What Did the Romans Eat? Part 2: Plebs’ Food

Think Roman food and we imagine extravagant banquets involving rare
delicacies. There’s some truth in this, but only for the few. In
this episode, Mary and Charlotte ask: what did your average Roman
eat?  Cooking at home was only for the very rich - you had to
have not only a kitchen, but the staff to manage it. For this
reason, most Romans ate on the hoof or at fast food outlets. In
Pompeii, for instance, there is surviving evidence of many such
establishments: places where citizens could access a pre-cooked
meal straight away.  While we know that most Romans ate out,
and the sorts of places where they ate, until recently there was
very little evidence showing what such establishments served.
Modern archaeological techniques are starting to provide answers
through the analysis of excrement in Roman lavatories. Comparing
the evidence from lavatories in Herculaneum and modern day
Scotland, a faeces - sorry, thesis - emerges of people surviving on
whatever the local countryside could provide - varying dramatically
from region to region - with a few luxury imports for special
occasions.    Forget dormice and think cabbage. Lots of
it. In myriad ways.  Mary and Charlotte recommend some further
reading: There is a good overview of the Herculaneum cesspit here:
https://www.cambridgeamarantus.com/topics/topic-vi/63/63-evidence
And detailed scientific analysis here:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11457-018-9218-y 
For a brief account of the menu at an ordinary Pompeian bar, see:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fast-food-joint-pompeii-served-snails-fish-and-wine-new-finds-suggest-180976651/ 
Cato’s On Agriculture – complete with its praise of cabbage –
can be found in English translation here. And some information on
the Bearsden latrine analysis @instaclassicpod for Insta, TikTok
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Instant Classics handmade by Vespucci Producer: Jonty
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