This article first appeared in the inaugural issue of the beautiful food history publication, EATEN Magazine. If you love food and love reading about the fascinating...
Sauce for mushrooms - An ancient Roman Recipe from Apicius
This is one of the very first recipes that I made when I first started diving into the cookbook Apicius as part of my research for FEAST OF SORROW. It calls for caroneum which is a bit tricky to know exactly what it might have tasted like but it was a reduced grape syrup of some sort. I recommend that you substitute sapa (sometimes called saba) or vincotto, which are essentially just different names for grape must, and either would be delicious in this dish. They are easily acquired at specialty food shops or Amazon.com.
Sauce for Mushrooms
Apicius 7.13
This is a simple but delicious dish that makes an excellent accompaniment for steak.
4 Servings
Preparation
1. Add oil to a hot pan. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt.
2. Cover pan and let it cook for three minutes on medium heat.
3. Add vincotto, pepper and coriander. Stir to combine.
4. Continue cooking for another three minutes. If the mixture looks dry, add a little bit of water and reduce. Serve hot.
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