Native Roman Ingredients.

The following has been taken from a Latin to German to English translation of an old Roman cookbook: Marcus Gavius Apicius, "De Re Coquinaria."

The following ingredients were a part of the Roman Kitchen of those who could afford it, in other words the upper middle class of the Roman population, althugh any one or more of the below ingredients might be found in any kitchen as a favorite ingredient or spice.

• Caroeum: Boiled must (you have to boil the new wine or grape juice until it is oly half the amount that you stated with)
• Defritum: Either a thick fig syrup or must that is boiled until you have only a third of the amount with which you statrted.
• Liebstoeckl: Lovage. In Latin it is called "levisticum officinale." It is an umbelliferos plant with yellowish flowers. It's dried roots are used as spice. It seems to be a kind of celery.
• Liquamen:A salty fish sauce. Most of the time you can replace it with salt.
• Passum: Very sweet wine sauce, made by boiling the must (new wine or grape juice) to thicken it. (perhaps honey was added -- just a guess.)
• Poleiminze: A kind of mint that grows in inundated areas. It can be replaced with ordinary mint.
• Saturei: This is a Savory. In Latin it is called "satureia Hortensis." It is a violet or white flowered kind of labiate plants which grows mainly in Sothern Europe.. It is used as a spice plant, especially for bean dishes; In Germany it is called the "bean herb,"
• Silphium: It's other names are "Laser" or "ferula asa foetida." It is also referred to as "hing" in Indian cuisine. Itis an onion and garlic substitute and should be used sparingly because of it's strong taste and smell.

Below are some useful conversions.

5ml == ! tsp.

15ml == 1 tabsp.

28.3g == 1 ounce (100 g = 3.5 oz.)

454g == 1 pound (ikg = 2,2 lb.)

250ml == 1 cup

! Liter == 4 cups

180 deg C == 350 deg F

220 deg C ==425 deg F

Article submitted by Marca Arminia Maior

Food and Spices:

• 500g minced meat (just over 1 pound of meat);
• 1 French Roll, soaked in white wine;
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper;
• 50ml Liquamen (or 1/2 tsp salt and a little white wine);
• 1 tabsp of Caroeum;
• 1 tsp each of stone-pine kernals (pine nuts) and green peppercorns;
• Aluminum baking Foil.

Cooking Instructions

Shred the French Roll into very small pieces. Grind all spices. Mix the minced meat, bread, and spices together. Form the meat mixture into small burgers. Press the pine kernals and peppercorns into the burgers. Place the burgers in the baking foil and put a small amount of Caroeum on the top of each burger to taste . Wrap the burgers in foil and grill the burgers until done clear through (approx. 15 to 20 minutes over amedium heat--rough guess).