{"id":92581,"date":"2019-06-14T20:27:33","date_gmt":"2019-06-14T09:27:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/public_html\/?p=92581"},"modified":"2021-05-28T15:59:26","modified_gmt":"2021-05-28T05:59:26","slug":"2000-year-old-cake-recipe-ancient-rome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/public_html\/2000-year-old-cake-recipe-ancient-rome\/","title":{"rendered":"2000 year old cake recipe from Ancient Rome"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"comment-rating-field-pro-plugin\"><div class=\"rating-container crfp-group-1\"><span class=\"label\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/public_html\/2000-year-old-cake-recipe-ancient-rome\/#comments\">Rate it  <\/a><\/span>\n\t\t\t       \t\t<span class=\"rating-always-on\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"crfp-rating crfp-rating-4-5\" style=\"width:72px\"><a href=\"#comments\">4.5<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/div>\n<div align=center>\n<div class=\"videoWrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UVQLbomrNBM?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>Have you ever wondered if they had cakes and desserts in Ancient Rome?  Well back in 79AD Mt Vesuvius erupted burying Pompeii and other villas and areas nearby in ash, debris and lava.  Because the remaining people believed the area to be cursed they did not rebuild.  Nearly two thousand years later archeologists have uncovered some of this ancient city, giving us a glimpse into their lives.  <\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the most creepy discovery was the air pockets they found with bones inside.  People were buried under the ash, the bodies had long since decayed, but the space they occupied remained.  Archeologist filled some of these cavities with plaster before digging further.  The plaster bodies filled with bones gives a glimpse into the last moments of these people.<\/p>\n<p>As well as bones archeologists also found buildings with ornate mosaics and paintings on the walls.  According to those pictures, yes they did have cake.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/public_html\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/ancient-roman-cake-ann-reardon-550x573.jpg\" alt=\"ancient roman cake\" width=\"550\" height=\"573\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-92583\" data-wp-pid=\"92583\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/ancient-roman-cake-ann-reardon-550x573.jpg 550w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/ancient-roman-cake-ann-reardon-288x300.jpg 288w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/ancient-roman-cake-ann-reardon-768x800.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/ancient-roman-cake-ann-reardon-300x313.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/ancient-roman-cake-ann-reardon.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There are no cookbooks dating back this early.  There is a collection of recipes thought to be from this time called the Apicius.  The first print of this is from around 900AD in Latin.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/public_html\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-12-at-12.01.20-pm-550x437.png\" alt=\"ancient roman cake recipe how to cook that\" width=\"550\" height=\"437\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-92582\" data-wp-pid=\"92582\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-12-at-12.01.20-pm-550x437.png 550w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-12-at-12.01.20-pm-300x239.png 300w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-12-at-12.01.20-pm-768x611.png 768w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-12-at-12.01.20-pm-377x300.png 377w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I can&#8217;t read latin but English translations of the early text seem to give a list of ingredients with no instructions and no quantities.  All the websites I looked up for an English version seemed to link me to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pompeii.org.uk\/ri.php\/recipe-dulcia-piperata-honey-cake-en-166-ri.htm\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">dulcet piperata<\/a> recipe.<\/p>\n<p>However this recipe contains baking powder, an integral part of most cakes today, but it wasn&#8217;t invented until 1843. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/penelope.uchicago.edu\/Thayer\/E\/Roman\/Texts\/Apicius\/7*.html#XI\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">De Re Coquinaria of Apicius <\/a> lists the recipe as below:<\/p>\n<p><em>In a chafing-dish put honey, pure wine, raisin wine, pine nuts, nuts, cooked spelt, add crushed and toasted hazelnuts and serve.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The total lack of quantities and directions means we are left guessing how the Romans combined these ingredients to make a cake. I am going to use the first recipe that I linked to as a base and experimented with using yeast as a leavening agent.<\/p>\n<p>In another area of the <a href=\"http:\/\/penelope.uchicago.edu\/Thayer\/E\/Roman\/Texts\/Apicius\/1*.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">text<\/a> it does indeed talk about using yeast in honey cakes.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/public_html\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-12-at-12.54.03-pm-550x105.png\" alt=\"ancient roman honey cakes recipe\" width=\"550\" height=\"105\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-92589\" data-wp-pid=\"92589\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-12-at-12.54.03-pm-550x105.png 550w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-12-at-12.54.03-pm-300x57.png 300w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-12-at-12.54.03-pm-768x146.png 768w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-12-at-12.54.03-pm-400x76.png 400w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-12-at-12.54.03-pm.png 1998w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/public_html\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P1077079-550x413.jpg\" alt=\"ancient roman cake\" width=\"550\" height=\"413\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-92587\" data-wp-pid=\"92587\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P1077079-550x413.jpg 550w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P1077079-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P1077079-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P1077079-400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>140g (4.94 ounces) freshly ground wheat flour<br \/>\n3\/4 tsp instant dried yeast<br \/>\n1\/2 tsp ground rosemary<br \/>\n1 tsp cinnamon<br \/>\n70g (2.47 ounces) almonds, ground<br \/>\n100mL (3.38 fluid ounces) passum (or other sweet white wine)<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/public_html\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P1077045-550x413.jpg\" alt=\"ancient roman cake recipe\" width=\"550\" height=\"413\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-92584\" data-wp-pid=\"92584\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P1077045-550x413.jpg 550w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P1077045-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P1077045-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P1077045-400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><br \/>\n2 tbsp honey (you may wish to increase this to 3 tablespoons if using yeast as it will use up some of the sugar).<br \/>\n100mL (3.38 fluid ounces) Milk<\/p>\n<p>To top:<br \/>\nExtra honey to drizzle<br \/>\nChopped hazelnuts<\/p>\n<p>Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.  Tip into a baking dish or cake tin and leave in a warm place to rise.  Bake at 180C (356 degrees Fahrenheit) until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.  While still hot drizzle with honey and sprinkle on chopped hazelnuts.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/public_html\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P1077071-550x413.jpg\" alt=\"ancient roman cake recipe  how to cook that\" width=\"550\" height=\"413\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-92585\" data-wp-pid=\"92585\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P1077071-550x413.jpg 550w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P1077071-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P1077071-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P1077071-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P1077071-1200x900-cropped.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/div>\n<p>This video was requested by my Patrons, to vote on future videos support on <a href=\"https:\/\/patreon.com\/h2ct\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Patreon<\/a><br \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\/\", \n  \"@type\": \"Recipe\", \n  \"name\": \"2000 year old honey cake recipe\",\n  \"image\": \"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/public_html\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P1077071-550x413.jpg\",\n  \"description\": \"Making a cake from a 2000 year old ancient roman recipe with freshly ground wheat flour, almonds\",\n  \"keywords\": \"2000 year old recipe, ancient roman cake recipe, honey cake, egg-free cake\",\n  \"author\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Person\",\n    \"name\": \"Ann Reardon\"\n  },\n  \"datePublished\": \"2019-06-14\",\n  \"prepTime\": \"PT60M\",\n  \"cookTime\": \"PT15M\", \n  \"totalTime\": \"PT75M\", \n  \"recipeCategory\": \"dessert, afternoon tea, morning tea\", \n  \"recipeCuisine\": \"Ancient Roman\", \n  \"recipeYield\": \"3\", \n      \"aggregateRating\": {\n    \"@type\": \"AggregateRating\",\n    \"ratingValue\": \"4.5\",\n    \"reviewCount\": \"14\"\n  },\n\"interactionStatistic\": {\n    \"@type\": \"InteractionCounter\",\n    \"interactionType\": \"http:\/\/schema.org\/CommentAction\",\n    \"userInteractionCount\": \"37071\"\n  },\n\"publisher\": {\n  \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n  \"name\": \"Reardon Media Pty Ltd\"\n  },\n  \"nutrition\": {\n    \"@type\": \"NutritionInformation\",\n    \"calories\": \"200 cal (836.8 kilojoules)\"\n  },\n  \"recipeIngredient\": [\n    \"140g (4.94 ounces) freshly ground wheat flour\",\n    \"3\/4 tsp instant dried yeast\",\n    \"1\/2 tsp ground rosemary\",\n    \"1 tsp cinnamon\",\n    \"70g (2.47 ounces) almonds, ground\",\n    \"100mL (3.38 fluid ounces) passum\",\n    \"2 tbsp honey\",\n    \"100mL (3.38 fluid ounces) Milk\"\n  ],\n  \"recipeInstructions\": [{\n    \"@type\": \"HowToStep\",\n    \"text\": \"Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl.\"\n  },{\n    \"@type\": \"HowToStep\",\n    \"text\": \"Add the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.\"\n  },{\n    \"@type\": \"HowToStep\",\n    \"text\": \"Tip into a baking dish or cake tin and leave in a warm place to rise.\"\n  },{\n    \"@type\": \"HowToStep\",\n    \"text\": \"Bake at 180C (356 degrees Fahrenheit) until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.\"\n  },{\n    \"@type\": \"HowToStep\",\n    \"text\": \"While still hot drizzle with honey and sprinkle on chopped hazelnuts.\"\n  }],\n  \"video\": {\n    \"@type\": \"VideoObject\",\n  \"name\": \"The 2000 year old honey cake from Pompeii | How To Cook That Ann Reardon\",\n  \"description\": \"2000 year old cake recipe from Pompeii\",\n  \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/UVQLbomrNBM\/default.jpg\",\n  \"uploadDate\": \"2019-06-12T00:45:25.000Z\",\n  \"duration\": \"PT9M11S\",\n  \"contentUrl\": \"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=UVQLbomrNBM\",\n  \"embedUrl\": \"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UVQLbomrNBM\",\n  \"interactionCount\": \"6\"\n  }  \n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n \n<h4 align=center>My Cookbook<\/h4>\n<p align=center>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/public_html\/cook-crazy-sweet-creations-cookbook-ann-reardon\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"40%\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/hardcover-book-mockup-of-a-woman-reading-3409-el1.png\" alt=\"ann reardon crazy sweet creations cookbook\" title=\"Crazy Sweet Creations Cookbook\" style=\"opacity: 0.8; -moz-opacity: 0.8;\" class=\"fade\" \/><\/a>\n<\/br>\nStores that sell my book listed by country:  \n<a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/ARcookbook\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/bit.ly\/ARcookbook<\/a>\n<\/br>\nAll recipe quantities in the book are in grams, ounces and cups.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/public_html\/2000-year-old-cake-recipe-ancient-rome\/\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P1077071-150x150.jpg\" class=\"alignleft tfe wp-post-image\" alt=\"ancient roman cake recipe how to cook that\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P1077071-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P1077071-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P1077071-400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P1077071-1200x1200-cropped.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" data-wp-pid=\"92585\" \/><\/a><p>Have you ever wondered if they had cakes and desserts in Ancient Rome? Well back in 79AD Mt Vesuvius erupted burying Pompeii and other villas and areas nearby in ash, debris and lava. Because the remaining people believed the area to be cursed they did not rebuild. Nearly two thousand years later archeologists have uncovered some of this ancient city, giving us a glimpse into their lives. Perhaps the most creepy discovery was the air<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":92585,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142,1652,748],"tags":[3275,3276,31,787,802,3105,3138,803,952,1184,163,15,3278,3277,281,1465],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/public_html\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92581"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/public_html\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/public_html\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/public_html\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/public_html\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92581"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/public_html\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92581\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":127260,"href":"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/public_html\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92581\/revisions\/127260"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/public_html\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/public_html\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/public_html\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.howtocookthat.net\/public_html\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}