in Greek and Latin Authors. 47 



were usually eaten with various condiments; Apicius, how- 

 ever, is the only author who has mentioned the kinds of con- 

 diments used, and his work in rilling up a gap in the domestic 

 habits of the Romans is very valuable, notwithstanding his 

 obscurities and the solecisms of his style. For an insight 

 into the details of the Roman kitchen we shall look elsewhere 

 in vain. Although his work is one of comparatively recent 

 date, there is no reason to doubt that his cooking receipts may 

 fairly be taken as specimens of those in use amongst the 

 ancient Romans. He mentions Fungi farnei * , perhaps such 

 as grew near ash-trees ( farnei =fraxinei) , Boleti and Tuber a. 

 Here are his receipts for cooking Fungi farnei : — (1) Boil 

 them, dry hot, and serve with wine-sauce (cenogarum) and 

 pepper pounded in liquor ; (2) Use pepper, sweet boiled wine 

 {careen um), vinegar, and oil; (3) Another receipt: — boil in 

 salt and serve with oil, wine, and pounded coriander seed. 



For Boleti: — (1) Pour over them sweet boiled wine and 

 add a bunch of green coriander ; after boiling take out the 

 bunch of coriander and serve. (2) Another receipt : — serve 

 their stalks in liquor with salt. (3) Place the cut-off stalks 

 (tirsos) on a dish, pour echinus eggs (?) (uvam) over them 

 with pepper, lovage, a little honey, and oil. 



For Tubera : — (1) Peel, boil, sprinkle with salt, and trans- 

 fix with a twig (surculo injigis) ; partly roast, and place in a 

 cooking-vessel with oil, liquor, sweet boiled wine, unmixed 

 wine, pepper and honey ; while boiling, beat up with fine flour, 

 take out the twigs and serve. (2) Another receipt : — Boil, 

 and sprinkle salt, transfix with twigs, partly roast, place in a 

 cooking-vessel with liquor, oil, greens, sweet boiled wine, a 

 small quantity of unmixed wine, pepper and a little honey, 

 and let it boil ; while boiling beat up with fine flour ; prick 

 the tubers that they may absorb, take out the twigs and 

 serve. If you like you may surround the tubers with the 

 omentum of a pig, then roast and serve. 



Four other receipts for cooking truffle are give — mint, rue, 

 leeks (?), cummin, seseli, and parsley being the ingredients 

 not mentioned in the above receipts (Apicius, ' De Re 

 Coquin. Lib. X.,' pp. 154-156, ed. Chr. T. Schuch, 1874). 



Under the name of sfonduli, funguli, or sjjongioli Apicius 

 is supposed by some writers to be referring to the Morel 

 (Morchella), the modern Italian name " spongiole " preserving 

 to us the tradition of its identity. This is most probable. 

 Apicius gives several receipts for cooking morels, which do 

 not differ in any particulars from those he gives for serving 

 funguli fainei (see p. 65 of Schuch's edition). 



The following Table, in which I have given the various 

 Greek and Latin names of fungi, may be found useful : — 

 * Some editions vendfayinei instead of farnei. 



