I have recently found this book at a church book sale, and I can’t put it down. It is called The

Roman Cookery Book ‘Apicius’ translated by Barbara Flower and Elisabeth Rosenbaum. It is

a wonderful book to pick up, find some interesting facts and put down again, but you will go

back to it. What seems to underlie Roman food is that they were very keen on covering up

the taste of say, the actual meat they were cooking, with other flavours, like garum. I

suppose today we do similar things but are more subtle with our sauces and

accompaniments.

I read some stunning recipes that wouldn’t be out of place in a restaurant today. Mussels

with chopped fresh coriander, and peppercorns or a barley soup or broth with dill, leg of

pork, with coriander, pepper, lovage, cumin, moistened with honey and vinegar and poured

over it. Which actually sounds quite nice. I adore the sauces for ostrich section, which can

be used with crane, pheasant, chicken, goose or peacock. However, instructions on how to

pluck a flamingo are possibly a bit much for today’s tastes.

In the gourmet section there are recipes for wombs from sterile cows, skin, fillets, ribs and

trotters. A grilled womb anyone? Roll in bran and afterwards, soak in brine and then cook. All

a bit peculiar, but I suppose there is a melting pot of so many cultures in Roman times with

food from all over the world brought by servants and slaves and tried by the cooks of the

day, a really interesting read.