ModernAncientRoman.com launches interactive platform for ancient Roman cuisine

ModernAncientRoman.com, an interactive digital platform, has launched, offering a modern take on ancient Roman cuisine. The site features over 120 recipes sourced from classic texts such as Apicius's De Re Coquinaria and Cato's De Agri Cultura, providing a comprehensive guide to the culinary traditions of the Roman Republic and Empire.

Operating under Real Tested Inc., the platform is designed to bridge the gap between ancient culinary practices and contemporary cooking methods. Each recipe includes primary-source citations, adapted ingredients, and modern preparation steps tested in home kitchens. The site is structured around Roman meal divisions, with appetizers, main courses, and desserts reflecting the dining customs of the era.

For instance, the iconic dish patina de apua, a pâté from Apicius's Book II, starts with poached eel blended with eggs, herbs, and olive oil, then baked in a water bath for 30 minutes. Isicia omentata, meatballs formed from spiced pork wrapped in caul fat, are broiled for 10 minutes per side. Moretum, a garlic cheese spread from Cato, combines fresh cheese, garlic, coriander, celery seed, and vinegar. Puls, a barley porridge, simmers with bay leaves and honey for 45 minutes.

The site also addresses the challenges of recreating ancient ingredients, such as garum, a fermented fish sauce. Users are provided with modern substitutes, like Vietnamese nuoc mam or a DIY version made from anchovies, salt, and herbs fermented for four weeks. Silphium, a plant noted by Pliny the Elder that became extinct in the first century AD, is replaced with asafoetida or laser root, depending on the desired taste.

Regional variations are also highlighted. Republican-era recipes, as described by Cato, focus on simple Italic grains, while Imperial recipes, influenced by Columella, incorporate Gallic sausages and Eastern spices. Search tools allow users to filter recipes by era, region, or dietary preference, making it easier to find specific dishes.

"This resource fills a significant gap in the market," said the editorial lead at ModernAncientRoman.com. "Ancient Roman cookbook recipes provide the West's earliest sustained culinary record, but they rarely suit today's cook. Our platform offers both study and supper, with detailed adaptations and period-accurate techniques."

ModernAncientRoman.com includes nutritional information, such as caloric content and health benefits. For example, patina de apua, at 450 calories per serving, provides omega-3s from eel, aligning with Roman humoral theory that favored fish for balanced humors.

The site’s full menus illustrate class divides, with plebeian suppers pairing barley porridge with lentil stew and apples, and patrician feasts beginning with appetizers of moretum and stuffed dormice, followed by boar and meatballs, and ending with honeyed fruits.

"With the rise of historical cooking and interest in ancient civilizations, ModernAncientRoman.com offers a valuable resource for both scholars and enthusiasts," the editorial lead added. "Our goal is to make ancient Roman cuisine accessible and enjoyable for modern cooks."

The platform indexes 220 recipes across three main courses, with parallel-column period-and-modern adaptations and detailed sourcing notes from Apicius. Justin Hartfield, co-founder of Weedmaps and founder of Real Tested Inc., has spearheaded this project, leveraging the company's expertise in building independent, editorially driven consumer directories across various categories.