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Special Sauce
No Roman meal was complete without garum, a sauce made by mixing crushed fish with salt and allowing it to ferment in the sun, then saving the clear liquid that formed at the top. The varieties of garum ranged from pungent and salty to mild and subtle. Just as modern Europeans use salt and pepper, early Roman diners used fine-quality garum at the table, adding it to dishes to suit their own tastes.
What Was Missing?
Early Romans enjoyed many foods that were still popular in Italy today, including bread, olives, cheese, fish, shellfish and wine. But some staples of modern Italian cuisine were unknown at this time.
Tomatoes:
Tomatoes originated in South America and were unknown in Italy until the early 1500s, when Europeans brought them back from the Americas.
Pasta:
Ancient Romans made laggnum, thin sheets of dough that may have been a forerunner of lasagna. But laganum was likely fried, rather than boiled, as pasta is today. The first clear evidence of boiled noodles in Italy dates to the early Middle Ages.
Coffee:
Ancient Rome had no expresso, cappuccino or caffe latte. In Livia's time, the coffee plant grew only in Ethiopia. Coffee beans would not be roasted and traded for another thousand years.
Citrus fruits:
Citrus fruits originated in Asia. Citron, a bitter fruit used as medicine, was the first to arrive in Rome. Oranges and lemons may have turned up late in Livia's life but aren't mentioned in recipes from the time. |