Arizona republican., 1911-11-26
MARCUS GAb|US AP|C|US
 AN INVENTOR 0F RECIPES
Marcus Apicius Was a Rare Old Food
 Expert.

Marcus Gabius Apicius ate up for tune: he spent it all on food for him. self and his guests. food and the ac-
 ccssories of service and entertain
 ment When he found he had only
 about $35.O0O left he was afraid he would die of starvation. So he dranl, poison and died.
 ] That was 1900 years ago, when Ti- berius was emperor of Rome. Apicius
 was one of the greatest gourmets that i ever lived. His was an age of dis covery. not only geographically but
 gastronomically. Every new country conquered revealed new foods. As
 the Roman empire spread over Flu rope Asia and Africa, new markets
 were opened up. Ships freighted with
 the produce of Gaul. Britain, Egypt,
 Syria, Parthia, Mauretania and Scy- 2 thia Hooked to Civita Vecchia, the
 port of Rome. and foreigners of all
 compleXions brought their tastes and
 their customs to the capital They also brought the foods and drinks to which they had been accustomed at home. And Roman travellers learned
 in distant lands how delicious were meats and vegetables and fruits of which they had never before suspect ed the existence.
 Wealth came suddenly to thousands and with wealth came ostentation and extravaganza in eating and drinking. Rome was full of mushroom million aires Among the enormously wealthy epicures Apicius stood pre- eminent. He was a type of the gourmet. a man to whom eating was d fine art. dining a religion. But he was unselfish in his taste and was glad to enrich the world with the deep knowledge of cookery that he had attained through long study and much eXperimenta- tion.
 So he wrote a cookery book. This book is the oldest of it's kind that is known. except a fragmentary one in Sanskrit Many of the recipes of Apicius are in common use with but slight qualifications to this day. es- peciallv by the cooks of Spain. Italy and southern France. f course. We have advanced in gastronomic knowl- edge since those days. Those sNba- ritic Romans knew nothing of many foods that are almost a commonplace to us-sugar. for instance, and po- tatoes and turkeys, to say nothing oi chocolate, tea, coffee and tobacco. So, where our recipes direct sugar theirs ordered honey. If they had not tur- keys. they had cartridges. pheasants and quail Where we use potatoes they used chestnuts, peas, beans and lentils.
 The artistic chef of that day made veal taste like fish. fish taste like a rabbit. and so on to bewilderlng extent. almost as some modern French cooks boast that they can make delicious ragout out of pair of wornout gloves.
 The striking features of cookery among the rich Romans were multi pIicitv of dishes the destruction and waste of vast quantities of material and the absolute disguising of flavors bv means of extraordinary combina tions of highly seasoned sauces and gravies.
 In Italy today pigs flyers are served in d way that is accurately described by Apicius Mixed with herbs, salt and wine. they are stuffed into small skins. with one bay leaf to each, and baked.
 And there are many similar recipes given by Apicius which are so similar to the methods in use today as to be almost identical He tells how to to make barley water such as given to invalids: how to preserve comestibles with honey or salt by freezing and keeping out of the air. He tells how to keep punches of grapes by burying