OPSOPHAG-Y. 531 



large assortment of shell-fish, designated by the common 

 term oarrpaKa, oysters^ including not only these and other 

 bivalves, as clams, mussels, cockles, etc., but sea-urchins, 

 limpets, and winkles as well ; aU the delicacies, in a word, 

 which at present are comprehended under the French 

 heading ' coquillages,' and its Italian equivalent 'frutti 

 di mare,^ of which, parenthetically, many admirable spe- 

 cimens still adorn the frescoed walls and mosaic pave- 

 ments of the houses of Pompeii. Next to these may be 

 mentioned an abundance of sour things, in which not 

 only capers, but pickled eggs and pickled parsnips and 

 turnips, were seldom forgotten. Besides the common 

 vinegar in which these last were soused, there was a 

 strong acetic acid, like our Chili vinegar (0^09 o^ii) also 

 put down as a zest. With these a great number of salt 

 relishes appeared : green olives* (colymbadas), served as 

 now in brine, and many species of salted fish, particularly 

 mackerel and thunny; garumand alec inabundance; a pro- 

 fusion of fresh fruits, a large assortment of fancy breadsf to 



* The practice of st nffln g enucleated olives with a bit of salt 

 anchovy, and then immersing the fruit in boccals of fresh oil 

 (which is by far the best way of serving them), was not, we believe 

 (though the savoury conception was worthy of the genius of 

 Apioius or Archestratus), known to either the Latins or Greeks. 



t The ' artology' of Greece embraces (as every ology is bound 

 to do) a great variety of subjects : Ceres was made to assume 

 more 'fancy' shapes than ever Proteus took; and to reckon up 

 and put together all the different breads mentioned by Athenseus 

 would occupy more time than we have just now to spare. Ar- 

 chestratus, in his poem on ' Gastronomy,' enters upon this part 

 of his subject with a dignity quite Homeric: — 



npwra jLiev oZv dapayv fjLefivrjcroiJLat T^uKo/iOto 

 AfifirjTpos, (f>l\e M.6<T)(e' <Tv S'iv <jipE(rl ^aWeo arfi(riv. 

 The gracious gifts of Ceres ever kind, 

 Moschus, I sing ; incline both ear and mind, 

 Whilst I adventurous knead in duotHe verse 

 Her plastic progeny, and praise rehearse. 



2 A3 



