Monstrous lovage is the single most frequent herb in the entire collection of books of Apicius, but is seldom seen in conventional cooking today. Here is a brief history of the herb that once dominated the culinary world. A photo of lovage leaves. Don’t they look like Italian parsley? In his magnum opus Naturalis historia… Continue reading Lovage: The (Once) Ubiquitous Herb

A popular condiment, an antidote to poisons, and a caterpillar repellent, rue truly seems to do it all. Here’s a description of a surprisingly dangerous herb that has since fallen out of popularity, but was very much in vogue in ancient Rome. A photo of a rue bush. Fully mature plants can grow up to… Continue reading Rue: The Herb of Grace

Sweeteners were pretty hard to come by for Roman cooks, so they resorted to using an ingredient with many other culinary purposes. Here you can read about these syrups and how to make them yourself. A mosaic of a bunch of grapes, from the Bardo National Museum, Tunis. After a bit of a break, I’ve… Continue reading Defrutum and Caroenum and Sapa, Oh My!