The recipes below are quoted from the ancient roman cookbook of MARCUS GAVIUS APICIUS: DE RE COQUINARIA.This book has been translated in many languages including the English one. The below recipes is a small sample of what ancient Greeks and Romans were eating everyday. The ancient greek cuisine is not far from the roman because there were a lot of cultural exchanges and influences. The recipes below are selected from a book of Robert Maier who translated and edited them from latin to english and from the web page of Micaela Pantke. I hope the recipes are still rather near to the originals...

First I have to introduce you to some native Roman ingredients, such as:

• Caroenum: Boiled must (you have to boil the new wine or grape juice until it is only half the amount you started with).
• Defritum: Either thick fIg syrup, or must that's boiled until you have only a third of the amount with which you started.
• Liebstoeckl: I didn't find an English translation. In Latin it's called 'levisticum officinale'. It's an umbelliferous plant with yellowish flowers. Its dried roots are used as spice. It seems to be a kind of celery.
• Liquamen: a salty fish sauce. Most of the time you can replace it by salt.
• Passum: Very sweet wine sauce, made by boiling the must (new wine or grape juice) to thicken it.
• Poleiminze: A kind of mint that's growing in inundated areas. Just replace it by ordinary mint.
• Saturei: I didn't find an English translation. In Latin it's called 'satureia hortensis'. It's a violet or white flowered kind of labiate plants which grows mainly in Southern Europe. It's used as a spice plant, especially for bean dishes.
• Silphium: Its other names are 'Laser' or 'ferula asa foetida'. I've noticed that it's also called 'hing' in the Indian cuisine. It is an onion and garlic substitute and should be used rather sparingly because of its very strong taste and smell.

• 5ml = 1 tsp
• 15ml = 1 tblsp
• 28.3g = 1 ounce ( ==> 100g = 3.5 ounces )
• 454g = 1 pound ( ==> 1kg = 2.2 pound )
• 250ml = 1 cup
• 1 l = 4 cups
• 180 deg C = 350 deg F
• 220 deg C = 425 deg F

1. ISICIA OMENTATA (a kind of Roman Burgers)

   (Apic. 2, 1, 7)

   Ingredients:
   --------------
   

   • 500g minced meat
   • 1 french roll, soaked in white wine
   • 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
   • 50ml Liquamen (can be replaced by 1/2 tsp salt + a little white wine)
   • some stone-pine kernels and green peppercorns
   • a little Caroenum
   • Baking foil

   Instructions:
   ---------------
   Mix minced meat with the soaked french roll. Ground spices and mix into the meat. Form small burgers and put pine kernels and peppercorns into them. Put them into baking foil and grill them together with Caroenum.

2. PEPONES ET MELONES (Water and Honey Melons)

   (Apic. 3, 7)

   Ingredients:
   --------------
   

   • 1/2 honey melon \ both peeled, diced
   • 1/2 water melon / and stoned
   • 500ml Passum
   • a little bit of honey (or Passum)
   • 1 tblsp minced parsley
   • 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
   • a little bit of Liquamen, or a dash of salt
   • Poleiminze, Silphium, vinegar, if wanted

   Instructions:
   ---------------
   Cook diced melons in a pan together with spices and herbs until done. Sometimes Silphium is added.

3. PATINA DE PISCICULIS (Soufflee of Small Fishes)

   (Apic. 4, 2, 30)

   Ingredients:
   --------------
   

   • 500g boiled fillet of small fishes or whole sardelles
   • 150g dried raisins (sultanas)
   • 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
   • 1 tblsp Liebstoeckl
   • 1 tblsp oregano
   • 2 small diced onions
   • 200ml oil
   • 50ml Liquamen, or 1/2 tsp salt
   • some cornstarch

   Instructions:
   ---------------
   Mix raisins, pepper, Liebstoeckl, oregano, onion, wine, Liquamen and oil together and put in a casserole. Cook until done. Then put small boiled fish fillets or boiled small whole fishes into it. Thicken with a bit of cornstarch and serve.

4. PATINA DE PIRIS (Pear Soufflee)

   (Apic. 4, 2, 35)

   Ingredients:
   --------------
   

   • 1kg pears (peeled and without core)
   • 6 eggs
   • 4 tblsp honey
   • 100ml Passum
   • a little bit oil
   • 50ml Liquamen, or 1/4 tsp salt
   • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
   • ground pepper to taste

   Instructions:
   ---------------
   Mesh cooked and peeled pears (without core) together with pepper,cumin, honey, Passum, Liquamen and a bit of oil. Add eggs and put into a casserole. Cook approximately 30 minutes on small to moderate heat. Serve with a bitt of pepper sprinkled on the soufflee.

5. MINUTAL MARINUM (Seafood Fricassee)

   (Apic. 4, 3, 1)

   Ingredients:
   --------------
   

   • 500g fish fillet (e.g. salmon)
   • 250ml white wine
   • 500ml beef broth
   • 3 leek branches (I hope branch is the correct expression...)
   • 100ml oil
   • Liquamen or salt, coriander, pepper, Liebstoeckl, Oregano to taste
   • a little bit of starch or flour to thicken the sauce

   Instructions:
   ---------------
   Put the fish in a pan, add Liquamen, oil, wine and broth. Chop leek branches and coriander. Chop fillets into a kind of fish goulash.bszRC Cook approximately 30 minutes on small to moderate heat. When well done ground coriander, Liebstoeckl and oregano and add to the fish fricassee. Boil again shortly. Then thicken sauce with starch, sprinkle pepper on the fricasse and serve.

6. GUSTUM DE PRAECOQUIS (Starter with Apricots)

   (Apic. 4, 5, 4)

   Ingredients:
   --------------
   

   • 1kg firm ripe apricots or nectarines
   • 200ml white wine
   • 250ml Passum
   • 1 peppermint tea bag (portion for one cup)
   • pepper, Liquamen or salt, cornstarch, a little vinegar and honeykE)

   Instructions
   ---------------
   Wash, cut and stone apricots. Put them with a little cold water in a pan. Ground pepper and dried mint (that's where the tea bag comes handy...), add Liquamen, honey, Passum, wine and vinegar. Pour into the pan with a little oil. Cook approximately 20 minutes on small to moderate heat. After it boiled add a bit of cornstarch to thicken the sauce, sprinkle with pepper and serve.

7. FABACIAE VIRIDES ET BAIANAE (Green and Baian Beans)

   (Apic. 5, 6, 1)

   Ingredients:
   --------------
   

   • 500g soybeans with pod, or green beans
   • 50ml Liquamen, or 1/2 tsp salt with 50ml wine
   • 1-2 tblsp oil
   • 1 tblsp minced coriander leaves (or 1/2 tblsp ground coriander seed)
   • 1 tsp cumin seeds
   • 1/2 minced branch of leek

   Instructions:
   ---------------
   Cook beans with Liquamen, oil, leek and spices. Serve.

8. PULLUM FRONTONIANUM (Chicken a la Fronto)

   (Apic. 6, 9, 13)

   Ingredients:
   --------------
   

   • 1 fresh chicken (approx. 1-1.5kg)
   • 100ml oil
   • 200ml Liquamen, or 200ml wine + 2 tsp salt
   • 1 branch of leek
   • fresh dill, Saturei, coriander, pepper to taste
   • a little bit of Defritum

   Instructions:
   ---------------
   Start to fry chicken and season with a mixture of Liquamen and oil, together with bunches of dill, leek, Saturei and fresh coriander. Then cook approximately 1 hour with 220 deg C in the oven. When the chicken is done, moisten a plate with Defritum, put chicken on it, sprinkle pepper on it, and serve.

9. PULLUS FUSILIS (Chicken With Liquid Filling)

   (Apic. 6, 9, 15)

   Ingredients:
   --------------
   

   • 1 fresh chicken (approx. 1-1.5kg)
   • 300g minced meat (half beef, half pork)
   • 100g groats (of oat)
   • 2 eggs
   • 250ml white wine
   • 1 tblsp oil
   • 1 tblsp Liebstoeckl
   • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
   • 1/4 tsp ground pepper
   • 1 tsp green peppercorns
   • 50g stone-pine kernels
   • Liquamen or salt to taste

   Instructions:
   ---------------
   Ground pepper, Liebstoeckl, ginger, minced meat and cooked groats. Add eggs and mix until you have a smooth mass. Season with Liquamen, add oil, whole peppercorns and stone-pine kernels. Fill this dough into the chicken. Cook approximately 1 hour with 220 deg C in the oven.

10. DULCIA DOMESTICA (Housemade Dessert)

    (Apic. 7, 13, 1)

    Ingredients:
    --------------
    

    • 200g fresh or dried dates
    • 50g coarsely ground nuts or stone-pine kernels
    • a little bit salt
    • honey, or red wine with honey (to stew)

    Instructions:
    ---------------
    Take the stones out of the dates and fill them with nuts or stone-pine kernels. Sprinkle a bit of salt on the filled dates and stew them in honey or honey-sweetened red wine. The dates have to be cooked in on low heat until their paring starts to come off (approximately 5-10 minutes).

    Note:
    -------
    You may also fill some dates with ground pepper. (I wonder how this might taste - but that's a suggestion made in the original recipe.)

11. ALITER DULCIA (Another Kind of Dessert)

    (Apic. 7, 13, 5)

    Ingredients:
    --------------
    

    • 250g coarsely ground nuts
    • 100g coarsely ground stone-pine kernels
    • 3-4 tblsp honey
    • 1 tsp minced rue
    • 50ml Passum
    • 50ml milk
    • 2 eggs
    • honey to drip on afterwards
    • a small amound of ground pepper

    Instructions:
    ---------------
    Mesh pepper, pine kernels, honey, rue and Passum with milk and eggs, and boil the dough. Serve topped with honey and sprinkle with pepper.

12. TIROPATINAM (A Kind of Soufflee)

    (Apic. 7, 13, 7)

    Ingredients:
    --------------
    

    • 500ml milk
    • 6 eggs
    • 3 tblsp honey
    • a little bit of ground pepper

    Instructions:
    ---------------
    Sweeten milk with honey, add eggs and mix together until smooth. Cook on low heat until stiff, sprinkle pepper on it and serve.

13. OVA SFONGIA EX LACTE (Pancakes with Milk)

    (Apic. 7, 13, 8)

    Ingredients:
    --------------
    

    • 8 eggs
    • 600ml milk
    • 100ml oil
    • a little bit honey
    • a little bit ground pepper

    Instructions:
    ---------------
    Mix eggs, milk and oil until you have a pancake dough. Fry in a pan and serve topped with honey and a little pepper.

14. IN OVIS APALIS (Boiled Eggs)

    (Apic. 7, 19, 3)

    Ingredients:
    --------------
    

    • 8 hard boiled eggs (not too well done - boil ca. 4 minutes)
    • 50g stone-pine kernels
    • honey, pepper, vinegar, Liebstoeckl, Liquamen (or salt) to taste

    Instructions:
    ---------------
    Dressing for boiled eggs: Mix together pepper, Liebstoeckl, soaked pine kernels. Add honey and vinegar and season with Liquamen. Serve together with the eggs.

15. VITELLINA FRICTA (Fried Veal)

    (Apic. 8, 5, 1)

    Ingredients:
    --------------
    

    • 800g - 1kg veal
    • 300g dried raisins (sultanas)
    • 1 tblsp honey
    • 2 tblsp vinegar
    • 200ml wine
    • 100ml oil
    • 100ml Defritum
    • 100ml Liquamen (or 1tsp salt)
    • pepper, celery seeds, Liebstoeckl, cumin, oregano, dried onion to taste

    Instructions:
    ---------------
    Fry veal in olive oil until well done. Mix raisins, wine, vinegar, honey, oil, Liquamen and spices together in an extra pan, shortly boil the sauce. Pour over the veal, then leave the meat for 10 minutes in the sauce and cook on low heat. Serve.

16. IN VITULINAM ELIXAM (Boiled Veal)

    (Apic. 8, 5, 3)

    Ingredients:
    --------------
    

    • 800g - 1kg veal
    • pepper, Liebstoeckl, cumin, celery seeds to taste
    • 2 tblsp honey
    • 2 tblsp vinegar
    • 100ml oil
    • 100ml Liquamen (or 100ml white wine + 1 tsp salt)
    • a little bit of cornstarch

    Instructions:
    ---------------
    Cook the veal for about 1 1/2 hour until well done. Mix together honey, vinegar, oil, ligamen and spices in an extra pan. Boil the sauce only shortly and thicken it with cornstarch. Then pour sauce over the veal and let boil on low heat for another 10 minutes. Serve.

17. ALITER BAEDINAM SIVE AGNINAM EXCALDATAM (Steamed Lamb)

    (Apic. 8, 6, 2)

    Ingredients:
    --------------
    

    • 10 lamb cutlets
    • 1 l white wine
    • 100ml oil
    • 2 big onions, diced
    • 2 tblsp ground coriander
    • 1 tsp ground pepper
    • 1 tblsp Liebstoeckl
    • 1 tsp ground cumin
    • 200ml Liquamen (or 2 tsp salt)

    Instructions:
    ---------------
    Put cutlets into pot, together with diced onion and spices. Add Liquamen, oil and wine. Cook 45-60 minutes. Pour sauce into a pan and thicken it with starch. Serve cutlets together with the sauce.

18. IN MITULIS (Sea Mussels)

    (Apic. 9, 9)

    Ingredients:
    --------------
    

    • 1kg fresh sea mussels
    • 100ml Liquamen
    • 1 branch of leek, finely minced
    • 1 tsp cumin
    • 200ml Passum
    • 1 tblsp minced Saturei
    • 500ml white wine
    • ca. 500ml water

    Instructions:
    ---------------
    First water mussels, and clean them. Mix together Liquamen, wine, water, Passum and spices. Boil the broth for about 20 minutes, then add mussels. Boil additional 10 minutes. Serve.

19. SARDA ITA FIT (Tuna)

    (Apic. 9, 10, 2)

    Ingredients:
    --------------
    

    • 500g cooked tuna fillet
    • 1/2 tsp ground pepper
    • 1/2 tsp Liebstoeckl
    • 1/2 tsp thyme
    • 1/2 tsp oregano
    • 1/2 tsp rue
    • 150g dates (without stones)
    • 1 tblsp honey
    • 4 hard boiled eggs (in quarters)
    • 50ml white wine
    • 2 tblsp wine vinegar
    • 50ml Defritum
    • 2-3 tblsp green olive oil

    Instructions:
    ---------------
    Cook tuna fillet. Mesh fillet together with dates, honey, wine, vinegar, Defritum and oil. Put mass into a bowl and garnish with egg quarters. Serve.

20. SCILLAS (Big Shrimps)

    (Apic. exc. 17)

    Ingredients:
    --------------
    

    • 500g cooked and prepared big shrimps
    • 1 tsp green pepper
    • 1 tblsp Liebstoeckl
    • 1/2 tsp ground celery seeds
    • 2-3 tblsp vinegar
    • 100ml Liquamen (or 1/2 tsp salt)
    • 4-5 hacked hard-boiled egg yolks

    Instructions:
    ---------------
    Cook shrimps. Then ground pepper, celery seeds and Liebstoeckl. Pour vinegar, Liquamen and egg yolks over it and mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture over the shrimpsand serve.

21. MUSTACEI (= Must Rolls)

    (Cato: de agricultura, 121)

    Ingredients:
    --------------
    

    • 500g wheat flour
    • 300ml grape juice (or young wine)
    • 2 tblsp anise seeds
    • 2 tblsp cumin seeds
    • 100g lard
    • 50g grated cheese (sheep's cheese would be best)
    • ca. 20 bay leaves

    Instructions:
    ---------------
    Pour some must over the flour, add anise and cumin seeds, the lard and cheese. Work it together until you have a reasonable dough. Form rolls, then put one bay leaf under each of them.

    Bake 30-35 minutes at 180 deg C.

    Note:
    -------
    It's better to make the must rolls with yeast dough, because then they can be kept longer, and they are not so hard. To make the yeast dough, add 40g yeast to the flour + grape juice, leave it a while until you continue like above.