Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

29728

Title

Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

This volume presents the ancient Roman cookbook *De re coquinaria*, translated into English for the first time. It offers a critical review of the text's history, authenticity, and culinary utility, accompanied by extensive notes, a technical dictionary, and facsimiles of original manuscripts and ancient culinary artifacts.

Summary up to 500 words

Joseph Dommers Vehling's *Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome* presents a definitive modern English translation of the ancient culinary classic *De re coquinaria*, traditionally attributed to the legendary gourmand Apicius. This comprehensive volume serves as both a practical guide to Roman gastronomy and a rigorous historical survey of the text's complex transmission. Vehling meticulously reconstructs the manuscript's origins, tracing its lineage through various printed editions from the 15th to the 20th centuries, while addressing enduring scholarly debates regarding its authenticity and authorship. The core of the work is a full translation of the recipes, elucidated by translator's notes that clarify archaic terminology and obscure cooking methods. To support this culinary journey, the book includes a specialized bibliography of Apician manuscripts, a dictionary of technical culinary terms, and a detailed index. Visual elements enrich the narrative, featuring facsimiles of historic title pages, diagrams illustrating the evolution of manuscript lineages, and pen-and-ink drawings of ancient objects excavated at Pompeii and Hildesheim. Professor Frederick Starr's introduction provides essential anthropological context, framing the text within the broader social history of the Roman Empire. Furthermore, appendices offer a complete survey of the book's publication history across Europe and America. This edition stands as an indispensable resource for students of gastronomy, historians, and bibliophiles seeking to understand the evolution of Roman cuisine and the preservation of ancient culinary literature. The text preserves original archaic spelling and hyphenation where appropriate, ensuring fidelity to the source material while making it accessible to a contemporary audience.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Classics
• Cooking