Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-03-25
ANCIENT ROMAN SEASONING.
The Commands Took Medicine and
Foods Together.

The Commands Took Medicine and
Foods Together.
or recent years several mon who
have INDUCED freely their taste OF high
living have died as a result OF a too
hearty meal or because some one OF
the dishes failed to agree with them.
In this decidedly practical age, while
the physical part OF man Is neglected
In the mental stress OF the times. at
the same time. strangely enough, much
attention is being given to our physical
welfare. One is the result of the other.
OF course. A boxer undergoes a care
full medical examination before he en-
tiers the ring.
In these days OF luxurious feasts,
where the digestion is severely taxed
as the palate is pleased, it is not UNI
likely that the services of a physician
may play not unimportant part. This
will not be an innovation, however, for
the custom is older than the Christian
era, but 1t is unlikely that. like the
Romans, we will ever mix medicines
with the food, so that they may serve
at the same time as seasoning and a
remedy.
In preparation of q Roman feast
the doctor made out the menu and
gave it to the head cook or purveyor,
who obtained the articles mentioned in
1t. The Romans seasoned their meat
with rue, parsley seed, cumin, marsh.
mallows and nettles and distributed
freely throughout their meals pepper,
honey, salt, vinegar, raisins, mustard,
nj RIM SIT nj
tables were prepared with inter to
make them look green, practice not
entirely unknown in modern times.
The following is one of the singular
recipes that have come down through
the dark ages: "Bruise in n mortar
parsley seed, dried pennyroyaI, dried
mint, ginger, cOriander, stoned raisins,
with honey, vinegar, oil and wine. Put
in a stewpan with three crusts of
bread the flesh of pullet, vestine
cheese pine kernels, small onions,
minced fine, and cucumberS. Pour
soup over the mixture and serve in q
stewpan. garnished with snow" 1t is
presumed that the ingredients required
in it had been previously cooked.
The quantities of food served were
something astonishing. Julius Caesar,
when he gave his triumphal feast, had
three tons of lampreys served at his ia
BILE, and when Hortensius passed away
to n world where gormandizing Is un-
known nc left behind as being iucon-
venient to take along with him 10000
pipes Of those strong wines, seasoned
with asafetida and other denominations,
single glass of which would drive n
modern wine drinker crazy.
Among the Roman emperors noted
for the Indulgence of their appetites
were Vitcllius, Commodus, Didius, Ju-
lianus and Hcliogabalus, the last OF
whom made sausages of shrimps,
crabs, oysters and Holsters that might
have been excellent If the seasoning
was simple and appropriate.
The shellish thus served might have
rcsemble1 salad of the same mate
rails as it appears on modern tables il
certain ingredients were omitted. Dur
ing this period of luxury n wealthy
citizen had supper made of tongues
Of birds that could speak, which seems
impossible when we consider the scale
on which meals were then served and
the comparative scarcity OF the feath- |
cred species in question.
These extravagances in eating and
drinking continued In milder form for
some hundreds OF years. while the en-
pire was steadily declining. or until
the Goths and Vandals overran Eu-
rope and taught the effemlnato Romans
that the best sauce TO meat was n good |
appetite engendercd by the fatigue of |
long marches. rough living and an oc- |
easional period of fasting thrown in
Kansas City Star.