During the month of April, I will be holding an Ancient Roman Cookoff to use the garum that I made last year and to consider the effects it has on flavor and the perception of taste. Since this cookoff involves the use of an ingredient of limited quantity, I have invited a few colleagues and friends to join us in this effort. Exploring Ancient Roman food with me will be:
- Charles Perry: Former food correspondent for the Los Angeles Times and writer for Rolling Stone, co-author of Medieval Arab Cookery, and editor of the fantastic Baghdad Cookery Book;
- Sally Grainger: Noted ancient food scholar, co-author of the Classical Cookbook, and author of Cooking Apicius: Roman Recipes for Today;
- Paolo Magnanimi: Talented Chef and Host at Hostaria Antica Roma, a great restaurant in Rome on the old Via Appia with a special Ancient Roman menu.
- David Mahaffey: Winemaker from Napa Valley’s Heron Lake Vineyard and the master behind Olivia Brion wines;
- Deana Sidney: The talented cook and food stylist from Lost Past Remembered; and
- Caterina G: The talented cook from La Caffettiera Rosa.
Please stay tuned as we cook Roman recipes from Apicius to The Geoponica and sources in between and write about the food with particular notice of the garum used in the recipes. One of the dishes promised so far includes, Chicken a la Fronto in which chicken is marinated in a pickled broth flavored with dill, leeks and cilantro (sounds a bit similar to Persian sabzi dishes without the citrus) and later dressed in a sauce of garum flavored with wine must and black pepper. Another dish promised is one featuring a Sow’s Womb cooked with a vinegar-flavored broth, black pepper, and the extinct plant Silphium (what will be used – asafoetida?) with some possible additions including mint, celery seed and honey.
Join us as we explore some of the dishes that graced the Ancient Roman table and take a closer culinary look at garum. (Words by Laura Kelley; Photograph of Kitchen-in-Pompejanum-–-Aschaffenburg by Stefan Plogmann.)