Archaeology Magazine - November/December 2001 - 23

nus, head of the Praetorian
out of favor with Nero and
Petronius' demise, however,
table whenever we open the

Spaced around a circular tray were the twelve signs of
the zodiac, and over each sign the chef had put the
most suitable food. Thus , over the sign of Aries were
chickpeas, over Taurus a slice of beef, a pair of testicles
and kidneys over Gemini, a wreath of flowers over
Cancer, over Leo an African fig, virgin sowbelly on
Virgo, over Libra a pair of scales with a tartlet in one
pan and a cheesecake in the other, over Scorpio a
crawfish, a lobster on Capricorn, on Aquarius a goose,
and two mullets over the sign of Pisces. The centerpiece was a clod of turf with the grass still green on top
and the whole thing surmounted by a fat honeycomb.
With some reluctance we began to attack this
wretched fare, hut Trimalchio kept urging us, "Eat up
gentlemen, eat up!"
- Satyricon , 35

mint, safflower, moisten with wine, add roasted hazelnuts or
almonds, a little honey, blend with wine and vinegar and fish
sauce. Add oil to this mixture in the saucepan, heat, stir with
fresh celery and calamint. Make incisions [in the birds] and
- Apicius 6, 5, 2
four the sauce over them .
this dish, a mixture halfway between a sauce and a
nut crumb coats the meat and creates a wonderfully
In crunchy texture outside while remaining fluid under^jtieath. The bird can be, as indicated, an open choice. Hie
Jj tecipe has a modern Christmassy feel which can be
4 Venhanced by the use of a duck, goose, or even a pheasant - but chicken may be used with equal success.
: ^ Xwo unusual herbs are called for in the ancient recipe.
¿Safflower is often known as fake saffron: the powder sold
today as "saffron" is more than likely adulterated with safflower. Under its real name, safflower is best known to us
X as a recently developed cooking oil. Calamint, still used in
southern Europe as a culinary herb, is hard to find elsethe closely related catnip is more common and may
J
where;
|
p. be substituted (the Latin name nepeta may, it seems, be
2 applied to either). Servesfour.
if
;

Guard, resulted in his falling
a sentence of death. Despite
we may join Trimalchio at his
Satyricon :

The extravagant feast included many courses involving
such delicacies as dormice, sausages, peahen eggs, orioles, hares, capons, and fish. A continuous flow of wine
accompanied the feast.
The guests were seated around a table on couches, as
was typical during Roman banquets. The dining room was
known as the triclinium, a term formed from the Greek

6 oz (IV2 cups) hazelnuts
2 teaspoons chopped fresh or IV2teaspoons dried mint
2 teaspoons chopped fresh lovage or celery leaf
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh calamint or catnip (if not
available, increase the mint)
2 tablespoons clear honey
IV4cups red wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2h cup fish sauce
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch saffron powder or strands
3-lb duck, chicken or other bird
salt

Roast the hazelnuts for ten minutes in the oven at 3 50°. Pound
7 or
process them to a fine crumb. Add them to a saucepan with
^ all the other ingredientsfor the sauce and bring slowlyto a boil.
Place the bird in a roasting pan and season well with salt and
pepper. Cut into the breast and leg and open the incisions
before pouring the sauce over the bird. Roast in the normal way
in a pre-heated oven at 400° for about 1J/2 hours. While cooking, repeatedly baste the bird to ensure that the skin is well covered in the nut mixture . As the wine reduces slightly the sauce
will form a crust over the breast.
©1996
andAndrew
with
from
TheClassical
E
Sally
Cookbook,
Grainger
Dalby.
Reprinted
permission
TheJ.
Mafibu:
Paul
1996.
inthe
United
Museum
Press. E
Published
Museum,
Getty
Kingdom
byBritish

Archaeology Magazine - November/December 2001

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - November/December 2001