Instructions: 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 grape juice until it is only half the amount you started with).

Defritum: Either thick fig syrup, or must thats boiled until you have only a third of the amount with which you started.

Liebstoeckl: I didnt find an English translation. In Latin its called levisticum officinale. Its an umbelliferous plant with yellowish flowers. Its dried 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 grape juice) to thicken it. (maybe add honey? - just my guess)

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

Saturei: I didnt find an English translation. In Latin its called satureia hortensis. Its a violet or white flowered kind of labiate plants which grows mainly in Southern Europe. Its used as a spice plant, especially for bean dishes.

Silphium: Its other names are Laser or ferula asa foetida. Ive noticed that its 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.

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