ZJ+Art+and+Entertainment+-+Foods+-+Rome

= Rome = Food was a treasure in Rome, it was considered as a sorce of life to them. The meals they had mainly consisted of corn, oil, wine, exotic foods and crushed/powdered grains. Husked wheat was used to make the base of porridge, fermented wheat was used to make bread and so on so forth. When the Romans wanted to sweeten any of the foods they made, they would use honey or cheese, they would eat these foods with the sweetened dish: Sausage, fish, eggs, cheese, shellfish etc. In Rome there were certain delicases that included snails and dormice which they bred for that reason, the foods that people favoured included fish, oysters and pork.

Food
Sweet treats back then were tarts, pastries and cakes that were sweetened with honey that was drizzled on the top and put in the mixture while cooking. All the sweets were cooked at home and sold at the marketplace. Bread was cooked in a circular dome oven.Vegetables were not very common in Rome because they did not grow well in the infertile land. The vegetables that they imported are listed below: Cabbage Parsnips Lettuce Asparagus Onion Garlic Marrow Radish Lentils Beans Beats

The foods that were used in cooking were nuts, fruits, spices, sauces and herbs. Most of the ingredients were found at the marketplaces but some like the herbs could be found anywhere. The Romans loved their wine, they would only drink it when it had been mixed with water for anyone who drank pure wine was called a barbarian. The lowerclass citizens did not get the pleasure of drinking first class wine but instead had to drink Pasca which was a mild wine that tasted similar to vinegar.Other drinks that the Roman enjoyed were beer and mead, one liquid they did not drink was milk that often came from a goat or sheep, the reason they did not was because they thought it was barbaric. The use of the milk was then to be turned into cheese and used for medicines.

Any cooking that needed to be done was placed in a pot that was suspended by a chain near a air vent and over a fire, there was also such thing as a gridiron though it was not used as much. The Romans love for food was shown in how much they loved to preserve things. This process was hard to do with many of the foods that they imported such as seafoods/ shellfish, this is why the animals had to be shipped live to their destination. Meats and fish were the most common to be pickled, dried, smoked and salted, they were also the most products that were consumed which gave the citizens risk of food poisoning, food poisoning was very common and dangerous.

Meals
Foods were often prepared with the accompaniment of fruit, honey and vinegar, these additions were to give the person a choice of making the food sour, sweet, salting or whatever they fancied. In Rome they only ever had one meal a day with the acccompaniment of a light lunch or small dessert. In the morning they would have a small breakfast (if they ever had one) Midday they would have the main meal of dinner In the evening they would have a small super The size of each meal was determined in the size of the other meals for example; have a large dinner taking away the small super.

Poor
Life as a poor person food wise and in every other way was bland and hard work. Food wise they were not very fortunate for their diet consisted of only porridge or bread served with meat and vegetables - if they were ever availble.

Wealthy
The life of a wealthy person was much more glamorous than the poor's. They only had one meal a day though it was divided into 3 courses and each one had different foods cooked in a different ways. The first course was an appitiser that included - eggs, fish, raw vegetables and shellfish The second course was the main that consisted of - cooked vegetables and meats ( often pork) The last course was dessert that was mainly fruits and sweets

Cutlery and Posture
For the poor cutlery was made roughly and the tables were chipped or leaning. The wealthy people of Rome had the pleasure of eating with fine cutlery made of glass, gold, silver, bronze and pewter a grey tin alloy. When the Roman people ate they would always sit upright unless they were at a party, which meant they could sit on low couches or go sit in the garden on a sunny day. Roman people ate with their fingers but also used a knife to cut the food, the knives were made of bronze, antler wood and bone with a iron handle. The spoones were made of bronze, silver and bone and were mostly used for eggs and liquids/ watery substances, the handle would have a pointed end that was used to take the shellfish and snails from the shells making them easier to eat.

= Modern Day Comparison = Food in ancient Rome was very different to the food we have now, we have different and more suplies, more time, more choice the list could go on and on. One thing that we have that they did not is fast food, a common and growing industry that is bad for us. KFC, Red Rooster, Subway, Sushi, just to name a few and that is just the start. In the roman times they had healthy home cooking though maybe a little bit too much wine, now some people go to fast food many time in a short period of time. We have a good stock of fruits and vegetables now then they did then and can drink or eat whatever we like and not feel like a barbarian.

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