Transcript Chapter 6 How they ate

Chapter 6
How they ate.
Focus
At the end of this presentation, you should be
able to identify the Roman dining customs as well
as the Latin names for the meals eaten by ancient
Romans.
For Starters
The Romans were fairly social and dinner
was a chance to catch up with friends and
the local politics. They did not have a
newspaper, much less radio, television or
the internet to keep them up to date. Thus,
for the wealthy a dinner party was the
perfect opportunity to both discuss and
display your social status. However, the
Romans still ate 3 meals a day and so we
will start with those meals that seemed to
have been all business...in the sense that
they were just about eating to keep the
body going and nothing else.
Quick Bites
 Ientaculum: Breakfast was a quick
bite to get you going. It would have
been a light snack of bread maybe with
cheese or olives and wine or sometimes
milk to drink.
Prandium: Lunch was a
quick meal to keep you going.
It would have been cold meats
(if you could afford it),
vegetables and fruit. This cold
lunch might have been leftovers
from last night’s dinner. The
other choice for lunch was hot
food from a thermopolium
which was the ancient Roman
“fast food” restaurant.

Evening Meals
 Vesperinum: Supper or more
specifically the same as above but it was
eaten in the evening instead of at midday.
This meal was only if the heavier “dinner”
was eaten at midday and was likely earlier
in Roman history.
Cena or dinner was the big deal. Just like today, the meal ranged greatly
depending on a person’s wealth and whether or not guests were invited. Since
the Roman dinner party is the stuff of legends, here the most expensive and
elaborate dinner party will be illustrated.

ab ovo usque ad mala
But a formal dinner party would have been a 3 course meal. The courses
would consisted of an appetizer, an entree and dessert. Hence the title of
this slide...from the egg to the apples.
Gustatio
 Gustatio or the appetizer round was not really thought of as an actual course.
Possible and popular foods to be consumed during the gustatio included eggs (ovum)
lettuce, vegetables and/or shellfish or some other seafood perhaps served in a
sauce. Mulsum or wine sweetened with honey was the drink of choice.
Lie Down to Dinner
So what was dinner like? It was an elaborate affair. First the seating arrangement
was quite elaborate and let all there know how high your social status was.
Wealthy Roman men reclined on couches while propped on their left elbow while
eating. Most Romans couldn’t have afforded a fancy dinner party, it was far more
common for the average person to eat a simple meal at home with their family at
a table in chairs.
Place Cards
***See the seating chart
that is in the separate
document.***
Each of the 3 couches could hold up to 3
guests. Each couch and each position on
the couch was designated as imus, medius
or summus. Thus if you were in the
highest position on the highest couch you
were said to be summus in sumo. The
highest position on the first couch was
reserved for the host and the lowest
position of the middle couch for the guest
of honor. This position was also called the
locus consularis.
Cena: A sight to behold
The food served would have been a spectacle as well
as delicious. The best cooks presented the food as
another type of food. For instance pig for chicken or
peacock for duck. The Romans ate very little beef,
since cows were used to work in the fields.
Cena: Main Course
They enjoyed a variety of birds such as
chicken, duck, ostrich, crane, flamingo and
peacock. Dormice were such a delicacy that
they were raised and fattened.
Naturally they also ate fish. Popular
vegetables included artichokes, carrots,
onions, peas, asparagus, radishes, turnips
plus beans and lentils.
After the Main Course
After this course there would be
pause to honor by praying and
making an offer to the household
gods.
The Romans mostly ate with their fingers so they
frequently washed their hands and they washed
their feet beforehand.
Secunda Mensa
 Secunda Mensa (second table) was the dessert course.
Typically fruit (apples, pears, figs) sometimes with nuts or
cakes made with honey were served.
When it was all over..
There might also be entertainment at
the dinner such as poets, actors,
dancers, musicians or jugglers.
Last Morsels
The food was cut into bite sized pieces since no forks or knives were used at the
table. Spoons were only used for certain dished. Most dished were made from
earthenware or clay pottery.
Honey was used for a sweetener.
The Romans also used a variety of
sauces on their meat, the most
common being garum, which was
made from aged fish.
What not to eat
Lastly there are several foods the ancient
Romans did not eat, most notably tomatoes
and pasta. The also did not have potatoes,
corn, oranges, bananas, strawberries, coffee,
tea or chocolate.
Assignment
What are your family's dining habits? How are
your family’s habits related to the Romans’ dining
habits? Some questions to think about for your
original post: Do you usually eat in the kitchen,
dining room or living room? Do you usually eat at a
restaurant or get take out or otherwise eat "on the
run"? Do the members of your family usually dine
all at the same time or each member whenever
they can? Do you frequently have guests for
dinner? Your response post should explain how
your habits are related to your classmates’ habits.
Please remember to use proper English, including
spelling, grammar and punctuation. You must both
post and respond to a classmate for full credit.