Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome Part 46

[290] BACON, SALT PORK _LARIDI _[1]_ COCTURA_

COVER WITH WATER AND COOK WITH PLENTY OF DILL; SPRINKLE WITH A LITTLE OIL AND A TRIFLE OF SALT.

[1] Lister, at this point, has forgotten his explanation of _laridum_, and now accepts the word in its proper sense. This rather belated correction by Lister confirms the correctness of our own earlier observations. Cf. note to ? Nos. 41 and 148.

XII

LIVERS AND LUNGS _JECINORA SIVE PULMONES_

[291] SHEEP LIVER _JECINORA HDINA VEL AGNINA_ [1]

COOK THUS: MAKE A MIXTURE OF WATER, MEAD, EGGS AND MILK IN WHICH THOROUGHLY SOAK THE SLICED LIVER. STEW THE LIVER IN WINE SAUCE, SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE.

[1] G.-V. _Iecinera hdina_.

[292] ANOTHER WAY TO COOK LUNG _ALITER IN PULMONIBUS_

LIVER AND LUNG ARE ALSO COOKED THIS WAY: [1] SOAK WELL IN MILK, STRAIN IT OFF IF OFFENSIVE IN TASTE [2] BREAK 2 EGGS AND ADD A LITTLE SALT, MIX IN A SPOONFUL HONEY AND FILL THE LUNG WITH IT, BOIL AND SLICE [3].

[1] Tor.

[2] Lungs of slaughtered animals are little used nowadays. The soaking of livers in milk is quite common; it removes the offensive taste of the gall.

[3] G.-V. continue without interruption.

[293] A HASH OF LIVER _ALITER_

CRUSH PEPPER, MOISTEN WITH BROTH, RAISIN WINE, PURE OIL, CHOP THE LIGHTS [1] FINE AND ADD WINE SAUCE [2].

[1] Edible intestines, livers, lung, kidney, etc., are thus named.

[2] List., Tor., G.-V. have both recipes in one. Dann.

is in doubt whether to separate them or not.

XIII

HOME-MADE SWEET DISHES AND HONEY SWEET-MEATS _DULCIA DOMESTICA _[1]_ ET MELCae_

[294] HOME-MADE SWEETS _DULCIA DOMESTICA_

LITTLE HOME CONFECTIONS (WHICH ARE CALLED DULCIARIA) ARE MADE THUS: [2] LITTLE PALMS OR (AS THEY ARE ORDINARILY CALLED) [3] DATES ARE STUFFED--AFTER THE SEEDS HAVE BEEN REMOVED--WITH A NUT OR WITH NUTS AND GROUND PEPPER, SPRINKLED WITH SALT ON THE OUTSIDE AND ARE CANDIED IN HONEY AND SERVED [4].

[1] _Dulcia_, sweetmeats, cakes; hence _dulciarius_, a pastry cook or confectioner.

The fact that here attention is drawn to home-made sweet dishes may clear up the absence of regular baking and dessert formulae in Apicius. The trade of the _dulciarius_ was so highly developed at that time that the professional bakers and confectioners supplied the entire home market with their wares, making it convenient and unprofitable for the domestic cook to compete with their organized business, a condition which largely exists in our modern highly civilized centers of population today. Cf. "Cooks."

[2 + 3] Tor.

[4] Still being done today in the same manner.

[295] ANOTHER SWEETMEAT _ALITER DULCIA_

GRATE [sc.r.a.pe, peel] SOME VERY BEST FRESH APHROS [1] AND IMMERSE IN MILK. WHEN SATURATED PLACE IN THE OVEN TO HEAT BUT NOT TO DRY OUT; WHEN THOROUGHLY HOT RETIRE FROM OVEN, POUR OVER SOME HONEY, STIPPLE [the fruit] SO THAT THE HONEY MAY PENETRATE, SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER [2]

AND SERVE.

[1] Tor., Tac., Lan. _musteos aphros_; Vat. Ms., G.-V.

_afros_; List. _apios_, i.e. celery, which is farthest from the mark. Goll. interprets this a "cider apple,"

reminiscent, probably, of _musteos_, which is fresh, new, young, and which has here nothing to do with cider.

_Aphros_ is not identified. Perhaps the term stood for Apricots (Old English: Aphric.o.c.ks) or some other African fruit or plant; Lister's celery is to be rejected on gastronomical grounds.

The above treatment would correspond to that which is given apricots and peaches today. They are peeled, immersed in cream and sweetened with sugar. Apicius'

heating of the fruit in milk is new to us; it sounds good, for it has a tendency to parboil any hard fruit, make it more digestible and reduce the fluid to a creamy consistency.

[2] The "pepper" again, as pointed out in several other places, here is some spice of agreeable taste as are used in desserts today.

[296] ANOTHER SWEET DISH _ALITER DULCIA_

BREAK [slice] FINE WHITE BREAD, CRUST REMOVED, INTO RATHER LARGE PIECES WHICH SOAK IN MILK [and beaten eggs] FRY IN OIL, COVER WITH HONEY AND SERVE [1].

[1] "French" Toast, indeed!--_Sapienti sat!_

[297] ANOTHER SWEET _ALITER DULCIA_

IN A CHAFING-DISH PUT [1] HONEY, PURE WINE, RAISIN WINE, RUE, PINE NUTS, NUTS, COOKED SPELT, ADD CRUSHED AND TOASTED HAZELNUTS [2] AND SERVE.

[1] G.-V. _Piperato mittis_. _Piperatum_ is a dish prepared with pepper, any spicy dish; the term may here be applied to the bowl in which the porridge is served.

Tac. _Dulcia piperata mittis_.

[2] Dann. Almonds.

[298] ANOTHER SWEET _ALITER DULCIA_

CRUSH PEPPER, NUTS, HONEY, RUE, AND RAISIN WINE WITH MILK, AND COOK THE MIXTURE [1] WITH A FEW EGGS WELL WORKED IN, COVER WITH HONEY, SPRINKLE WITH [crushed nuts, etc.] AND SERVE.