Could you tell me about ancient Roman food?

Dr. dig responds:
The ancient Romans were excellent chefs, and we are fortunate to have the actual recipes that were written down by perhaps the most famous of all Roman cooks, Apicius. His cookbook contains some very tasty dishes indeed.

Here are a few recipes I think you might like:

Meat dumplings cooked in garum

Garum is a fish-pickle sauce that was a favorite of the ancient Romans. It was made from fermented fish.

For the meat dumplings, take 1/2 pound ground beef or venison and mix with 1 egg, pepper to taste and 1/2 cup breadcrumbs. Shape into small meatballs of about the size of a walnut or large marble. In a frying pan, mix and heat 1 cup water, 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce (a good substitute for garum), chopped celery, and ground pepper to taste. Poach the meatballs in this sauce, adding more water if necessary. Serve when the liquid has been evaporated by the heat and the meatballs are fully cooked (brown, not pink in the middle).

The Romans particularly liked mixing the taste of hot pepper with the sweet taste of honey. You will be surprised how delicious the following recipe is:

You will need 1/2 lb of frying steak, some honey, pepper, and salt. Cut the steak into really thin strips. In a pan, saute the strips of steak in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of honey, lots of ground pepper and dash of salt.

Two of my favorite vegetable recipes are these:

Carrots cooked with a delicious spice called cumin, then served with a drizzle of olive oil (the Romans did not like butter).

A kind of omelette made with cooked lettuce.

For this recipe, you should use only the best and greenest lettuce -- not iceberg, which is tastless and too watery. Bib lettuce is nice because it is not too bitter. Cook the lettuce and drain really well. Chop it well. In a bowl, beat two eggs. Add a dash ground pepper, a pinch of salt and a tablespoon olive oil. Heat a pan with tablespoon olive oil. When it is hot, add the chopped lettuce and saute for a minute to reduce the moisture. When most of the moisture has been cooked off, add the eggs, give it a little stir, then let cook until done. Yum.

For dessert, the Romans enjoyed something sweet just the way we do.

The following is a delicious sweet cake/bread made with rosemary:

You will need: 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground rosemary, 2 cups wheat flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 cup apple juice concentrate, 1 egg, 4 tablespoons honey, 3/4 cup milk, and chopped almonds.

In a bowl, mix all dry ingredients. Next, combine the juice concentrate, the egg, the honey, and the milk. Blend well, but do not beat. Pour into a greased 9-inch round cake pan and bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. Pour a little honey on top of the finished cake and sprinkle with chopped almonds.

These recipes are adapted from The Roman Cookery of Apicius, translated and adapted for the modern kitchen by John Edwards.