An Experimental Approach to Baking Ancient Roman Placenta

Abstract

Cato The Elder (234-149 BC) wrote our oldest extant work of continuous Latin prose, On Farming (de agri cultura), a how-to guide for farming and life that also included many recipes. We were interested in the section on bread recipes in this text, particularly the recipe for the complex, layered placenta due to its choice of ingredients and cooking techniques. We were especially interested in the use of farro paste, an ingredient we had never seen used in ancient or modern cooking.

Keywords

• bread
• roman era
• usa
• (re)construction