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Aug. 19th, 2006 04:12 pmApicius is going away. I was going to make a bad pun about roamin' in the gloamin' through Roman cuisine but I shan't.
I need a second version of Apicius. There's a really good analysis somewhere on the web that walks through every available edition/translation/version of Apicius and concludes that the French is best. I am positive this is because of the bright orange cover. I have the French one, which is cool because it has transcription plus translation. And because of the bright orange cover. I want a particular English translation as well, though, mainly for the introduction but also so that students and friends don't make angry faces at me when I hand them a book of recipes to look through.
The next book isn't a cookbook at all. It is "Food in Antiquity" by Don and Patricia Brothwell. I could make cooking puns about their surnames, but I shan't. My problem with this volume is that it covers such a wide terrain. Vast geography and even vaster time. I opened the book at random and found a picture of bush ants.
"Very sweet," I'm told by people who worry about my dietary restrictions. "Good food value. Bush tucker."
"Not kosher, " I inform them (mostly politely).
Andrew Dalby's "Siren Feasts" is all about Greece. It covers a long timespan (from prehistory to Byzantium) but has clear geographical limits. This works. The book does for Greek cooking what Cooper's "Eat and Be Satisfied" does for Jewish - bring stuff together in an understandable way. If you want the recipes you could go to Dalby's and Grainger's "The Classical Cookbook" which is lighter and prettier and contains a modern version of Apicius' recipe for Roast Hare. It also has a porridge based on a description by Homer. Semolina, ricotta, honey and egg - sounds rather yum. And the authors admit that the recipe is an informed guess. Culinary history is a fraught field and this kind of honesty is *important*.
The last book in this particular stack is the most usable book for everyday cooks. "A Taste of Ancient Rome" Ilaria Gozzini Giacosa. Lots of recipes, with the original given alongside the modern translation/adaptation. Some curious borrowing from modern recipes (eg underneath a porridge one is a modern Lebanese porridge recipe).
Now there are only about 12 books to go before I have reclaimed my floor. In case you were wondering "why so few books" the answer is "most of them never left the shelf." Anthimus, for instance, never got put onto a pile - I bet he is annoyed at being left out, too. He's dull and prosy - you really don't want to meet him.
I need a second version of Apicius. There's a really good analysis somewhere on the web that walks through every available edition/translation/version of Apicius and concludes that the French is best. I am positive this is because of the bright orange cover. I have the French one, which is cool because it has transcription plus translation. And because of the bright orange cover. I want a particular English translation as well, though, mainly for the introduction but also so that students and friends don't make angry faces at me when I hand them a book of recipes to look through.
The next book isn't a cookbook at all. It is "Food in Antiquity" by Don and Patricia Brothwell. I could make cooking puns about their surnames, but I shan't. My problem with this volume is that it covers such a wide terrain. Vast geography and even vaster time. I opened the book at random and found a picture of bush ants.
"Very sweet," I'm told by people who worry about my dietary restrictions. "Good food value. Bush tucker."
"Not kosher, " I inform them (mostly politely).
Andrew Dalby's "Siren Feasts" is all about Greece. It covers a long timespan (from prehistory to Byzantium) but has clear geographical limits. This works. The book does for Greek cooking what Cooper's "Eat and Be Satisfied" does for Jewish - bring stuff together in an understandable way. If you want the recipes you could go to Dalby's and Grainger's "The Classical Cookbook" which is lighter and prettier and contains a modern version of Apicius' recipe for Roast Hare. It also has a porridge based on a description by Homer. Semolina, ricotta, honey and egg - sounds rather yum. And the authors admit that the recipe is an informed guess. Culinary history is a fraught field and this kind of honesty is *important*.
The last book in this particular stack is the most usable book for everyday cooks. "A Taste of Ancient Rome" Ilaria Gozzini Giacosa. Lots of recipes, with the original given alongside the modern translation/adaptation. Some curious borrowing from modern recipes (eg underneath a porridge one is a modern Lebanese porridge recipe).
Now there are only about 12 books to go before I have reclaimed my floor. In case you were wondering "why so few books" the answer is "most of them never left the shelf." Anthimus, for instance, never got put onto a pile - I bet he is annoyed at being left out, too. He's dull and prosy - you really don't want to meet him.