Around the Roman Table

Book excerpt: A quirky and unusual historical cookery book, already a bestseller in Europe. Packed with fascinating anecdotes, and richly illustrated with witty quotes from classical authors, Around the Roman Table is a mouth-watering ride through the food of the ancient world and, as a recipe book, a step back in time. But it is not just the absence of gas-fired hobs and microwaves which make this such a unique experience. America had yet to be discovered, hence ingredients such as potatoes, tomatoes, red peppers and peanuts could not grace the Roman table. This lack of the staples of the European diet, was more than made up for by Roman appetite for foodstuffs we would scarcely feed our dogs. Fish eyes, pigs' ears, wombs, intestines and brains were all served, usually dressed in fiery pepper based sauces. Not all the recipes resort to such unusual fare and over 150 are reproduced here, especially adapted to allow modern cooks to revive ancient dishes in their own kitchens.