This title is also a good read, but has the academic benefit of being well-cited. I always like to read books by at least two different authors. It's interesting to see the contrasting approaches and conclusions on the same subject.

[Aithne · Rating 3 out of 5]

No idea whether it's on the book or on me, but I struggled a little with this one. While interesting, it also felt repetitive and disjointed. I hate to admit every now and then I had a hard time trying to figure out if we're talking about Rome, Britain or even elsewhere in the Empire, or whether we're already in the Roman times or back in Iron Age. There was quite a lot of jumping and things weren't always made clear - well, but as I said, it might've been on me. Maybe it was just my sleep deprivation kicking in. Yet it's hard to deny that Wroxeter: Life & Death of a Roman City from the same publisher - my previous read - had a much better flow.

Also, as other reviewer(s) pointed out, it's a pity Tempus is apparently a fiend of footnotes, as I'd really like to know where the author took some of her information from. Simple things, like turnips being included in the list of vegetables Romans introduced to Britain while I was convinced (and still am tbh) that they'd been there already in the Iron Age. Or the part about grain storage in pits vs granaries - the author's depiction goes against things I read elsewhere and now I'm not sure if her conclusions are simply slightly outdated by now or is it some alternative interpretation, as valid as the one with which I'm more familiar (a.k.a. pits for long-term over-winter storage, for sowing in spring or trade, and granaries for daily use). Not the author's fault, but ugh! Makes it impossible to check pretty much anything.

Still, interesting. Informative. Very encyclopaedic, which makes it harder to get through it from cover to cover, but should also make it easier to quickly check this or that in the future. I have a feeling I'll be using it for reference a lot.

Now excuse me, I have to watch some YouTube videos about cheesemaking, 'cause apparently I have no idea how the world works.

[Eskil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeg tror ikke jeg har noen videre spørsmål, altså. Rett og slett veldig gjennomført og nøye.

[Jenine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over my head but I enjoyed the author's description of the various sites. She reviews the archeological evidence of different types of food and cooking techniques from this era. Her research method is to take existing archeological data and analyze it in different ways. I liked her opinionated criticism of some past collection methods and biases. I was surprised by her assertion that the chain-hung cauldrons found in late Iron Age/early Roman era Britain probably had more to do with sacrifice than daily cooking. And that deer hunting was a rarity and again may have had more symbolic meaning than dietary use.