The legacy of Roma Ancient Italy is present throughout Italy, and it is not limited to impressive archaeology. Many foreigners – and even Italians – are surprised to discover that some recipes from our Roman ancestors are still part of the country’s cuisine.
The origins of lasagna and pasta
An example is lasagna and pasta. Originally, both were called laganae. “Historical sources say it was a flat sheet of dough cut into irregular strips, cooked to make leek and chickpea soups, a very popular dish in Roma Ancient”, he explains Giorgio Franchetti, historian and archaeologist specializing in ancient Roman gastronomy.
Unsplash
As laganae are the embryo of what would later become modern lasagna, with layers of pasta interspersed with meat and tomato sauce. The Roman pasta strips resembled the irregular shape of a specific type of pasta still served in Italy, known as maltagliatia, which means “badly cut” in Italian.
Roman Delights in the Words of the Ancients
“The poet Horace writes how he couldn’t wait to go home and enjoy a bowl of leeks, chickpeas and laganae. Cicero was already so addicted to laganae who ate huge amounts, to the point of developing intestinal problems,” reports Franchetti.
Colatura di Alici: a sauce with ancient roots
Another food with roots in Ancient Rome is the famous Anchovy sauce, a salty and intensely flavored anchovy sauce, quite expensive, bought by tourists visiting the amalfi coast. The product is a modern version of garum, a Roman condiment made from fermented fish coated in salt and left to mature under the scorching sun.
Garum: the most expensive sauce in Ancient Rome
"garum It was praised by the great Roman gourmet Marcus Gavius Apicius and described by authors such as Pliny, who called it 'liquor exquisitus' (delicious liquor)," says Franchetti. The trade in this sauce was so prosperous that there were distribution points even on the most remote islands of the empire.
In Ancient Rome, the garum was the second most expensive liquid, behind only perfumes. Despite its often unpleasant smell, caused by fermentation, it was used in exquisite banquets. In addition, anchovy omelette, common in Italy, is one of the legacies of garum.
Savillum: the cheesecake of Ancient Rome
Sweets also have ancient roots. All sheep or goat milk ricotta pies come from the placenta Roman, documented in ancient cookbooks. It was a flat pie of ricotta solidified with honey, cut into slices like those made today in Italian households. “Another example is the Savillum, considered the precursor of cheesecake. The recipe, dating back to the 3rd century BC, was created by Cato the Elder, with fresh goat cheese, honey and poppy seeds,” says Franchetti.
Roman sausages
Among the sausages, the luganega, a rustic sausage originating from the Roman region of Lucania, and the bologna mortadella are direct descendants of delicacies from Ancient Rome. The mortadella, known as myrtatum, was seasoned with myrtle seeds, instead of black pepper, to accentuate its flavor.
Franchetti concludes by saying: “There are many foods that we still eat that date back to Ancient Rome, created by our ancestors, although many Italians don’t even realize it. Just think of lasagna.”
FOLLOW-US
