Roman Meals
Sarah Weise
Miami University
Typically, the Romans ate three meals a day. Originally, theRomans had a small breakfast called the ientaculum in themorning and then a huge meal called the cena around two in theafternoon, then another small meal called the vesperna lateron in the night. However, in the empire this meal schedule wasslightly modified. The cena was now held at a later time,closer to when we eat dinner. This caused the vesperna todisappear. However, to fill the gap between their breakfast anddinner, the prandium emerged.
The Ientaculum is the equivalent of what we call breakfasttoday. This was usually a light meal which consisted primarily ofbread. Sometimes the bread would be dipped in wine or olive oil oreven honey. Cheese and olives may have been eaten along with thebread as well. For the most part, this was a small meal which wasusually eaten early in the morning right before the men would leavefor work.
The Prandium is the Roman meal which is comparable to ourlunch. Often, it just consisted of leftovers from the night before orcold meat and bread, similar to modern sandwiches. Basically, thiswas a small meal which we might even refer to as a snack. This mealdid not come into being until the Cena was eaten at a later hour.
The Cena was the main meal and in earlier times it was eventaken as early as two in the afternoon. Primarily for the rich, itconsisted of three parts.
The Gustatio or a Promulsio was the first part whichwe would associate with a modern appetizer. This course includedthings like salads, radishes, mushrooms, eggs, shellfish, etc. It wasfollowed by a drink of mulsum or wine sweetened with honey.
The Prima Mensa was the main course of the meal. However,there were even up to six or seven main dishes in this course. Guestswould have to choose from a variety of fish, poultry and meat. Afterthis part of the meal was finished, an offering of wheat, salt andwine would be made for the household gods on the family altar.
The Secunda Mensa was the final part of the meal and wasmade up of desserts. Cakes sweetened with honey as well as apples,pears, grapes, nuts and figs might be served. This part of the mealwould also be accompanied with a wine/water mixture.
The Vesperna was a light supper that existed in the earlieryears because often the cena was eaten so early that peoplewere hungry again by night fall. This meal disappeared because it wasno longer needed as the Romans began to have their cena at alater time.
Common Meals
Most poor Romans were lucky to have more than a piece of bread, ifthey had breakfast (ientaculum) at all. We also know that manycould not afford to leave work to go eat lunch (prandium) likethe wealthy could, so they had to continue to work. As far as dinnerswere concerned, it is most likely that poor and lower class Romansdid not dine reclining on the couches for which the rich are famous.There probably wasn't room in their tiny apartments for such largeand elaborate couches, rather they most likely sat on chairs orstools.
The Romans of the lower class ate meals that were very simple andeconomical. For instance, wheat comprised the greatest part of theirdiet, mostly because it was so cheap. They would usually boil thewheat to make some type of porridge. Sometimes the wheat would bebaked, but that was only if they could afford to have an oven. Thiswheatmeal was the main course of the cena for most Romans. Thisporridge could be very bland and dull, so they often added flavoringsand relishes to enliven the flavor. Other things such as vegetables,herbs, olives, mushrooms, fish, wild birds, and a little meat wouldbe added if it could be found. However, in general, the poor Romansate very little meat and mostly uncooked food.
*Click Here to see a recipe to makeRoman Bread!(http://www.montis.com/recipe.html)
Meals of the Upper Class
The wealthy Romans were able to buy rich cheeses and meats toaccompany the usual breads for their breakfast (ientaculum).However, this meal was still very small in comparison to their othermeals. The rich could also afford to come home from work for lunch(prandium), while the poor had to keep working. Nevertheless,both of these two small meals were usually eaten alone. We never hearof any gatherings for their ientaculum or cena, unless theyare traveling; the cena was usually enjoyed with a gatheringof family and friends after a day of work was completed.
(Picture of Triclinium-if possible!)
The extravagant dinner parties of the wealthy Romans for whichthey are notorious usually began right after the bath. These dinnerswere held in a triclinium which had three sloping couchessituated around a square table. One side of the table was left openfor the food service. The lectus medius was the couch reservedfor the special guest; it was situated directly across from the openend of the table. The other two couches were called the lectusimus and the lectus summus. Typically, nine people wouldattend, thus there would be three people reclining on each couch. TheRomans usually positioned themselves so that they were leaning ontheir left elbow. Only small children or slaves were permitted to eatsitting. Spoons were used to eat soups and stews, but for the mostpart, since there were no knives and forks, the Romans would eat withtheir fingers. Therefore, the food would be cut into bite size piecesand there would be slaves who would continually wash the guests'hands throughout the dinner.
***Click on the web site below to see adetailedreproduction of a triclinium:http://www-personal.umich.edu/~pfoss/hgender.html
What make the Roman banquets so impressive are the elaboratedishes that were served. "Meat dishes included boar, venison, wildgoat, mutton, lamb, kid, sucking pig, hare and dormice. Poultrydishes were of almost every known bird: chicken, geese, ostriches,cranes, duck partridges, pheasants, pigeons, doves, thrushes,fig-peckers, and- for the rich- peaco*cks"(Cowell, 1961: 78). Theamount of food and length of the dinner would depend on who washaving the banquet. Indeed, it was not uncommon for people to stuffthemselves until they were sick. Many banquets even lasted eight toten hours. The expense and luxury of such food served could make aman go bankrupt. Petronius, in The Satyricon gives a detailednarrative of what would happen at one of these banquets. Below arejust a few descriptions of exquisite dishes that were served atTrimalchio's dinner:
*
"On the hors d'oeuvres tray stood a donkey of Corinthian bronzebearing saddlebags stuffed with olives, white in one side, black inthe other. Two platters flanked the animal; their weight in silverand Trimalchio's name were engraved along their edges. Little bridgeswelded to the plate supported dormice sprinkled with honey andpoppyseeds. There were even sausages sizzling on a silver gridiron,which arched over some Syrian plums and pomegranate seeds"(Satyricon 32 tr. Branham).
*
"On a round serving tray the twelve signs of the zodiac werearranged in a circle. Over each sign the specialty chef had placedthe kind of food that fit its character: over Aries the ram, aramifying pea; on Taurus the bull, a slice of rump roast; over Geminithe twins, testicl*s and kidneys; on the Crab, a crown of flowers;over the Lion, a virile African fig; on Virgo, the womb of a barrensow; over Libra, a set of scales with a cheesetart on one side,balanced by a pancake on the other; on Scorpio, (the scorpion fish);on Sagittarius, a seahorse; on Capricorn, a lobster; on Aquarius, agoose; on Pisces, a pair of snapper. In the middle of all this was apiece of turf, torn out roots and all, with a honeycomb sitting onit. An Egyptian slave boy was bringing bread around in a silverchafing dish..."(Satyricon 35 tr. Branham).
*
"A dessert tray loaded with little cakes had already been served.In the middle the baker had made a Priapus with all kinds of applesand grapes heaped in his ample lap in the popular fashion"(Satyricon 60 tr. Branham).
In Plautus' Aulularia, we hear about preparations beingmade for a wedding feast. With the financial support of wealthyMegadorus, it is likely that an elaborate banquet would follow thewedding of Lycondides and Phaedria. Below is a hypothetical menu ofthe food that might be prepared for such an occasion! *Click on thestarred items to see an authentic recipe from Apicius's The Art ofCooking!
ROMANUM CONVIVUM
GUSTATIO
Caseus et Panis (Cheese & Bread)
*InOvis Apalis Olivae (Boiled Eggs)
*Gustumde Praecoquis (starter with apricots)
Mulsum (wine sweetened with honey
PRIMA MENSA
*InVitulinam Elixam (Boiled Veal)
*PullusFusilis (Chicken with liquid filling)
*Aliter Baedinam sive Agnimam Excaldatam (Steamed Lamb)
Vinum Falsum (Water/ Wine mixture)
SECUNDA MENSA
Uvae (Grapes)
*****Peponeset Melones (Water and honey melons)
*****DulciaDomestica (Housemade Dessert)
******Patinade Piris (Pear Souffle)
Visual resources:
AModel of a Roman Room (London reconstruction)
AnotherModel of a Roman Room (London reconstruction)
Floorplan (House of Pansa)- look at where the triclinium is
Bibliography:
Balsdon, J.P.V.D. Life and Leisure in Ancient Rome.McGraw-Hill Book Company: New York, 1969.
Branham, R. Bracht and Kinney, Daniel. Petronius'sSatyrica. University of California Press: Los Angeles, 1996.
Carcopino, Jerome. Daily Life in Ancient Rome. GeorgeRoutledge & Sons, Ltd: London, 1941.
Cowell, F.R. Everyday Life in Ancient Rome. B.T. BatsfordLtd: London,1961.
Flower, Barbara and Rosenbaum, Elisabeth. The Roman CookeryBook: The Art of Cooking by Apicius. Peter Nevill Limited:London, 1958.
Fowler, W. Warde. Social Life At Rome in the Age of Cicero.St Martin's Press: London, 1965.
Liversidge, Joan. Everyday Life in the Roman Empire. B.T.Batsford Ltd: London, 1976.
Useful Web Sites:
AncientRome (Links to Comprehensive Roman Sites)
AntiqueRoman Dishes- Collection
Age,Gender, and Status divisions at mealtime in the Roman House (diagramof triclinium)
Howdo we know what the Romans ate?
Socialrecipes in the Roman house
CC 452: Food inthe Ancient World (Univ. of Michigan course on food)
Investigatingthe Romans (BBC educational resources)
