A multigenerational banquet depicted on a mural from Pompeii (1st century AD)
In my family, we typically celebrate birthdays by having dinner together. The birthday boy or girl chooses whether we eat out or at home, and what the menu will be.
Centuries ago, the Romans enjoyed a good birthday dinner as well. Actually, Romans loved to eat, so it didn’t take much to get someone to host a party.
One menu for an all-night feast survived in a cookbook, and food wasn’t the only thing on the menu. Musicians, dancers, acrobats, and poets provided ambiance. The meal also tells us something about the extent of Roman trade, for the ostrich and flamingo came from Africa, the dates from Judea, and the spices from throughout the Empire.
Appetizers
Jellyfish and eggs
Sow’s udder stuffed with salted sea urchins
Browned brains cooked with milk and eggs
Boiled tree fungi with peppered fish-fat sauce
Sea urchins with spices, honey, oil, and egg sauce
Main Courses
Fallow deer roasted with onion sauce, rue, Jericho dates, raisins, oil, and honey
Boiled ostrich with sweet sauce
Turtle dove boiled in its feathers
Roast parrot
Dormice stuffed with pork and pine nuts
Ham boiled with figs and bay leaves, rubbed with honey, baked in pastry crust
Flamingo boiled with dates
Desserts
Fricassee of roses with pastry
Stoned dates stuffed with nuts and pine kernels, fried in honey
Hot African sweet-wine cakes with honey
If you’re feeling adventurous for your next party, you can get some updated recipes from several sites.
Delishably.com
University of Chicago Press
Facts and Details.com
As for me, I think I’ll stick with tacos.
Don’t forget to enter my Birthday Bash Giveaway! It ends October 30!
