French toast, foie gras and braised flamingo
One of the world’s oldest surviving cookbooks offers insights into ancient elite Roman tastes say Christopher D Parkinson
Ancient Rome is often seen as synonymous with culinary excess. Images of exotic – even orgiastic – feasts perpetuate its reputation for strangeness and decadence.
It may come as no surprise, therefore, that one of the world’s oldest surviving cookbooks, De Re Coquinaria (“On the Topic of Cooking”) is ancient Roman. But while many recipes within this collection may seem strange or extravagant to a modern palate, (flamingo braised in vinegar, peacock in a rich, peppery wine sauce, roast parrot …) the work offers more than just glimpses into elite Roman tastes.
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