Food science, gastronomic appreciation,
cookery shows, culinary experimentation, etc., all seem modern concepts, which
make us wonder how things were in the past. In fact, history tells us that an
environment of food culture existed even in ancient times. Food was an
important aspect of the culture of the great civilizations of the past.
The cuisine of ancient civilizations was
amazingly diverse. One of the reasons for that were the conquests they embarked
on. As civilizations conquered and explored other towns, villages and kingdoms,
they absorbed the cuisine and culinary traits of those people. So a successful
kingdom had a wide palette to choose from.
Rome’s
Rich Culinary Ideas
Take Rome, for example. Rome’s culinary
ideas largely came from the kingdoms it was exposed to through its trade
routes, explorations and conquests at the height of its glory. The staple food
of Rome consisted of sausage, cheese, olive oil and bread with honey. Many
herbs and vegetables were used, such as thyme, rosemary, basil, bay leaf,
shallots, garlic, onions, cabbage, radishes, turnips, etc. Many of these were
imported from Africa and Asia where they were grown. Mesopotamia (modern day
Iraq) also contributed to the Roman palette with beets, cucumbers, mustard,
cumin, marjoram, and fennel.
The Romans also had a sauce that had fish
and salt as its main ingredients. It was called “garum”. Dormice were quite
common in the Roman, Gaul and Etruscan civilizations. They were consumed, stuffed and roasted –
dormice stuffed with minced pork and pine nuts, pepper and herbs, and cooked in
an oven could be considered an example of how experimentation prevailed even in
those days.
The
Pottage Tradition
Pottage was a staple food even from
Biblical times, and was made not just from fish and vegetables, but also meat. It
was part of the staple food, particularly in Britain. Supper in Britain
included mutton and wild game along with bread. The Romans had a kind of
porridge for breakfast that was consumed with honey, dates and pancakes.
Wide
Choice of Meat
Quail and other such small birds were eaten
by the Romans after they were decorated with herbs, eggs and asparagus. Wild
birds were also part of the diet of Egyptians. They consumed quail, pigeon,
heron, duck and goose. The Egyptians were also the first to domesticate cattle
and wild pigs. The meat was reportedly consumed by the elite.
The Aztecs are also known to have consumed
beans, avocados, pepper, squash and corn maize. One of their prominent dishes
was atole, a maize porridge containing tortillas, tamales, chilies and other
vegetables. Meat was also part of their
diet, and included wild game, turkeys, dogs and ducks.
Desserts
and Chocolate
Desserts were well known too back then.
Apricots, apples, grapes, cherries, dates, melons, pomegranates, plums, pears
and figs were among those consumed as dessert in Rome, Egypt, Greece, China and
Mesopotamia. Chocolate was consumed by the Aztecs, but it was reserved for the
nobility and warrior classes.
Rice
and Noodles
In China, rice was the staple food along
with which they consumed cabbage, beans, peas, wheat and millet. Of course, the
one dish that comes to mind when you think of the Chinese is rice noodles. The
Chinese consumed these with fish, poultry, eggs, vegetable and pickles.
As you’ve just seen, the ancient
civilizations had plenty of stuff to munch on. Many cooking methods and
techniques evolved over the centuries. By the turn of the 19th
century, the celebrity chef concept started gaining popularity and the
centuries of tradition was enriched by new innovations.
About
Peter Theodorou
A chef par excellence, Peter Theodorou spends
a lot of time studying the culinary styles of the various civilizations and loves
innovating on established dishes.
