Recreating the flavors of Ancient Rome: Imperial peas cooked with ginger, honey, and apple cider vinegar

I love exploring historical cooking because it constantly challenges our modern palates. This week, I recreated a dish from ancient Rome called Peas or Faba Beans in the Manner of Vitellius (PISAM VITELLIANAM SIVE FABAM). It's a delicious ovo-vegetarian meal. This recipe should refer to Emperor Vitellius, who reigned in 69 AD, the famous Year of the Four Emperors. Historical sources depict him as an emperor renowned for his extreme gluttony. Ingredients for 2 people: 80 ml extra virgin olive oil 120 ml white wine A generous tablespoon of peeled and finely minced ginger A generous pinch of flaked sea salt 2 teaspoons lovage One teaspoon crushed peppercorns Two teaspoons honey 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar Peas for 2 people If you want to see the step-by-step cooking process: https://youtu.be/LDZkeqsmXzQ Some ingredients in this recipe would have been well out of reach for ordinary mortals in ancient Rome. These include pepper, a costly spice reserved for the upper classes, and most notably ginger (gingiber). The latter was a true luxury commodity, arriving in Rome via intricate trade routes and commanding hefty customs taxes. Another ingredient that may strike us as unusual is the aromatic herb known as lovage. Fresh leaves and roots are harvested from this plant, also called mountain celery. Although native to Asia, it was already being grown across the Mediterranean in ancient times. It was an omnipresent aromatic in high-class Roman cooking, featured in a vast number of recipes in De re coquinaria. submitted by /u/Blacklilih [link] [comments]