CHAPTER 4
Rome is the last and most sophisticated of the ancient civilisations. Roman culture, along with Greek, forms the basis of Western culture. Our knowledge of Roman cuisine is plentiful due to the wealth of surviving written documents and archaeological remains. It is difficult to summarise the characteristics of Roman cooking in a few lines, but we can say that in gastronomy, as in other areas, the Romans absorbed and adapted the wisdom of previous cultures. From Rome comes the first complete recipe book in the history of gastronomy, De re coquinaria, which we take the opportunity to explore in detail. Our analysis leads us into the world of convivia, banquets between individuals, and of how taverns were in reality.
