The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-02-04
THE|nLAWS AND COOKERY
Two Priceless and Enduring Legal
cies From the Romans Of
0lden Days.
Apicius the Epicure is no Less
Potent Than Justinian the
Lawgiver.

Nevertheless, Dinners Were OF Barbara,
Grossness, Trying Discomforts. Fam
tastic aud Not Palatablc.
Some one has said somewhere that the
Romans with all their splendid civilizs-
ton bequeathed to us but two priceless and
enduring le~gacies-their laws and theii
cookery, Through both we have been
nodded, but subtle as has been the influence
of the Roman law it pales before the sig
nifcance of the Roman cuisine in shaping
modern character, in forming the modern
mind through the stomach. PlaRiarists
and gross imitators in the field of religion,
literature and art, as the Romans undoubt-
eddy were, they were splendid cooks. Much
of their original thought found expression
in the art and invention of the kitchen, and
it's influence is felt to-day in our soups and
salads, in our sausages and entrees. Inc
authority of Apicius, the Roman epicure,
has been no less potent than that OF JUS
tinian, the lawgiver.
We are accustomed to conceive the Ro-
man dinners as visions, forever departed,
of gorgeous revelry and s%plendor, OF deli
cate ease and refinement, enhanced by all
the graces and seductions which charm the
palate and the senses. Historians OF the
ancient world have told us 30 from time out
of mind. When we read of the feasts OF
Greece, of Egypt, and particularly OF Rome
under Augustus and his imperial successors,
the story is the same, be the scene lald IN
the home of a private gentleman or IN the
palace of a dignitary of state. There are
the same beautiful mosaic pavemehts' the
carved fountains with !e.s OF pomina
waters, rich bronzes. statues ana cleaning
oandelabra, all the luxurious
of wealth and ease. Finely sculptured
images of ivory and SILVER, costly emDrolu-
cries, couches quilted in iich' hued fabrlcs.t the
sweet odors of Eyrrh and franklncense-
on every side is an artfal element designed
10 charm the senses. N.ands of fabulous
value, wines of untold ale, cooks without
peers or successors, these are the stores OF
the Roman dinners. But history very often
neplects1t to tell us that the senators OF un-
bending dignity, the private citizens OF ira
ditional refinement, ate with their myers
and INDUCED in, during dinner. sufficient
cleansinu to constitute an ordinary bath.
From under the splendid canopies there was
noisome smoke no less than the strains OF
sweet music. es
The Roman dinner was of barbaric gross
ness, in~termingled with it's pleasures were
trying discomforts. Associated with Its
RACES that would repel the modern epicure,
disturb his temper and offend his taste.
An Augustan supper was often con-
sumed hastily; it was always a gross
and fantastic enjoyment. The Romans
we're voluptuaries incapable OF eXperlenc-
ing the finer delights of the table. They
were gluttons, never epicures. The strong
o,< o~~aol IF tho Roman Cnnk WAS To the |
fancy, not to the palate. His ideas, which
found expression in his cookery. were gro
tesque, even repulsive. lie appealed to an
appetite of cruel fancy, to one like that OF
the Roman ~sensualist, who could not relish
a lamprey unless he imagined 1t to nave
been fattened on human flesh. He appealed
to ostentatious extravaganza. He peppered
his masters drink with powdered pearls.
He paid what would be equivalent to
5000 of our money for a pie made from
birds whose singing was supposed to lml-
tate human voices. A dinner in the cham
Der of Apollo. to which Lucullus invited
Cicero and Pompey, cost 10000 sesterces, or
about 5000.
Precious stones were ingredients In many
dishes. There were ~sa!magundis made of
the tongues of ~nightingales and the brains
of birds of gay plumage. The goose, pea
cock, fanlingo and the parrot were esteemed
as extremely delicious. But, with all the
DOdStcu I tuu toilSSC1OA VI II III
cuisine, the ancient masters OF the world
had no sugar, no butter, no bread. rs we un
derstRnd the words. The ancient. peoples
of the south as Il whole We're without those
primary elements of food. the substantial
basis upon which the ~fancitul superstruc-
ture of the weil-ordered table is built.
Butter-the greasy substance which en-
ters4s 50 infinitely into most of the delicacies
which please our palate-was to the ancient
Greeks and Romans a thing of curiosity
rather than, OF service. Its use for any
dietetic purpose was confined to- a few old
races neither under the Influences OF
climate nor of occidental Gus
TOMS. Tn lsraelltes were almost COM
pletely ignorant of its uses. The Romans,
with their taste for oil, disdained the use
of butter at their tables with contempt.
They knew of that kind only which was
badly made. The curious character of their
cooking %precluded in large measure its
necessity, but they went into sensual costa
sizes over compounds which would nauseate
Il Hottentot. Poor butter with them made
excellent medicinal service and nom other.
AS did the Greeks, they learned of it's char
acter from the savage and uncouth tribes OF
the north, especially from Germany, where
the rlcors of climate stimulated it's manu-
facture. In all the southern countries of
the ancient world oil served the purposes \
of butter. 1t was one of the most constantly |
dsed elements in the kitchen-to our no.
tions one of the most abused.
Another of our seeming necessities of
life, sugar, was unknown to the ancients.
Honey was it's single substitute, and in most
remarkable combinations and under strange |
conditions was it used. Upon meats, |
steWed, fried. boiled and baked, it was
poured. With wine, gum and spice it made |
the ln1tlatorY whet to appetite at the regu-
lar meal. Its purpo Sos and relations were
evidently but poorly known and it was
most o~utrageously used. In describing a
Pompeiian supper Bulwer Lytton delicately
cha, acterizes that famous appetizer as di-
luted wine sparingly mixed with honey.
lie forgot the mucilage and spice. The
Romans necessarily were ignorant of the
subtler excellencies Of fermented grapes
Wine was their constant and best loved
drink, but it was like themselves, gross.
Oysters and honey in conjunction will un-
DER average circumstances make a modern
.plcure snudder. They were esteemed a
delicacy by the Romans, who increased the
favor by the introduction of pepper and
vinegar. Sweet and sour in constant con-
tact was but one of the anomalies of Ro-
man cooking.
We know of the leavened and unleavened
bread OF The lsraelites, of the loaves of corn
bread given by the Roman senate in times
of popular distress. When we hear of
bread in the annals of the Roman state it is
in connection with the plebeians and their
riots ard clamors. History tells us of the
senatorial regulation of quantity in those
public bread distributions of old, In some
measure also it details the character of
food titen given to the Roman poor.
The excavations at Pompeii have loid
bare to the modern world the entire interior
Of a Roman bakery. There in full view are
its ovens, its great open fireplace. ito knaud-