Around the Table of the Romans: Food and Feasting in Ancient Rome

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Summary: Around the Table of the Romans: Food and Feasting in Ancient
Review: Claiming that his work is "neither a history book nor a cookery book; it is a bit of both," Dutch food historian and chef Faas balances plenty of facts about the Roman Empire's dining customs and social traditions with an entertaining food guide, mixing in 150 recipes (adapted for the modern cook). The lusty Romans' passion for exotic food is legendary, and some recipes are more bizarre than what an Iron Chef could conjure. Apparently, Romans ate almost everything that roamed the planet: there are recipes for roast moray eel, boiled sow's nipples, calf brain pt, cooked parrot tongue, and more. Surprisingly, Roman dishes were usually highly spiced, using more pepper than the modern Western palate could tolerate. Recently, Faas's enthusiasm for re-creating ancient Roman delicacies instigated a lawsuit by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for baking stuffed mice (recipe included here). A good companion to Mariangela Rinaldi and Mariangela Vicini's Buon Appetito, Your Holiness and for culinary history collections.-

Rating:
Summary: Around the Table of the Romans: Food and Feasting in Ancient
Review: Claiming that his work is "neither a history book nor a cookery book; it is a bit of both," Dutch food historian and chef Faas balances plenty of facts about the Roman Empire's dining customs and social traditions with an entertaining food guide, mixing in 150 recipes (adapted for the modern cook). The lusty Romans' passion for exotic food is legendary, and some recipes are more bizarre than what an Iron Chef could conjure. Apparently, Romans ate almost everything that roamed the planet: there are recipes for roast moray eel, boiled sow's nipples, calf brain pt, cooked parrot tongue, and more. Surprisingly, Roman dishes were usually highly spiced, using more pepper than the modern Western palate could tolerate. Recently, Faas's enthusiasm for re-creating ancient Roman delicacies instigated a lawsuit by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for baking stuffed mice (recipe included here). A good companion to Mariangela Rinaldi and Mariangela Vicini's Buon Appetito, Your Holiness and for culinary history collections.-

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Summary: A Bit Rambling Yet and Interesting Read
Review: Informative, but Whiteside's translation is spotty. Ilaria Gozzini Giacosa's A Taste of Ancient Rome would help clarify and fill in some of the overlooked topics and recipes.

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Summary: Learn to Cook for Caesar
Review: The first half of Around the Table of the Roman's is a discussion of Roman cooking and food. The second half is a list of recipes from various Roman authors. The book has a lot of promise and gives a good overview of what the Romans ate and the role of food in Roman culture. The recipes are given in three forms. First, the original Latin version is give, then a translation is provided. Finally, a more detailed recipe is given that the reader can use to try the recipe at home. The book is interesting, but should be treated as an introduction to Roman diet, cooking, and eating habits. The book was originally written in Dutch and the translation could have been better. However, there are not serious problems with the translation. Overall I liked this book and I am looking forward to trying some of the recipes.

Rating:
Summary: Learn to Cook for Caesar
Review: The first half of Around the Table of the Roman's is a discussion of Roman cooking and food. The second half is a list of recipes from various Roman authors. The book has a lot of promise and gives a good overview of what the Romans ate and the role of food in Roman culture. The recipes are given in three forms. First, the original Latin version is give, then a translation is provided. Finally, a more detailed recipe is given that the reader can use to try the recipe at home. The book is interesting, but should be treated as an introduction to Roman diet, cooking, and eating habits. The book was originally written in Dutch and the translation could have been better. However, there are not serious problems with the translation. Overall I liked this book and I am looking forward to trying some of the recipes.

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Summary: Very Poorly Written
Review: This book is filled with misspellings, poorly phrased sentences, and illustrations not explained well in the text. Whatever happened to editing? The subject should have been presented much more adequately. The publisher should be ashamed to release such a poorly-presented work!