Ancient Romans: Food

1. Ancient Romans:Food By: Christina Selkirk

2. Common Meals Rich: • Peacock tongues • stuffing of a chicken inside a duck, inside a goose, inside a pig, inside a cow, and the whole thing was cooked together Poor: • Beans • Cabbages • Peas • Olives • Lettuce • Cheap bread called panis primus

3. Rich romans • Liked to show they were rich by the foods they ate • Had slaves cook complicated meals for them • Had slaves go up a mountain to get snow so they could make a slushy-type drink • Liked to use imported spices

4. Poor romans • Grew all their own vegetables in dry and dusty gardens • Wheat and barely were made into beer, flatbread or soup • Olive oil was used on bread • Grapes were made into wine, vinegar or raisins • Took their food to the town baker to cook because they had no kitchens

5. Food preparation • Used simple ovens made of stone and mud • Boiled vegetables • Roasted meats • Fingers were used more often than cutlery to prepare and eat the food

6. Farming food • Roman grew their own • Wheat • Grapes • Olives • At harvesting time, loaves of bread were placed as offerings in front of gods and goddesses, so they could eat • Wealthy men had farms that were ran by slaves

7. Imported food • Apricots were imported from Armenia • Dates were imported from North Africa • Cinnamon, pepper, ginger and other rich spices were imported from Afghanistan, India, and China • Ancient Rome produced little trade exports • The imported goods were paid with provincial taxes

8. Common Drinks Rich: • Wine- thick syrup watered down to be liquid • Mulsum- honeyed wine • Calda- warm water and wine mixed with spices Poor: • Wine- thick syrup watered down to be liquid • Posca- vinegar mixed with water • Water • Drinking milk was considered uncivilized and was only used to make cheese or for medicinal purposes • in every house, the wine cellar was filled with thick syrup sealed with gypsum, with labels telling when it was stored

9. Questions • 1) Rich Romans got their slaves to go up a mountain to get _____ that was used to make an ancient type of ______. Answer: Snow, slushies • 2) How were Roman imports paid? Answer: Provincial tax money

10. Sources • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Roman_cuisine • http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/roman_food.htm • http://www.ducksters.com/history/ancient_rome_food_daily_life.php