Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome

TO COOK CUTTLEFISH _ALITER SEPIAS_ PEPPER, LOVAGE, CUMIN, GREEN CORIANDER, DRY MINT, YOLKS, HONEY, BROTH, WINE, VINEGAR, AND A LITTLE OIL. WHEN BOILING BIND WITH ROUX. V POLYPUS [1] _IN POLYPO_ [409] POLYPUS _IN POLYPO_ [cook with] PEPPER, LOVAGE, BROTH, LASER, GINGER [2] AND SERVE. [1] The polypus, or eight-armed sepia, has been described by Plinius, Galen, Cicero, Diocles, Athenæus and other ancient writers. The ancients praise it as a food and attribute to the polypus the power of restoring lost vitality: _molli carne pisces, & suaves gustu sunt, & ad venerem conferunt_--Diocles. Wanting in the Vat. Ms. [2] Wanting in List. and G.-V. Ex Tor. p. 100. VI OYSTERS _IN OSTREIS_ [410] OYSTERS [1] _IN OSTREIS_ TO OYSTERS WHICH WANT TO BE WELL SEASONED ADD [2] PEPPER, LOVAGE, YOLKS, VINEGAR, BROTH, OIL, AND WINE; IF YOU WISH ALSO ADD HONEY [3]. [1] Wanting in the Vat. Ms. [2] Tor. sentence wanting in the other texts. [3] Cf. No. 14 for the keeping of oysters. It is not likely that the oysters brought from Great Britain to Rome were in a condition to be enjoyed from the shell--raw. The above formula appears to be a sort of oyster stew. VII [411] ALL KINDS OF BIVALVES _IN OMNE GENUS CONCHYLIORUM_ [1] FOR ALL KINDS OF SHELLFISH USE PEPPER, LOVAGE, PARSLEY, DRY MINT, A LITTLE MORE OF CUMIN, HONEY, AND BROTH; IF YOU WISH, ADD [bay] LEAVES AND MALOBATHRON [2]. [1] Wanting in the Vat. Ms. [2] Cf. note to {Rx} No. 399. The shellfish is cooked or steamed with the above ingredients. VIII SEA URCHINS _IN ECHINO_ [412] SEA URCHIN _IN ECHINO_ TO PREPARE SEA URCHIN TAKE A NEW EARTHEN POT, A LITTLE OIL, BROTH, SWEET WINE, GROUND PEPPER, AND SET IT TO HEAT; WHEN BOILING PUT THE URCHINS IN SINGLY. SHAKE THEM WELL, LET THEM STEW, AND WHEN DONE SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE. Plinius states that only a few small parts of the sea urchin are edible. [413] ANOTHER METHOD _ALITER [IN] ECHINO_ PEPPER, A LITTLE COSTMARY, DRY MINT, MEAD, BROTH, INDIAN SPIKENARD, AND [bay or nard] LEAVES. [414]