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 A Roman Menu
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

● The importance of the cookbook De Re Coquinaria

● The important meals part of ancient Roman food and dining
● The elements of Apicius’ cookbook
● Foods and ingredients used in the ancient Roman menu
● Methods of Roman food preparation

Let’s know more about

FACT FILE
A Roman Menu!

Most ideas of what food was eaten and how they were cooked
in ancient Roman society are got from the cookbook “De Re
Coquinaria”, written by a young elite named Apicius.

● De Re Coquinaria (On Cooking) highlights

dinner recipes consumed by the
upper-class and wealthy members of the
society.
● The three meals of the day in ancient
Rome were ientaculum (breakfast),
prandium (lunch), and cena (dinner).
● The heaviest and most expensive meal of
the day was dinner or cena, and it could
have up to seven food courses or fecula.

Depending on the family’s wealth and the

prestige of the guests, the star dish or caput
cenae would have been fish, meat, or
Cover page of De Re Culinaria exotic animals such as ostrich or peacock
 Cereals, vegetables, Dried peas and
olive oil, and wine porridge were the
were the four staple main foods for the
foods in ancient poor while meat
Rome. and fish were
staples for the rich.
Fish sauce or garum was a nutritious
sauce consumed by both the poor for their
porridge and the rich in almost every recipe.
Soldiers also drank it in solution.
Other foods
Grain was controlled by the state
distributed were pork,
and was a primary food in the
olive oil, and wine.
monthly food distribution or
frumentatio for poorer citizens.

Aside from growing

their own supplies, Patrons could go to
Romans could also inns (cauponae) and
buy their food from taverns (popinae) to
private markets buy prepared meals
called macellum. while most well-to-do
people still cooked
An image of a macellum in Pompeii, Italy
their food at home.
Roasting, broiling, and boiling using a brazier were the most
common ways of cooking.

Fruits and vegetables were Wine or vinum was the

pickled and fermented to Roman way to connect to
create wine and other sauces. their god and a practical
method to purify their water.
Bread-making was done by Wine diluted with water was
bringing one’s own dough to preferred by the Romans.
bakeries to use their oven.
Other beverages were wine laced with spices or calda, honeyed wine
or muslum, and vinegar mixed with water or posca.

Romans were able to maintain a continuous supply of

food for their large population through diverse agricultural
practices, artificial farming techniques, and food
preservation methods.
 THINK ABOUT THIS! ACTIVITIES FOR AGES 11-14

WHAT’S IN A NAME? Define the following terms as they were

1 defined in ancient Roman cuisine. (X marks)

IENTACULUM ______________________________________
______________________________________

PRANDIUM ______________________________________
______________________________________

CENA ______________________________________
______________________________________

FRUMENTATIO ______________________________________
______________________________________

CAUPONAE ______________________________________
______________________________________

POPINAE ______________________________________
______________________________________

2 TRUE OR FALSE. Classify the following statements into TRUE and

FALSE categories. (X marks)

TRUE FALSE

1. The “De Re Coquinaria” is a good reference for ancient Roman menu.

2. Romans could buy their food from private markets called gourmands.
3. Meals in Ancient Rome moved from heaviest to lightest based on the
time of day.
4. A praefectus annonae was appointed to specifically oversee the
regular supply of food.
5. Food was prepared using a brazier or an open furnace for burning.
6. Most of the food supply came from the rural parts of Italy.
 THINK ABOUT THIS! ACTIVITIES FOR AGES 14-16

RECIPE CREATION. Based on your knowledge of ancient Roman

1 cuisine, create a recipe that could be followed by Romans during
that period. (X marks)

NAME OF DISH:

HOW TO MAKE:

INGREDIENTS:

TIME TO MAKE:

SOURCE ANALYSIS. Study the source below then answer the

2 questions that follow. Substantiate your answers with historical
facts. (X marks)
SOURCE A
QUESTIONS
1. What scene is depicted
in the source?
2. What are the important
elements that you see in
the source?
3. How is the source
relevant to the ancient
Roman menu and
cuisine?
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 Thank you

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