A society cannot function without food. Food is not just for survival. Since prehistorical times, food and culture have had an enormous impact on human society. People eat together to maintain and establish relationships. People eat in order to escape the stresses of everyday life and gain satisfaction. Humans have eaten for thousands of years. The Romans ate food as a social activity, not only to survive. They took pride in it. Scholars who study Roman culture in order to better understand the Romans as a group have used food as a way to try to unravel how they lived.
Mediterranean cuisine is centered on four major foods: wine, olives oil, vegetables and cereals. The wealthy could afford seafood, cheeses, eggs, fruits, meats, and even some types of fruit. Romans were pioneers of preservation and relied heavily on honey and pickling. Spices. For flavouring, herbs and sauces were used. Roman art and texts have taught us more about Romans than the food they ate. Romans ate a lot of cereals, which accounted for the majority of their diet. Other cereals included rye, millets and oats. People ate these cereals as porridges or dark, coarse-textured bread (“Roman Food.”) Roman technology, like grinding mills, allowed for the finer grinding of these cereals. Roman cuisine was dominated by apples, grapes or figs. Also, peas, beans and lentils. Pears are also common. As well as plums and cherries, there were peaches, onions. Olives and oil are also a major part of the regional cuisine. The cost of meat was higher than that of other foods, as it had to preserved. Meat was often prepared in small quantities or as sausages. Wild game was also available as food, along with poultry, pork and veal. The wealthy chefs often cooked dishes using exotic birds like doves and flamingos. They also used parrots and parrots. This meat was preserved in a variety of ways, including smoking, pickling, drying, and salting. The same methods of preservation were used for seafood, which was much less common. Romans consumed saltwater, freshwater, crustaceans and other shellfish. Most of the food imported came from Italy and its surrounding islands. The Romans were able to experiment with these foods, and their use of cooking utensils allowed them to create a variety of different dishes.
The Romans used a variety of cooking tools to prepare and consume these foods. Bowls made from terracotta or thin sheets of metal were common in Roman kitchens. These bowls were used for cooking meat, vegetables and porridge. These bowls would be placed on tripods or over the fire. Metal kettles in a variety of shapes and sizes, as well as bowls were used to cook. The Romans used only knives to cut meat at their dinner tables (Harcum). They ate mostly with their hand. They ate only at certain times during the day. This is similar to how we eat today.
Like modern civilisations, the Romans liked to divide their food into small meals. As the culture evolved, so did the meals. Romans would often eat a light breakfast called ientaculum. This light meal would be regarded as a small snack today. This breakfast, which consisted of cheese, bread or fruit, helped each Roman begin their day. The vesperna was a lighter lunch that followed ientaculum. In the Roman Empire, the main Roman meal was moved to a later time of the day. Vesperna replaced the lunchtime meal known as prandium. It was a light meal, usually consisting of eggs, vegetables and fish. Cena is always the Roman term for the main Roman meal. Cena was traditionally eaten at lunchtime in the early days of the Roman Republic. Cena began to be eaten in the evenings as people grew older. Cena was a large meal with three main parts. The first portion was the appetizers, also known as gustatio. This portion was usually filled with fish, eggs, and olives. To wash all this down, Romans would drink sweetened honey wine and water diluted. The main course followed the appetizers. The main meal can have up to seven different courses. It is usually where the most food was eaten. The main dish, which was typically meat or a fish, varied from household to household. The Romans called desserts mensae secondae. The main course was a heavy meal of nuts, fruits, and shellfish or snails. (“Food in Roman World.”) Roman meals were a social affair that helped embody Roman culture.
In the beginning, Roman dinner parties consisted of only men, were reserved for the wealthy, and involved excessive alcohol consumption. The Roman Banquet. After a few years, women were allowed to attend these dinner parties. These dinners are often held in rooms where there were built-in concrete couches that used to be covered with cushions and mattresses. The tricliniums had three seating areas and “status sitting” was common among dinner parties. During this transitional period, conservative romans might have separated men and women into separate rooms. According to historians, host families sat often next to higher-status visitors and across the table from lower-status ones. This three-seating area either had its own table for each guest or shared one common platform. The meal is usually divided into several courses. First, finger foods like cheese, mushrooms, eggs or sausages were served. Salads, greens and other vegetables are usually served after the first course. It was often meat or fish that made up the third course. This is also when a large variety of condiments and sauces were served. Bread was offered throughout the meal. Wine diluted with fruit or water was also always available.
The Romans were big drinkers, whether they were rich or poor, sailors or peasants. Rome has a population of one million people, including slaves. The average Roman drank three liters per day. Wine was probably made using grapes that were picked from wild Eurasian grape vines. Later, these grapevines were domesticated into self-pollinating vines that produced fruits that were much bigger and juicier (Hayes). Alcohol was a very important part of Roman society. In the course of time, what was once innocent moderation became drinking to excess. Drinking before meals and while the stomach is still empty was common. People also began to play drinking games to encourage rapid alcohol consumption. In Pompeii, a mural shows a drinking competition where one individual is drinking, while the other person lies on a sofa, unconscious. Alcoholism began to be accepted, and many people became proud of excessive alcohol consumption. Around 50 CE many people began to migrate into Rome, causing this destructive behavior to continue. The public began to drink large quantities of wine, and the excess consumption was reserved for celebrations and festivals (Hanson). Fruit juices were not able to be refrigerated and quickly became wine (Hayes). As Christianity spread, Jesus Christ’s teachings on wine became more serious. Moderation was encouraged, but drinking was not. God created wine, so it is good by nature and used in medicine. The church allowed people to choose to not drink wine. However, if someone showed disdain towards wine, it was an insult to God. The Huns destroyed Europe’s alcohol production in the 5th Century by destroying vineyards, killing the workers and drinking the entire alcohol stored in cellars. After the fall of the Roman Empire, monasteries were the main source for everything related to winemaking and brewing. Prior to the 12th-century, the monasteries were the only place where one could find high quality beer and wines (Hanson). Some Romans used other drugs for pain relief, including opium, cannabis and cocaine (Hayes).
In discussing the food of Roman and post Roman times, it is also important to discuss how cities handled their food. In the long history of the Italian peninsula, the government has often attempted to provide food for its citizens. The early Romans believed that by securing the food of provinces and allies, they could win the favor of their citizens. The price of grain was set so that everyone could afford it. Over time, the citizens were given olive oil, pigs, and pork. It was a key strategy for leaders to keep their people healthy and happy throughout the centuries. In 1329, King Robert had to leave office because a populace was angry that he did not provide them enough grain from the kingdom of Naples. In the following year, prices and shortages spread across Italy. The price of a staio of grain (83.31 Liters) increased from 17 soldi to 42 soldi between the start of 1329 and Easter 1330. The famine became so severe that the governments were unable to provide food for their people (Jansen).
Roman food wasn’t just about survival. In classic Roman style, the Romans made their own food from simple ingredients like meat, fish and dairy products, as well as fruits, vegetables and grains. These foods were prepared using a wide variety of innovative and new tools, and eaten at specific times throughout the day. The Romans used these meals to create their famous feasts, where excess and splendor were the norm. Romans also drank a lot and held parties, feasts, celebrations and parties to showcase their love of luxury. In times of famine, Romans would go back to their roots in order to get what they felt was due them. Food has taught scholars more about Roman culture than any buildings or artifacts could ever have.
