: Apicius
: Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome
: Seltzer Books
: 9781455442225
: 1
: CHF 0.70
:
: Essen & Trinken
: English
: 805
: DRM
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB

'A Bibliography, Critical Review and Translation of the Ancient Book known as Apicius de re Coquinaria.'Particularly useful if you want to cook wild boar or dormouse :-)According to Wikipedia: 'Apicius is a collection of Roman cookery recipes, usually thought to have been compiled in the late 4th or early 5th century AD and written in a language that is in many ways closer to Vulgar than to Classical Latin. The name 'Apicius' had long been associated with excessively refined love of food, from the habits of an early bearer of the name, Marcus Gavius Apicius, a Roman gourmet and lover of refined luxury who lived sometime in the 1st century AD, during the reign of Tiberius. He is sometimes erroneously asserted to be the author of the book that is pseudepigraphically attributed to him. Apicius is a text to be used in the kitchen. In the earliest printed editions, it was most usually given the overall title De re coquinaria ('On the Subject of Cooking') and attributed to an otherwise unknown Caelius Apicius, an invention based on the fact that one of the two manuscripts is headed with the words 'API CAE'.

BOOK I. THE CAREFUL EXPERIENCED COOK


 

Lib. I. Epimeles

 

CHAP. I. FINE SPICED WINE. HONEY REFRESHER FOR TRAVELERS.

CHAP. II. ROMAN VERMOUTH.

CHAP. III. ROSE WINE. VIOLET WINE. ROSE WINE WITHOUT ROSES.

CHAP. IV. LIBURNIAN OIL.

CHAP. V. TO CLARIFY MUDDY WINE.

CHAP. VI. TO IMPROVE A BROTH WITH A BAD ODOR.

CHAP. VII. TO KEEP MEATS FRESH WITHOUT SALT. TO KEEP COOKED SIDES OF PORK.

CHAP. VIII. TO MAKE SALT MEATS SWEET.

CHAP. IX. TO KEEP FRIED FISH. TO KEEP OYSTERS.

CHAP. X. TO MAKE LASER GO A LONG WAY.

CHAP. XI. TO MAKE HONEY CAKES LAST. TO MAKE SPOILED HONEY GOOD. TO TEST SPOILED HONEY.

CHAP. XII. TO KEEP GRAPES. TO KEEP POMEGRANATES. TO KEEP QUINCES. TO PRESERVE FRESH FIGS. TO KEEP CITRON. TO KEEP MULBERRIES. TO KEEP POT HERBS. TO PRESERVE SORREL. TO KEEP TRUFFLES. TO KEEP HARD-SKINNED PEACHES.

CHAP. XIII. SPICED SALTS FOR MANY ILLS.

CHAP. XIV. TO KEEP GREEN OLIVES.

CHAP. XV. CUMIN SAUCE FOR SHELLFISH. ANOTHER.

CHAP. XVI. LASER FLAVOR. ANOTHER. CHAP.

XVII. WINE SAUCE FOR TRUFFLES. ANOTHER.

CHAP. XVIII. OXYPORUM. CHAP.

XIX. HYPOTRIMA.

CHAP. XX. OXYGARUM, DIGESTIVE. ANOTHER. CHAP.

XXI. MORTARIA.

 

I

 

[1] FINE SPICED WINECONDITUM PARADOXUM

 

THE COMPOSITION OF [this] EXCELLENT SPICED WINE [is as follows]. INTO A COPPER BOWL PUT 6 SEXTARII [1] OF HONEY AND 2 SEXTARII OF WINE; HEAT ON A SLOW FIRE, CONSTANTLY STIRRING THE MIXTURE WITH A WHIP. AT THE BOILING POINT ADD A DASH OF COLD WINE, RETIRE FROM STOVE AND SKIM. REPEAT THIS TWICE OR THREE TIMES, LET IT REST TILL THE NEXT DAY, AND SKIM AGAIN. THEN ADD 4 OZS. OF CRUSHED PEPPER [2], 3 SCRUPLES OF MASTICH, A DRACHM EACH OF [nard or laurel] LEAVES AND SAFFRON, 5 DRACHMS OF ROASTED DATE STONES CRUSHED AND PREVIOUSLY SOAKED IN WINE TO SOFTEN THEM. WHEN THIS IS PROPERLY DONE ADD 18 SEXTARII OF LIGHT WINE. TO CLARIFY IT PERFECTLY, ADD [crushed] CHARCOAL [3] TWICE OR AS OFTEN AS NECESSARY WHICH WILL DRAW [the residue] TOGETHER [and carefully strain or filter through the charcoal].

 

[1]Sextarii. Tor.partes XV; G.-V.pondo XV; List.partes XV ... pondo lib.... qui continent sextarios sex. One sextarius (a “sixth”) equals about 1½ pint English.

 

[2] Pepper.Piperis uncias IV—ordinarily our black or white pepper grains, but in connection with honey, sweets, and so forth, the term “pepper” may just as well stand for our allspice, or even for any spicing in general.

 

[3] Charcoal. Still a favorite filterer for liquors.

 

List. Apicius is correct in starting his book with this formula, as all meal