18 



The Romans had almost all the vegetables we have, except the 

 potato and tomatoe, and they both boiled and stewed them. 

 Raw salads were in vogue ; but, like the modern Italian, they 

 also affected them boiled. 



Of sweets the Romans had numerous dishes ; and among the 

 recipes given by Apicius may be found ones for custard, and for 

 omelettes, and cheese cakes. 



Snails they fried and sauced in various ways ; eggs they fried 

 and boiled, and served with sauces. 



From what I have already said, I think you will have perceived 

 that the differences between the Roman and the English styles of 

 cookery are differences only of detail, not of principle. Mr. Coote 

 sums up : — They cooked their fish, flesh, fowl, and vegetables in 

 manners more or less identical with ours ; their sweets present less 

 similarity, but there are resemblances even in them. Their pot 

 herbs are all in use at the present day, except laser, which has not 

 been rejected by us, but is lost, or unrecognised at the present 

 time. But a perusal of Apicius shows that Roman cookery was 

 intended for stomachs weakened by luxury ; the rationale of the 

 Roman saiaces was to promote digestion by raising the tone of the 

 stomach : thus strong and warming condiments were unsparingly 

 used, such as carraway, anise, cummin, celery seeds ; also pine 

 nuts, juniper, laurel, and lentise berries. Mustard, strange to say, 

 they used very timidly : only in boils and stews, never with roasts 

 and broils. Pepper they used to everything — fish, flesh, and fruit. 

 It was first introduced into Rome in the time of Pliny, and its 

 brusque and fiery taste startled the senses of the bon vivants of the 

 city. Pliny was of that number : Usum ejus acleo plncuisne mirum 

 est : in aliis quippe suavitas r.epit, in aliis species invitavii. Huic 

 nee pomi nee baccce commendatio est aliqua. ^ola placere amari- 

 tudine, et hanc in Indos peti. Quis ille qui primus cibis experiri 

 voluit. In fact pepper was a new sensation, when first introduced 

 into Europe, and the Romans fell in love with it. It did not 

 supersede, however, the rue and lovage they previously used to 

 produce similar effects. They used all three. 



But we cannot really solve the question of what Roman coofcery 



