Give me some garum!
Characters:
Theme: Ab ovo usque ad mala: food and drinks
Competencies
Competence in Linguistic Communication
Personal, social and learning to learn competence
Citizen Competition
Competence in cultural awareness and expressions
Subjects and year by Educational System
Spain > Classical culture > 1st ESO > Classical roots of today's world. Everyday life
Enunciation
Viria Acte was born in Valencia Edetanorum, current Valencia, ca. 90 AD. She was an outstanding woman who, being a former slave, became a successful entrepreneur. She was the owner of a statue workshop that she run herself and that became very prestigious. She received many compliments and honours due to her work and her contributions to the city of Valencia.
In this exercise, we are going to imagine young Viria as a slave in charge of cooking at a Roman tavern. You are going to cook like she did by following two recipes. Pay attention to the Latin words used in this activity.
1-Young Viria
Young Viria is having a terrible day. When she woke up, before sunrise, her head hurt as if a horse was kicking her without mercy. She has not eaten yet and she barely had dinner last night, a fact that doesn't really help with her headache. Now her grumbling stomach adds to the pain in her head. When she went to wake her mistress (domina) Domitia, she spilled the washbasin she was carrying with water for the ablution and her mistress lost her temper: 'useless' is the nicest word she used. Running down the stairs, she went to fetch some more water and run back to her mistress’ room (cubiculum). Domitia kept on yelling at her and ended up dismissing her angrily and sending her to the kitchen to make some breakfast (ientaculum).
Domitia is the owner of a tavern (taberna) that serves fast food. There are no tables or chairs in it, just a bar where clients crowd together, eat, and leave. Viria is in charge of cooking, waking up her mistress, making breakfast for her, getting her clothes ready, going to the market with her, and many other things, since she is Domitia's only slave.
Today is one of those days when mistress and slave (ancilla) will go to the market and Viria will have extra work. She knows this because the day before, when they closed the tavern and made inventory of supplies, Domitia said: -“We're running out of garum, Viria!” Which meant "Viria, you have to make more garum on top of the usual food". We're running out of garum! It would be a tragedy to go without this sauce. A Roman cannot live without it! Romans use it for everything! -"We don't have moretum either!", Domitia yelled.
So, today, besides making all the food planned, she will have to go to the market with her mistress and start preparing garum and moretum. By Hercules! How was she going to stop for breakfast?
GARUM
It was a sauce made by fermenting oily fish in a concentrated brine and aromatic herbs for several weeks. It tasted different according to the type of fish used as a base or if it included shrimp, oysters, or any other mollusc. It was used as a salt substitute.
EASY and adapted RECIPE FOR GARUM
Ingredients:
-A can of anchovies
-2 tablespoons of olive oil
-2 tablespoons of aromatic wine
-Pepper
-1 tablespoon of honey
Drain the anchovies, mince them and blend them with the olive oil and wine until a light sauce forms. Add pepper, honey, and mix.
MORETUM
Snack (gustatio) made with goat or sheep cheese, spices, garum, honey, and vinegar.
ROMAN RECIPE FOR MORETUM
Grind mint, cilantro, rue, fennel, honey, juniper berries, garum and vinegar. Add sheep or goat cheese. It is tastier if it rests for a day.
You can also add 2 or 3 cloves of garlic and a couple stalks of celery with their leaves.
(Apicio, De re Coquinaria)
EASY and adapted RECIPE FOR MORETUM
Ingredients:
Mint
Parsley
Chives or dill
Ground pepper
Honey
Apple cider vinegar
1 or 2 garlic cloves (optional)
2 slices of goat cheese
Mince the mint, parsley, chives and garlic. Mix the spices and add pepper to taste. Use a fork to mince and mash the cheese. When it is creamy, add the spices. We will make it more creamy by adding honey and a little bit of vinegar and mixing well.
2- Find the Latin words in the exercise and write them down in your notebook. What do they mean?
Observations and context
1- Observations
Viria Acte's past as a slave gives rise to the study of the working conditions of slaves. In this occasion, we will use a fictional slave in charge of cooking in a Roman tavern.
This activity is a small introduction to the eating habits of the Romans. It can be completed with the vocabulary activity Domitia's dinner which, like this one, has been created for 1st of ESO.
Podría hacerse también en otros cursos de Cultura Clásica, en el Bloque Raíces clásicas del mundo actual. Vida cotidiana o en el Bloque El presente de la civilización latina de 4º de Latín.
It has been thought for Classical culture in 1st of ESO because of its simplicity and because it can be used as an introduction to Greek and Roman eating habits. The interesting thing about this exercise is relating their habits to the current ones; for instance, there were already fast-food establishments. They can also think about the differences between tabernae, cauponae and popinae. It could also be used in other levels in Classical Culture in the Block Classical roots of today's world. Everyday life or in the Block The present of Latin civilisation in 4th of ESO Latin.
2- Context
One of the key factors which led to the greater independence of Roman women in the Imperial period was their ability to own and manage their own money.
The epigraphy of Roman Hispania in the 2nd century offers numerous examples of professions carried out by women who were also, in some cases, owners of their own businesses. To cite just a few names, we can find wet nurses (nutrices), such as Secundilla (Gades) or Clovatia Irena (Emerita Augusta); hairdressers (ornatrices), such as Philtates (Lucus Augusti, Lugo) or Turpa Thyce (Gades); menders (sarcinatrices), such as Latinia Da[.... ] (Corduba); professionals related to the production, dissemination and trade of olive oil, especially in Baetica, such as Accilia Felicissima, Caecilia Charitosa, Cornelia Placida or Caecilia Trophime, among many others; owners of land in production, such as C. Plancia Romana (Fiñana, Almería) or Aurelia Iuventiana (Arauzo de Torre, Burgos); owners of artisan workshops of all kinds _from gilding, textile and footwear workshops to the manufacture of marble pieces, like our Viria Acte _, such as Aurelia Vivia Sabina (domina fabricae marmorariae) (Terena, Portugal), Cornelia Cruseidis (domina inauratoris) (Tarraco) or Valeria Severina, who was also patroness of the guild, (domina fabricae textilis et calceamenti) (Segisama Iulia, Burgos) to women who practised medicine and obstetrics, such as the Hispanic Julia Saturnina (Emerita Augusta) or later women, such as those belonging to other times and places, Primila, Empiria and Venuleya Sosis, qualified as medici; Salustia Ateneis, obstetrix; Naevia Clara, medicaphilologa or Aurelia Alexandra Zozima, cited ‘for her medical knowledge’.
We also find other professions: caementarius (bricklayer): Iulia (Conimbriga, Coimbra); purpuraria (manufacture of purple): Baebia Veneria (Gades); lintearia (weaver or linen merchant): Fulvia (Tarraco); pictor or pistor (painter or baker): Caecilia M [...] (Maresme, Barcino), etc.
Description
We are going to tackle some aspects about food in Rome. Students are told to cook as Viria would. To do so, we will list two Roman recipes and their ingredients and preparation.