Reconstructing the Menu of a Pub in Ancient Pompeii | Hacker News Reader

Reconstructing the Menu of a Pub in Ancient Pompeii

atlasobscura.com

134 pointsdiodorus22 comments

Don't forget that the ingridients themselves could have changed considerably, as an example look at watermelon painting of 17th century and modern: https://www.biostandups.com/agricultural/evolution-fruits-ve...

This watermelon image has been widely debunked.

Will find the source if necessary.

The debunking seems somewhat doubtful, they claimed it was just unripe or under watered but the seeds apparently signify that those are untrue.

I would appreciate a source. I could only find a source the other direction. https://www.vox.com/2015/7/28/9050469/watermelon-breeding-pa...

Read the update at the bottom of that article

As far as I can tell the update supports the article's conclusion?

I can suggest that the carrot and parsnip were probably different in the ancient world. There is a weird confusion around the Latin "pastinaca", given as "parsnip" because in antiquity, the two vegetables looked similar (white/purple). Further, Latin doesn't seem to have a distinct word for "carrot" (with an attested usage, at any rate).

Laser went extinct (I skimmed some of the article, so maybe that was mentioned).

And, well, today, Roman artichokes are different than any I've ever had (I believe it is a varietal we sadly don't see in the USA).

"To accompany the main dish, I chose to include mensae, a flatbread that was once thought to be used as both a plate and a utensil. Virgil describes enjoying mensae this way in The Aeneid: After Aeneas and his men eat their meals off the flatbread, they remark, 'Oh, look! we are eating our tables too!'”

A Latin pun: mensa means table.

The "extremely assorted bones and shells" pot is explained simply by the presence of the dog: stuff the dog shouldn't get.

Thanks for sharing. I love it. Might add it to the food plan !;)

"Pound pepper, lovage, cumin, coriander, laser root, rue, caroenum, honey, pour on some of the cooking liquor, flavour with vinegar. "

I'll just nip of to the market, then. brb.

We had this recipe for Christmas one year. With a few substitutions according to what was available - damson juice instead of grape juice, for example. It was very nice.

Was the laser root good? "Silphium (also known as silphion, laserwort, or laser) is an unidentified plant that was used in classical antiquity as a seasoning, perfume, aphrodisiac, and medicine."

The author of the article substituted asafoetida for the laser.

I can't remember what we used instead of that!

Pepper, Cumin, Coriander, Honey: All readily available.

Lovage: Easy to get hold of if you're in Europe according to Wikipedia "its flavor and smell can be described as a mix of Celery and Parsley, but with a higher intensity of both of those flavors". So, literally just add in a large amount of those to compensate for the strength.

Caroneum: According to this website[0] "as long as you can find a carton of white grape juice, you're set" to make it, so that's readily available.

Rue - According to Wikipedia "Rue extracts are mutagenic and hepatotoxic". It's bitter, so you could very likely substitute a fair amount of Fenugreek for it, which is bitter but fragrant.

Laser Root - Also known as Ailphium, this no longer exists. However, Asafeotida "had similar enough qualities that Romans, including the geographer Strabo, used the same word to describe both". So literally just use that.

So in other words you use Pepper, Cumin, Coriander, Celery, Parsley, Homemade Caroneum, Fenugreek, Asafeotida, and Honey.

Which really doesn't sound that difficult to get hold of, does it?

[0]: https://pass-the-garum.blogspot.com/2013/03/caroenum.html

Asafoetida has an extremely strong smell though: if you use the same amount (half teaspoon) as the other spices, it will completely overpower them. It's common in Indian cooking, but the quantity typically used is a literal pinch.

I haven't found that to be the case when cooked. Commercial asafoetida is mixed with tumeric for colour, and rice flour to reduce it to edible porportions.

Please don't use pure asafoetida, I don't know of anyone else that does that and it will just smell horrible, along with giving you stomach problems. Even forms of asafoetida you can find in non-western countries are typically mixed with rice flour.

Pure asafoetida is fine to use, it doesn't smell bad, it doesn't give you stomach problems. You dilute it with the food you cook with it. It doesn't need it adulterated with flour and turmeric. Here is a good brand that I like, "Best Hing Ever". Hing is another name for asafoetida.

https://www.pureindianfoods.com/hing-asafoetida-powder-p/hin...

> Pure asafoetida is fine to use, it doesn't smell bad, it doesn't give you stomach problems.

Interesting, because every single report I've heard on it has said the opposite! I don't distrust you, I'm now just wondering what causes the variation!

I have some commercial asafoetida and it just has some edible gum added. Its in powder form. Seems to have a smell but not really objectionable.

Chinese celery is probably a decent sub for the lovage, its much more flavorful than the watery US stuff. Available at Chinese markets. The leaves are also particularly flavorful and could work. Probably not exactly the same. Maybe mix with parsley.

The author substituted diced dandelion greens for the rue.

I find it pretty amazing that other than the toxic ingredients most of the foods and spices from 2000 years ago are the same I have in my cabinet. Probably taste similiar enough. I bet freshness matters more than whatever changes occurred. It was striking how different fresh coriander seeds from cilantro plants in my backyard tasted compared to the dry stuff at the store.

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