Recipes from

Outlands Heralds and Scribes Symposium - Evening Feast

March 29, A.S. XXXVII (2003 c.e.)

A Roman/Byzantine Feast

Menu

GUSTUM:

Giacosa [1] describes the gustum as “a course of appetizers.” Therefore, servings presented in this course will be small tastes, designed to whet the appetite while leaving room for the more substantial meat course to follow.

Moretum [Cheese Round with Herbs]
Lagana [Fried Wafers]
Lucanicae [Lucanian Sausages]
Esicia Omentata [Stuffed Meat Dumplings]
Fungis [Mushrooms in Sauce]
Quail Eggs


MENSA PRIMA:

The mensa prima is the main meat course. Petronius describes a mensa prima that included, among other things, beef, fowl, fish, and hare, along with an entire roast pig, which was slashed open to reveal that it had been stuffed with sausages. [2]

Avem [Birds Stuffed with Olives]
Raw Sauce for Boiled Chicken
Assaturam [Honey Roasted Meat]
Ius in Assaturae [Cooked Sauce for Roast]
Byzantine Salmon and Mustard Sauce
Carotæ and Pastinacæ [Carrots and Parsnips in Wine Sauce]
Lenticulam [Lentils With Leeks]
Mystron [Savoury Barley]
Bread


MENSA SECUNDA:

The mensa secunda usually consisted of sweet and fruit dishes, though Giacosa states that “sometimes salted dishes, sausages, cheese, and even mollusks were served.” [3]  The mensa secunda for this feast consists of fruit dishes and a sweet.

Caeseus cum Recenti Fico [Cheese With Figs]
Fresh Fruit
Dulcia Domestica [Honeyed Dates]
Savillum [Cheesecake]

Head Cook:

Mistress Arwen Southernwood

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

THE COOK WOULD LIKE TO THANK:

THL CATRIN VON BERLIN – for doing lunch and for channeling the Grocery Goddess
THL RIVKA VLADIMIROVNA RIVKINA – for the use of her kitchen and her help with the sausages
LADY AETHELIND OF ERBYSTOK– for the pottages
MISTRESS EIRENE TZISMISKINA KONTOSTEPHANINA (who was admitted to the Order of the Laurel at this event) – for the kitchen and freezer space, and the salmon recipe
MISTRESS TATIANA PAVLOVNA SOKOLOVA – for her past help in redacting some of these recipes
MISTRESS KATE – for donating the coffee
LADY KATREIN – for inviting me to cook and have fun
*** LADY *** MABBINA (who received an Award of Arms at this event) – for getting up early to come and make the coffee, and for making the cheese.

THE “KITCHEN” CREW (in addition to those already mentioned):
Lady Kseniya
Sir Frederick Thurstone
and anyone else who dropped in to help

THE CLEANUP CREW
You know who you are, and I thank you most gratefully!

Everyone who loaned crock pots, roasters, chafing dishes, and other cooking
equipment to ease the task of presenting a feast without a kitchen

And as always:
THL GUILLAUME DE GONZAC – for love, support, sanity, and the occasional errand … or four!

[1] Giacosa, Ilaria Gozzini (Herklotz, Anna, translator). A Taste of Ancient Rome.  The University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London, 1992.  ISBN 0-226-29032-8.  p. 198.
[2] ibid, pp. 202-3.
[3] ibid, p. 198.

Unless otherwise noted, all redactions are the work of the Head Cook


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