JT Turner – Roman Revolutions

Scallop Croquettes and Garum

By JT Turner | March 18, 2022 | Comments 0 Comment

Introduction.

When I was younger, I remember asking my father what the Romans ate for dinner. I do not remember what he said, but I know I lost my appetite straight after. Therefore, when the opportunity to cook a Roman dish became available, I knew I wanted to attempt to change my perspective on ancient food. It was hard to find a recipe that could accommodate my family’s diverse allergies, but I settled on recipe 46 of Apicius: sea scallop croquettes. Unfortunately, the original recipe was rather basic. It stated. [Lightly] COOK SCALLOPS [or the firm part of oysters] REMOVE THE HARD AND OBJECTIONABLE PARTS, MINCE THE MEAT VERY FINE, MIX THIS WITH COOKED SPELT AND EGGS, SEASON WITH PEPPER, [shape into croquettes and wrap] IN CAUL, FRY, UNDERLAY A RICH FISH SAUCE AND SERVE AS A DELICIOUS ENTRÉE. It was unclear how the Romans even made fish sauce, as there were no preservatives. Luckily, I found a recipe for an anchovy sauce called Garum. To make the sauce, follow the below recipe.

560 g black olives, stoned

16 anchovy fillets, soaked in water for 1 hour and patted dry

1 hard-boiled egg yolk

90 g capers

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon grainy mustard

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh marjoram, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped

1 teaspoon white pepper

60 ml olive oil

Mix all ingredients together in blender or food processor until light and fluffy. Puree the mixture in a food mill or push it through a sieve with a wooden spoon. Return to the blender or food processor and process briefly to obtain a smooth paste.

Now that the sauce is sorted, I am also adding a more detailed version of the Croquettes.

You will also need

One pack of caul sausage casing (can be found on Amazon)

1 cup of spelt (can be found on Amazon)

2 Cups of water

Lots of olive oil

24 small scallops

2 eggs

A pinch of black pepper

A funnel

Put the spelt and water into a pan and cook it on medium heat on the stove for 80 minutes.
Sautee the scallops in some oil, then chop them finely.
Put the scallops, the spelt, the pepper, and the raw eggs into a bowl and mix by hand.
Put the casing around the small end of the funnel and push the filling through with a knife. If the filling is too large, use a blender. If you want multiple croquettes, cut the casing and tie the ends. This would work best if one person holds the casing while the other pushes the filling through.
Tie the casing closed and fry the croquetes in oil until they are a dark brown color.
Serve with Garum

Unfried croquettes

Results are Reactions

The croquettes were a huge hit with my family. We were all surprised that the dish was seasoned well. The recipe called for no salt, but the anchovies in the Garum provided enough seasoning for the dish. I was also curious how Romans got the ingredients I had to purchase through the internet. This dish does show that the Romans were resourceful with their food as this seems like a dish that was made with leftovers. We also found that the gluten free version of this dish (we replaced the spelt with gluten free pasta) was also better than expected. However, it was apparently slightly chewy. People are already asking me to make the dish again, which surprised me because I had not cooked a dish in over a decade. Due to my lack of kitchen knowledge and poor fine motor skills, this took me about seven hours from shopping to plating. This dish could not have been completed without the help of my grandma. She helped tie the casing together and supervised the frying process. I recommend trying this recipe and I hope to make other dishes in the near future.

Word Count, excluding Recipes (364)

The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) Review

By JT Turner | March 14, 2022 | Comments 0 Comment

The Fall of The Roman Empire showcased that Rome faced some of the same issues while it was an empire that plagued its republican period. Marcus Aurelius decides to nominate Livius as successor to the emperor instead of his son Commodus in the film. Instead of recognizing the power of the patria potestas, friends of Commodus kill the emperor before he can make his succession announcement official. Commodus starts undoing his father’s great work, such as refusing to honor a peace treaty that Marcus Aurelius made with potential northern invaders. Marcus Aurelius also promised provincial leaders that their people would become citizens of Rome. Commodus decides to stick to the status quo and not allow this change while also doubling taxes on the eastern provinces. These poor decisions ultimately lead to chaos in the city, Commudus’s death, and the public auction of the Roman throne. This film plays out like the Roman legends from the beginning of the semester in many ways. Through my research of the period where the film was set, it appears The Fall of The Roman Empire is not close to an accurate portrayal of events. The fall of the Roman empire did not occur for at least 200 years after these events. In reality, there was no question that Commodus would be the next emperor, and Marcus Aurelius died of natural causes. However, as the film implies, Commodus was considered the opposite of his father and a poor emperor. This film showcased what would happen when Rome decided to ignore its traditions, such as respecting the patria potestas, fearing an invasion from the north, or valuing possible allies. If this film were shown to any Roman elite in the late republic or the empire, they would probably appreciate the references to the culture the movie got correct, such as consulting with the auguries. I would predict a Roman would take the results of the movie as a warning not to let Rome devolve to that state. If this film was a story told in Roman times, it would obtain the same significance as Rome’s creation myths.

Word count of main text: 351

Additional Commentary

I was able to watch this film with my grandmas. When I asked them what they thought, they made a valid point. The movie highlights that Rome fell because people stopped believing in its principles. The grandmas believe this lesson will apply to modern nations as well. This situation is accurate for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia is evaporating because Putin is a maniac. Meanwhile, Ukraine is holding together based on stories of bravery. People believe in the nation, so the culture will survive in some form for generations to come. Overall, this movie is a worthwhile watch with lessons for the ancient Roman and the modern earthling.

The Grammar of Sanctity: Reading Gender in the Greek, Latin and Syriac versions Lecture Review

By JT Turner | February 1, 2022 | Comments 0 Comment

The lecture that I attended, The Grammar of Sanctity: Reading Gender in the Greek, Latin and Syriac versions of the Life of Euphrosyne who was called Smaragdus, showcases the impact that Roman culture and storytelling had on the later Mediterranean world. Much like the story of Perpetua, this story, which was written between 1000-1100 AD, focuses on religion and the Patria Potestas. The main character in this tale was going to be married to a man in an arrangement that the father made. However, when the character visits a monastery, they fall in love with it. The character, just like Perpetua, defies the power of the Patria Potestas with their feet by changing their appearance to appear masculine and running away to the monastery and live the monastic life. The parallels between the Roman story and its more modern counterpart showcase that Roman morals such as power of fathers and and emphasis on religion still impact the thoughts of other and more modern societies.

This story also follows another Roman storytelling tradition, exploring what happens when there is a violation of social norms. While it is unclear if this is a rule, the fact that the main character (who’s given name was Euphrosyne but later went by Smaragdus) went out of the way to appear masculine was uncomfortable and confusing to both readers and translators alike. Throughout various written versions of the story, it’s hilarious to me to see that there isn’t even pronoun agreement within the same text. This symbolizes that across the mediterranean, people are uncomfortable with change, but they also embrace it. This is the same mentality that their roman forerunners possessed. Even the new name the character picks for themselves hints that they might be uncomfortable with change: Smaragdus sounds like a masculine name, but it is actually feminine. However, the fact the character went by Smaragdus for some parts of the story indicates that the authors were willing to be flexible about gender for at least a temporary period. This implies that the people of the mediterranean are willing to discuss revolutionary ideals just like their roman ancestors.