Chef Tries to cook 1500 year old Roman Recipe!
TLDRIn a fun culinary challenge, chef James and Jamie are tasked with creating a Roman-era dish using ingredients still available today. Guided by the ancient Roman cookbook 'De Re Coquinaria', they attempt to make 'Patina Quotidiana', a precursor to modern lasagna. Despite the absence of certain historical ingredients, they manage to concoct a unique dish that draws parallels with traditional lasagna, showcasing the enduring influence of Roman cuisine.
Takeaways
- 🍳 The video features a cooking challenge where James, a chef, and Jamie, a non-chef, attempt to create a Roman era dish using ingredients available today.
- 📚 They are guided by 'De Re Coquinaria', a Roman cookbook, which is considered the foundation of Italian cooking.
- 🐖 The recipe they follow, 'Patina Quotidiana', translates to 'everyday dish' and includes unusual ingredients like sow's teats, fish, and chicken.
- 🍳 The process involves creating a layered dish similar to modern-day lasagna, but with a unique Roman twist and ingredients.
- 🥣 The recipe lacks specific measurements, requiring the participants to rely on their intuition and culinary experience to balance flavors and textures.
- 🍷 The use of garam, a fermented fish sauce condiment, and raisin wine (port) introduces distinct flavors to the dish.
- 🌿 Lovage seeds, which have a floral and citrusy taste, are used as a seasoning, adding an ancient touch to the dish.
- 🥞 The dough layer is made from a simple mixture of flour and water, fried to create a crispy texture.
- 🍽️ The final dish is a combination of meat, fish, and fried dough layers, topped with a pepper and lovage sauce.
- 🤔 Despite the unusual ingredients and the lack of precise measurements, the end result is surprisingly tasty and visually appealing.
- 👨🍳 The experience highlights the adaptability and creativity in cooking, even when working with ancient recipes and limited guidance.
Q & A
What is the main challenge presented to James and Jamie in the video?
-The main challenge is to create a dish from Roman times using ingredients that are still available today, based on a Roman cookbook called De Re Coquinaria.
What is the significance of the cookbook 'De Re Coquinaria'?
-De Re Coquinaria is a Roman cookbook that provides a selection of 400 recipes from the Roman era, offering insight into the culinary practices of that time.
What is the name of the dish they are attempting to recreate and what does it translate to?
-The dish they are attempting to recreate is called 'Patina Quotidiana', which translates to 'everyday dish'.
What are some of the unusual ingredients mentioned in the recipe?
-Some unusual ingredients mentioned include sow's teats (referred to as pig nips), a bronze dish, and a fermented Roman fish sauce condiment known as garam.
How do they adapt the original recipe to suit modern tastes and availability?
-They adapt the recipe by substituting some ingredients, such as using pork belly instead of sow's teats and creating a dough layer with flour and water instead of making a traditional pancake batter.
What is the historical context of the Roman era mentioned in the video?
-The Roman era can be split into three different segments, beginning at 27 BCE up to 1400 plus CE, spanning almost 1500 years.
What is the role of the fish sauce condiment 'garam' in the recipe?
-Garam, a fermented Roman fish sauce condiment, is used to add a unique flavor to the dish, contributing to its historical authenticity and taste profile.
How do James and Jamie approach the task of creating a dough layer for the dish?
-They approach the task by creating a dough with flour and water, similar to a pasta dough, and shaping it to fit the pan that represents the size of a bronze dish mentioned in the recipe.
What is the final texture and presentation of the dish they create?
-The final dish has a layered texture with alternating layers of dough and stew, topped with a sprinkle of pepper, and is presented in a manner similar to a modern lasagna.
How do James and Jamie feel about the final taste of the dish?
-They find the dish to be really tasty, with interesting flavor combinations from the meat, lovage, and the crispy fried dough layer.
What insight does the video offer about cooking with historical recipes?
-The video shows that even with recipes that lack specific quantities, it is possible to create a tasty dish by relying on one's own knowledge and intuition, while also balancing the flavors and ingredients.
Outlines
🍳 Cooking Challenge: Roman Cuisine
In this segment, James and Jamie are tasked with creating a dish from Roman times using ingredients still available today. They are presented with 'De Re Coquinaria,' a Roman cookbook, and are guided to make 'Patina Quotidiana,' an everyday dish from the era. The recipe includes unusual ingredients like sow's teats, fish meat, chicken meat, and a special sauce made with lovage seeds and garam, a fermented fish sauce condiment. The challenge involves interpreting the ancient recipe without modern measurements and cooking techniques, leading to a humorous and insightful exploration of Roman cuisine.
🤔 Deciphering the Roman Recipe
This paragraph delves into the process of understanding and executing the Roman recipe. The hosts discuss the shape and form of the dish, which is likened to a lasagna but with significant differences. The conversation touches on the Roman era's timeline and the selection of recipes from 'De Re Coquinaria.' The hosts must adapt the recipe with available ingredients, such as substituting pork belly for sow's teats, and creating a dough layer without a clear pancake recipe. The humor continues as they navigate the vague instructions, with references to the 'anus' and playful banter about their cooking skills.
👨🍳 Preparing the Roman Feast
The hosts continue their culinary adventure by preparing the ingredients for the Roman dish. They discuss the process of creating the sauce, which includes grinding pepper and lovage, and incorporating garam and raisin wine. The cooking methods are explored, such as frying the meat and fish, and the creation of a dough layer. The paragraph highlights the challenges of following an ancient recipe without specific quantities or detailed instructions, and the hosts' attempts to balance flavors and textures. The humor persists with quips about the 'anus' and the unique smells and tastes they encounter.
🍽️ Tasting the Results of the Roman Cooking Challenge
In the final segment, James and Jamie present their completed Roman dish, comparing it to a photo of an accurate portrayal from the same era. They discuss the visual similarities and differences, the texture of the dish, and the overall cooking experience. The hosts taste their creation, commenting on the interesting flavor combinations of meat, fish, and lovage, as well as the crispy fried dough layer. They reflect on the challenge of using an old recipe without quantities and the satisfaction of creating a tasty dish through trial and error. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for viewers to suggest other historical recipes for future cooking challenges.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Roman cuisine
💡De Re Coquinaria
💡Patina Quotidiana
💡Garam
💡Lovage seeds
💡Pork belly
💡Lasagna
💡Culinary adaptation
💡Cooking challenge
💡Historical recipes
💡Culinary tradition
Highlights
The challenge involves recreating a Roman era dish using ingredients available today.
The Roman cookbook 'De Re Coquinaria' is used as a guide for the dish.
The specific dish to be made is 'Patina Quotidiana', translating to 'everyday dish'.
The recipe includes unusual ingredients such as sow's teats, fish meat, and chicken meat.
Historians suggest that 'Patina Quotidiana' could be the precursor to modern lasagna.
The Roman era spanned approximately 1500 years, and the cookbook contains 400 recipes from this period.
Ingredients like pork belly are used as substitutes for sow's teats.
The preparation involves creating a thick pancake layer for the base of the dish.
The dish includes a sauce made from pepper, lovage, garam, wine, and raisin wine.
The cooking process involves layering dough and stew, similar to modern lasagna.
The final dish is served with a sprinkle of pepper on top.
The taste test reveals a surprisingly pleasant combination of flavors and textures.
The experiment demonstrates the adaptability of ancient recipes with modern ingredients and techniques.
The Roman cookbook 'De Re Coquinaria' contains some ingredients that have gone extinct, like silfium.
The dish's creation process is a mix of following historical guidelines and improvisation.
The Roman cooking style is considered the foundation of Italian cuisine.
The cooking challenge brings together a chef and a non-professional cook to collaborate on the dish.