1. Cibus Every morsel of information you EVER wanted to know
about ancient Roman eating habits!

2. Cibus
The diet was similar to a modern Mediterranean diet, except there were no potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, corn, or chilies
Bread provided the basic accompaniment to any meal
Prepared sauces could be purchase in the market or made at home (fish sauces, sweet sauces, etc )

3. Cibus A favorite sauce was garum
Made from fish guts, heavily salted, and then allowed to ferment in large open tanks
Seasoning tended to be hot, spicy, and sweet and sour

4. Cibus
The principal diet of the Roman plebeians, the peasant class, is radically different from the diet of the upper class.
Their staple foods consisted mainly of wheat or barley, olive oil, wine, some fish and homegrown vegetables.

5. Cibus Meat was expensive Pork was the most popular meat in Rome
Fish was probably in the same price bracket as meat
Since meat and fish were expensive, most Romans relied on bread and vegetables

6. Cibus
Fruits: apples, pears, plums, quinces (resembles a pear, from the Middle East), apricots, peaches, pomegranates, cherries

7. Cibus Nuts: almonds, filberts, hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts
Produce: Artichokes, carrots, melons, asparagus, chicory, onions, beans, cucumbers, peas, beets, garlic, poppy seeds, cabbage, lentils, pumpkins, radishes, turnips
Not eaten: potatoes, corn, tomatoes
Beverages: water, milk, wine

8. Cibus
Because many Romans lived in apartments without kitchens, they would not bake their own breads.
A baker, pistor, could become quite wealthy!

9. Cibus 3 meals were served a day: Breakfast – Ientaculum
It was a small meal if anything
Some sort of bread, some wine, and cheese and/or fruit

10. Cibus Lunch – Prandium For the wealthy it would be a light, cold lunch
For plebs it would often be their main meal and often would be a one pot dish
Dinner for the plebs – Vesperna
Probably no meat, very plain one-dish meal
No couch for reclining

11. Cibus Dinner - Cena main meal for the wealthy people Three courses:
Starter – gustus, gustatio
Main meal – cena prima, cena secunda, cena tertia
Dessert – secunda mensa was cakes and/or fruits
The cena was the only meal eaten while reclining

12. Culina

13. Culina In wealthy homes, slaves did the cooking
Most of the cooking was carried out on small iron tripods and gridirons over burning charcoal

14. Kitchen from the House of the Vettii in Pompeii

15. Buccellare
Spoons were the only pieces of cutlery that seem to have been used regularly
Two prong forks existed, but their use is not described in literature
It is possible the forks were used in restaurants and bars where customers wanted to eat their food more quickly without dirtying their hands
Double bladed knives were used for mincing

16. Buccellare
As food was eaten at the table with fingers and bread, everything was either chopped into manageable chunks or pureed before serving

18. Vomitorium
a vomitorium was a passageway in an amphitheater or theater that opened into a tier of seats from below or behind.
The vomitoria deposited mobs of people into their seats and afterward disgorged them with equal abruptness into the streets

19. Triclinium
The triclinium was named after the three couches typically found in the dining rooms of upper-class Romans
The lectus, or couch, was an all-purpose piece of furniture. Usually made of wood with bronze adornments, the open bottom was crisscrossed with leather straps, which supported stuffed cushions
A chair with a back (cathedra), for example, was considered suitable only for women or old men
Dining couches were fairly wide, for each couch held three diners, who reclined on their left side resting on large cushions while slaves served them multi-course meals