Food and Drink Flashcards
1
Q
Difference between food then and now
A
- less fatty
- little meat & no sugar
- honey, wine & fruit to sweeten diet
- much boiling vs baking (no ovens for the poor)
2
Q
food at a dinner party
A
- All drank wine (heavily diluted)
- porridge replaced by bread (2nd c. BC): round loaf
- veggies and fruits (no tomatoes, potatoes or citrus fruit)
- meat = expensive, esp. beef; poor eat chicken
- fish and seafood
- sauces: sweet and sour; garum (pungent black fish-sauce)
3
Q
Cena
A
- cena (dinner) was the main meal of the day for a Roman. It started at around 3 or 4 o’clock and sometimes lasted several hours. The poor had meagre meals: often no more than black bread, vegetables and cheap wine. The rich enjoyed a three course meal. It consisted of:
- First course - gustatio (starters)
- Second course - primae mensae (mains)
- Third course – secundae mensae (desserts)