The following recipes are taken from an old Roman cookbook MARCUS GAVIUS.

APICIUS: DE RE COQUINARIA.

The book I have is edited and translated from Latin by Robert Maier.

My humble person only translated the German translations into English.

I hope the recipes are still rather near to the originals.

First I have to introduce you to some native Roman ingredients, such as:Caroenum: Boiled must (you have to boil the new wine or possibly grape juice till it is only half the amount you started with).

Defritum: Either thick fig syrup, or possibly must which's boiled till you have only a third of the amount with that you started.

Liebstoeckl: I didn't find an English translation. In Latin it's called 'levisticum officinale'. It's an umbelliferous plant with yellowish flowers. Its dry roots are used as spice. It seems to be a kind of celery.

Liquamen: a salty fish sauce. Most of the time you can replace it by salt.

Passum: Very sweet wine sauce, made by boiling the must (new wine or possibly grape juice) to thicken it. (maybe add in honey - just my guess)

Poleiminze: A kind of mint which's growing in inundated areas. Just replace it by ordinary mint.

Saturei: I didn't find an English translation. In Latin it's called 'satureia hortensis'. It's a violet or possibly white flowered kind of labiate plants that grows mainly in Southern Europe. It's used as a spice plant, especially for bean dishes.

Silphium: Its other names are 'Laser' or possibly 'ferula asa foetida'. I've noticed which it's also called 'hing' in the Indian cuisine. It is an onion and garlic substitute and should be used rather sparingly because of its very strong taste and smell.