BOOK XVIII. XXVII. 105-xxvm. 108 



even bread iinported from Parthia, called water bread 

 because by means of water it is drawn out into a thin 

 spongy consistency fuU of holes ; others call it just 

 Parthian brcad. The highest merit depends on the 

 goodness of the wheat and the fineness of the bolter. 

 Some use eggs or milk in kneading the dough, while 

 even butter has been used by races enjoying pcace, 

 when attention can be devoted to the varieties of 

 pastry-making. The Ancona country still retains 

 the popularity it won in the invention of bread 

 from using groats as the material ; this bread is 

 steeped for nine days and on the tenth day they 

 knead it up with raisin juice into the shape of a 

 long roll and afterwards put it in earthenware pots 

 and bake it in ovens, the pots breaking in the 

 process. It is not used for food unless it has been 

 soaked, for which chiefly milk or honey-water is 

 employed. 



XXVIII. There were no bakers at Rome down to Bakersm 

 the war with King Perseus," over 580 years after the ^amHveiy 

 foundation of the city. The citizens used to make modcm. 

 bread themselves, and this was especially the task of 

 the women, as it is even now in most nations. Plautus 

 already speaks of bakers, using the Greek word, in 

 his play named Aulularia, which has caused great auHoo. 

 debate among the leamed as to the authenticity of 

 the Une, and it is proved by the expression occurring 

 in Ateius Capito that it was in his day usual for bread 

 to be baked for more luxurious people by cooks, 

 and only those who ground spelt were called 

 ' grinders ' * ; nor used people to have cooks on their 

 regular stafF of servants, but they hired them from 

 the provision market. The GalHc provinces invented 

 the kind of bolter made of horse-hair, while Spain 



257 



