[COMM] Food from the ancient world!

The Mammal owns a copy of the ancient Roman writer Apicius' cookbook (translated into English and with modern weights and measures, ingredient substitutions). Some of the recipes are very good indeed—it's not all roast dormouse and stuffed swan: lots of legumes, herbs, root veg and ordinary meats and fish, relatively simple to make and constituting a pretty healthy diet.

So it was with great delight that we discovered the existence of Pass the Garum, a blog about ancient—so far, mostly Roman—food maintained by a food-loving ancient history graduate (part of the Mammal's CV, too, as it happens). Everything is set out clearly, with lovely photos as well:

"I aim to stay as true to the original recipes as possible, capturing the essence of the food if nothing else.  Rather than using a blender, I have a trusty mortar and pestle to pound my ingredients.  Where measurements aren't given, I'll use ratios or just go by what feels right.  When a recipe calls for an unusual ingredient, I'll try to get as close to that as is possible."

Time to get stuck into Parsnip Mash and Salt Pork and other delights ...