By the 1st century BC, Rome had conquered much of the Mediterranean region and begun to create its own imperial culture. The Romans absorbed much from the cultures they dominated, including religion, customs, art, and food. Particularly influential were the Greeks, who had colonized the Italian peninsula in prior centuries and whose traditions the Romans respected and transformed. Artistic workshops established by Greek colonists continued to flourish into the Roman era while wealthy patrons collected original Greek art with which to adorn their luxury villas.

Country villas were found throughout the Empire but were particularly abundant along the coastline south of Rome. These villas were clearly the realm of the wealthy; second homes offering respite from the stifling heat and congestion of the capital city’s oppressive summer. Those who could afford it escaped to the coast to enjoy the clean air, refreshing sea, and such lofty pursuits as art and literature appreciation and the study of Greek philosophies like Epicureanism, which of course involved eating good food.

As for entertaining, these wealthy Romans who formerly ate seated at table opted to recline in the Greek manner and loved to enrich a party with engaging conversation stimulated by artistic performances, literary readings, and philosophical debate. Unlike a Greek symposium, the Roman convivium, or dinner party, focused on a meal in addition to drinking, and included respectable women making it more similar to the type of mixed-company dinner party we might enjoy today.

The proposed meal for the Roman era imagines a feast in a southern Italian seaside villa at which the entertainment revolves around the theme of The Metamorphoses, a literary masterpiece written by Roman author Ovid in the early first century AD. Based on oral tradition, the author traces history from the world’s creation through a long series of supernatural transformations initiated by the gods and goddesses. Having recently added this text to his library of papyrus scrolls, the villa owner wishes to share its contents with selected guests at a literary banquet where each dish presented is inspired by one of the volume’s stories, to be read aloud as it is served. In this way the creativity extends into the kitchen, lifting the cook’s stature to that of culinary artist.

The Roman diet, like that of the Greeks, was based on grains, seafood, and occasionally meat, plus local, seasonal fruits, and vegetables. A menu such as this one was designed specifically to delight and impress, offering an abundance of dishes not often enjoyed, and prepared in such a way as to truly impress guests.

The culinary inspiration for these recipes is De re coquinaria (On the Subject of Cooking), a collection of recipes written down in the 4th century AD by “Apicius”, a name associated with a famed Roman gourmand from the 1st century AD. Thought to be a compilation of authentic recipes as practiced by that original gourmand and presented as an instruction manual for training chefs, it is the only cookbook to have survived antiquity and gives us a clear idea of Roman ingredients and dish preparation.

The proposed meal will follow the traditional order of three courses: appetizer (gustatio), main course (mensa prima) and dessert (mensa secunda). In antiquity, foot and hand washing would precede and conclude the dining experience, and all food would be decorously served in bite-sized portions on elegant platters. Following tradition, a special spiced wine will open our meal, and wine and bread—Roman indicators of a civilized society—will accompany all dishes.

As our host might now say, BONUM HABEAT APPETITUM!