Category: Uncategorized

Scallop Croquettes and Garum

Scallop Croquettes and Garum

By | | 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

  1. Put the spelt and water into a pan and cook it on medium heat on the stove for 80 minutes.
  2. Sautee the scallops in some oil, then chop them finely.
  3. Put the scallops, the spelt, the pepper, and the raw eggs into a bowl and mix by hand.
  4. 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.
  5. Tie the casing closed and fry the croquetes in oil until they are a dark brown color.
  6. 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)

“Singing the Romans”

“Singing the Romans”

By | | Comments 0 Comment

Ave Maria Reimagined

My Lyrics:

Hannibal the Animal

He almost took down Rome himself 

When his father died he came to power 

He planned for years to defeat the Romans 

His calvary defeated Scipio’s forces

Near the Ticumus river 

He acquired another victory at Trebia 

At this point the Romans were scared

They withdrew their forces from central Italy

In order to protect northern Italy

Hannibal the animal 

Hannibal the animal 

Hannibal the animal, Carthage loved him

His troops loved and supported him

He was so successful because his troops never betrayed him in the span of 15 years

He used war elephants in his battles

He wasn’t defeated until the battle of Zama

Led by Scipio Africanus the leader

Defeated him in the second battle of the punic war 

Hannibal the Animal

Original Lyrics:

Ave Maria, Gratia plena
Maria, Gratia plena
Maria, Gratia plena
Ave, Ave Dominus
Dominus tecum
Benedicta tu in mulieribus
Et benedictu
Et benedictus fructus ventris, ventris tuae Jesus

Ave Maria

Ave Maria, mater Dei
Ora pro nobis peccatoribus
Ora, ora pro nobis
Ora, ora pro nobis peccatoribus
Nunc, et in hora mortis
In hora mortis nostrae
In hora mortis, mortis nostrae
In hora mortis nostrae

Ave Maria
Amen

The Fall of Rome (1963)

The Fall of Rome (1963)

By | | Comments 0 Comment

“The Fall of Rome” is a 1963 Italian film that pertains to the treatment of Christianity in Rome. It features Christian tribune Marcus, who is captured after Roman soldiers begin to kill Christians. One Christian boy, Julius, sees Roman soldiers stab his father right in front of him. The Romans force Marcus to fight as a gladiator, but before the fighting starts, he escapes into the forest with some of his men. There, he fends off Roman soldiers and forms an alliance with the Barbarians that live in the mountains. After some time, the Romans convince him to return to Rome, promising that if he wins a fight as a gladiator, imprisoned Christians will be freed. He returns and wins, freeing his Christian brothers. Marcus then agrees to fight against the Barbarians alongside Roman senator Gaius. The Romans lose to the Barbarians in a hard-fought battle, and consul Junius blames the defeat on Marcus and the Christians that assisted Rome. Upon returning to Rome, Romans seize Marcus and the other Christian soldiers, imprisoning them and sentencing them to death. Suddenly, an earthquake occurs, freeing the Christians and killing many others. Julius’ mother dies in the earthquake, and Marcus and his significant other Svetla agree to parent him.

The Roman treatment of Christians in this movie resembles the Passion of Perpetua. When the Romans captured the Christians in the movie, the Christians willingly sacrificed themselves in the name of God. Similarly, Perpetua chooses to engage in gladitorial fighting and give up her life rather than to renounce her Christian faith.

The idea of being a “latro” also presents itself in this film. In the forest, when the Christians meet the barbarians, Marcus introduces his people, saying that “we are not a band of brigands.” As we have learned, “brigand” is one of the many related translations of “latro.” Marcus delivers this message to say that his people are not outsiders, but a people that are willing to coexist with the barbarians.

The film portrays the Roman perception of Christians as naive and ignorant. At various points, other characters argue to Marcus that there is no afterlife, no God, and no reason to sacrifice oneself, and no reason to forgo violence. However, Marcus holds tightly onto his faith, and he manages to make it out alive in a happier-ever-after ending for the Christians.

Cato’s Bread

Cato’s Bread

By | | Comments 0 Comment

Introduction

What I attempted to do here is to recreate Cato’s recipe for kneaded bread from De Agri Cultura. Cato wasn’t very specific about his directions; he didn’t include times, proportions, or any real directions. The directions read as followed: “Recipe for kneaded bread: Wash your hands and a bowl thoroughly. Pour meal into the bowl, add water gradually, and knead thoroughly. When it is well kneaded, roll out and bake under a crock.” As you can see, I wasn’t really going off of much here, so I took some liberties creating my bread. I also enlisted the help of my girlfriend, who is a much better cook than I am and has actually made bread before. Between the two of us, I hoped to make Cato proud.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 packet of yeast 
  • Pinch of salt
  • Olive Oil
  • 1.5 cups of water
  • Pinch of sugar
  • Seasonings of choice

Directions

  1. Add flour, salt, and seasonings to large mixing bowl (also wash your hands like Cato)

  1. In a separate bowl, add yeast,warm water, and sugar together. Although the sugar part isn’t very Roman (or the packet of yeast), it helps with the activation of the yeast. You’ll know if your mixture is activated when you see frothy bubbles rising to the surface of the mixture
  2. Gradually add yeast-water mixture to the large mixing bowl, kneading the dough then adding a little more water. When you’ve added about half the mixture, add olive oil to the big bowl.
  3. After the dough has been kneaded, cover the bowl and let rise in a warm place for about half an hour
  4. After the dough has risen, form the dough into a circle and place on a parchment paper lined baking tray. It should look like this.
  5. Heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place the bread on the middle rack. Cook for a minimum of 45 minutes. When finished, the bread should look golden brown and feel crispy. Here is the finished product! Feel free to dip in olive oil or whatever you like.

Reflections

I’m not sure how proud Cato would have been with our work. I had a lot of fun making the bread, and when I was taking turns with my girlfriend kneading I felt like a true Roman. The recipe was pretty simple, and the bread turned out alright. The outside was very hard, and the inner bread part was very soft, albeit kind of tasteless. However, it was delicious when dipped in olive oil mixed with salt and pepper. If I were to make this again, I’d try and find a crock (which is an earthenware lid) to make it more authentic. I also would have let the bread rise for much longer and let it sit for longer as well to help develop the flavors better. If I was Cato, I’m not sure I’d be eating this. However, as a peasant who had to cook his own food, I would have definitely made this with grain allotted to me by the Gracchi brothers. My girlfriend told me that she was grateful that she wasn’t a Roman, but she did have fun making it and said she saw how a Roman would make and eat this. After all I’ve learned so far, I’m grateful that I’m not a Roman too.

Stoicism in the BBC

Stoicism in the BBC

By | | Comments 0 Comment

By Amanda Ruggeri

8th March 2022

For many people, the world is in a state of upheaval that can feel difficult to cope with, but can the teachings of the Stoics help in these troubling times?I

It was a life of difficulty. Born into slavery, at one point his master broke his leg, leaving him disabled. Eventually freed, he spent the next 25 years pursuing his calling – only for his career to be outlawed by the dictator in charge. He fled abroad, an exile and in poverty.

These sketchy biographical details are almost all that we know of the life of the philosopher Epictetus, born around AD55…. [read more]

The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) Review

The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) Review

By | | 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.

Commodus more like Commo-sus

Commodus more like Commo-sus

By | | Comments 0 Comment

Gladiator follows an esteemed Roman general named Maximus (portrayed by Russell Crowe) as he is betrayed and presumed to be dead, only to rise again and exact justice on his evil nemesis Commodus. The movie opens with Maximus firing up his men for a battle against some scary looking Germanic tribes where he uses his expertise to decisively defeat them. After, the viewer learns that the aging emperor, Marcus Aurelius, intends to name Maximus as his successor instead of his ne’er do well (and incestuous) son Commodus. Commodus arrives and suffocates his father after learning the news. Then, he arranges for Maximus to be killed when he suspects that Maximus will not be loyal to him and off-screen he arranges for Maximus’ family to be killed as well. Maximus escapes (his family is not so lucky) and goes to his home to find his family murdered. He is then captured by slave traders and is sold to a gladiator trainer. He makes friends with some of the other gladiators and is a natural, winning all of his fights. Then, he eventually makes it all the way to the coliseum where he wins his fights against all the odds while wearing a mask and reveals his identity to the dismay of Commodus. After this, Maximus and some other influential Romans including Commodus’ sister arrange for Maximus to escape the city, retake command of his former legions, and topple Commodus from power. Commodus learns of this and blows up Maximus’ plans, murdering many of his friends and co-conspirators. Commodus decides to have a duel with Maximus in the coliseum to save face and eliminate his foe once and for all, but the fight is not fair as he stabs Maximus in the gut right before the fight. Despite this, Maximus still kills Commodus in epic fashion before collapsing and dying, finally seeing his family again. 

Taking Roman Revolutions definitely made the story of Gladiator much more enjoyable than when I had previously watched it. So many little things gained a new meaning due to the class. Connections were everywhere: Maximus had 3 names exemplifying his noble birth, he was a farmer/soldier which was the idealized system in the Republic, his trainer had been a slave that won his freedom, and the scene in the coliseum was of the 2nd Punic War. It also elucidated the differences between the Republic and Empire. For example, the emperor had essentially supreme control over everything as opposed to the Senate or the people. Next, the diversity of the Empire stood in contrast to the Republic as the Empire was far larger and encompassed more people than the Republic. Lastly, the prospect of an army led by Maximus marching on Rome was entirely foreign for most of the Republic (until Marian and Sulla at least) and shows where our study of the late Republic is leading.

Roman Dessert Pancakes

Roman Dessert Pancakes

By | | Comments 0 Comment

Ingredients:

  • 120g flour
  • 225mL water
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • Oil for frying
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

We mixed the flour, water, and honey together until we reached a thick batter consistency. We then heated a large amount of oil in a pan – enough to submerge the pancake in. We used a quarter cup to scoop the batter into the hot oil and waited until both sides were a golden brown and the pancake had puffed up a bit. We then removed the pancakes from the oil and placed them onto a paper towel to absorb some of that extra oil and cool down before we dug in.

Reflection:

For our roman meal, we used the VCAM kitchen to make some traditional roman pancakes! They were surprisingly yummy considering they were simply water, flour, and honey fried in oil, a simple recipe for a couple of freshmen to follow. It was pretty much equal parts water to flour and mix until we got a batter a bit thicker than that of pancake batter. We also added honey to the batter to sweeten it up a bit. We heated up vegetable oil and fried both sides of each pancake until it got a bit puffy. The first one was a bit undercooked and much too doughy. Not a pleasant eat, so we ended up cooking each for about 5 minutes before removing them from the oil. After we took them out we drizzled honey on them and some everything but the bagel seasoning. We also made some with gluten-free flour for our friend with a gluten allergy. It was super easy to adjust the recipe as we just substituted the regular flour for gluten-free flour. In my humble opinion, the gluten-free ones cooked better but were not as yummy. I assume in ancient times this was a quick and easy way to feed people with a very limited amount of ingredients. I’m sure flour and water were easy to acquire and toppings could be anything you want. I imagine these being sold with different savory and sweet toppings on the streets of Rome. 

Gladiator: Maximus’s Revenge

Gladiator: Maximus’s Revenge

By | | Comments 0 Comment

The movie starts with General Maximus commanding a Roman Army against the remnants of the Germanic Tribes. With this victory, the Roman army has finally defeated the tribes for good. The emperor at the time, Marcus Aurelius, is reaching the end of his life and needs to announce a new emperor. He has a son named Commodus, however, the son lacks the key values of a good Roman, so Marcus Aurelius wants to name Maximus emperor. The emperor also had a daughter named Lucilla who acts as a voice of reason to Commodus. Before Caesar can make this announcement public, Commodus kills him and says he was named Caesar. He asks Maximus to then give him his support, but Maximus disrespects him by ignoring the offer. Commodus then orders Maximus to be killed along with his wife and young son, but Maximus escapes. He is wounded in his escape and tries to reach his family in time but is too late. He is captured by slave traders who heal him and then sell him to Proximo, a former gladiator, and owner of a gladiatorial school. Under Proximo’s ownership, Maximus was made to fight in gladiatorial games in Mauritania, where he was dubbed “the Spaniard.” 

Under Marcus Aurelius, gladiatorial games were banned in Rome, but Commodus decided to honor the dead emperor with 150 days of Games. This turns out to be opportune for Maximus as Proximo has to bring gladiators to Rome for the games. In the first game, Proximo’s gladiators fight, they are meant to be the Carthaginians that get brutally defeated by Scipio Africanus’s legions, however with Maximus’s military prowess they defeat the legionnaires. This upset caused the Emperor to come down to the pit and ask Maximus to reveal his identity. Maximus obliges and shocks Commodus. Caesar wants to kill him but he knows he will lose the people’s favor if he does, so he spares Maximus but tries to plot his death. Now with his identity revealed, Maximus is visited by Lucilla who wants him to overthrow the emperor because he is the only person who the people like more. Lucilla has him meet with a Senator who opposes Commodus however they are being tracked and Commodus destroys their plans. The next day Commodus is going to fight Maximus in the arena, but he secretly wounds Maximus. Maximus still is victorious and kills Commodus but dies from the wound he was given before the battle. The rule of Rome is given back to the senators.

Overall the movie was really entertaining and told a great story. Before watching the movie I didn’t really think about sibling relations, especially of ruling families, and how likely incest was. Before Commodus was killed he was going to force his sister to have children with him, which is horrible. This movie also shed light on their medical knowledge and limitations. Maximus received a nasty wound on his arm during his escape and that was healed, but his wound from Commodus was enough to kill him. Overall I highly recommend this movie for a good action movie.

Netflix “Barbarians”!

Netflix “Barbarians”!

By | | Comments 0 Comment

For this Actum I decided to watch the Netflix TV series called “Barbarians” (2020), created by Heckmann, Nolting, and Scharf. It is an account of the war between the so-called Germanic tribes and the Romans beginning in 9 CE in the reign of Augustus, and largely follows the conflict from the perspective of the Cherusci people who, having come under the subjugation of the Romans, consider whether it is worth it to give up their freedoms for peace. I have not done any outside research into this war, but it is clear the showrunners are trying to portray the events with a good deal of accuracy while refreshingly trying to show a perspective and tell a story that is not Roman. They also make use of Latin being the language spoken by the Romans, which adds to the feeling of experiencing history.

            In the first episode, we get to see the Cherusci Reik arranging a marriage, before Roman soldiers arrive demanding tribute. Fearing that the Romans will take too much from them, the Reik, named Segimer, convenes other tribal leaders to discuss unifying and fighting. Here we see the politics of the semi-cohesive tribes contrasted with the brutality shown by the Romans, who demand unfair tribute and almost murder a child when the Reik won’t kiss their Eagle standard. The name of the show is undoubtedly drawing attention to the barbarism of the Romans themselves, who are shown to act as savage bullies, too stupid or ignorant to care that who they call the “Germanic People” is not at all a uniform group, although they do abide by similar or the same customs. The son of the Roman General Varus, named Gaius Julius Arminius, publicly executes an insubordinate Reik as a show of strength and fear. This prompts retaliation, and the Cherusci are divided as to whether they should offer more resistance.

            In episode two we get to see that Arminius, a high-ranking officer in the army, is in fact the biological son of Reik Segimer but had been adopted by Varus when he was forcibly taken in his childhood. Because of his prestige, it is compelling to think about the Roman attitudes towards the Germanic people. On the one hand we have discussed the perpetual fear in the Roman psyche, and additionally the Romans are shown to consider them barbaric and uncivilized. Varus can be quoted from the show as saying “there is no Germanic law, there is only Rome”. Yet at the same time he has a great deal of trust and respect for his adopted son, who struggles with his identity and loyalties. I am interested to continue watching this show, which is full of dramatic and emotional conflict that is all from the perspective of the Germanic people, who would not have gotten a voice in Rome’s version of history. I highly recommend this show and I am excited to learn more about the culture and political organization of these Germanic peoples.

css.php