Roman Republic Bread

A Cook Book by Jessica Winssinger

Freshman jessica.winssinger@gmail.com

www.thisisntarealwebsite.com

Romans recognized bread as a staple produce and food. It frequently would appear in an average Roman’s life. It was dubbed the position of the most important food item in the Roman palate; it was considered even more important than meat. In the years of B.C., there was still controversy of whether white bread was better than brown bread. In fact, Romans believed that the colour of bread would portray the social status of the eaters. Colour was considered one of the main tests for quality.

The history of Roman bread.

In the year 168 B.C., a “baker’s guild” was formed. From then on, baking began as a separate profession. The Guild, a college, was called Collegium Pistorum, and did no allow the bakers or the bakers’ children to quit or choose a different trade/profession. Bakers, however, did enjoy special privileges: they were the only craftsmen who were freemen of the city (all other trades consisted of slave workers). Again, bakers had disadvantages; for example, students and members of the guild were forbidden to mix with “comedians and gladiators”, otherwise to be exposed to common behaviour. Bakers were also prohibited from visiting the amphitheatre to attend any plays or performances.

The Guild.

Romans used a “Quern”, or a flour grinder, to make bread. Wheat kernels were sandwiched between two stones and the handle was turned to produce flour. This tool was used for grinding a wide variety of substances; however, its first purpose was to grind cereals into flour. Querns was originally created to produce flour (later to be replaced by millstones). The lower, stationary, stone was the quern itself, whilst the the stone that sat on top to be used to grind was a “handstone”. Stones that were generally rough-surfaced were chosen as the handstone to rub against the substances that sat above the quern. The earliest quern so far discovered dates back to 9500-9000 B.C. The quern later took several forms as it evolved following “ancient technology” that evolved in time.

The Making of Bread.

Cultural: The bread was a staple food for Romans. A typical Roman menu centered around bread. In truth, every meal, whether breakfast, lunch, tea, or supper, included some form of bread. Bread also showed social status depending on its colour: the white would be considered of higher quality, for the wheat would be finer milled and the white bread would have had a better flour base. Social: Bakers were limited in participation of society. They were prohibited to socialize with “common folk”, and were not allowed to partake in any events that included a large group of common people. Because of this, bakers tended to have a lesser participation in Roman Republic decisions and events. Economy: Because the Roman Republic was so highly dependent on bread, Romans created an idea of mass production of bread by creating bakers in the Guild. Because bread was so easily made, certain breads were at affordable prices, which fed the economy. Although it seems silly, bread had a huge position in the economy because of its high demand and easy production.

Impacts.

Types of Roman Bread.

Romans enjoyed several kinds of bread. The quality of bread was determined by the type of flour used, varying with the kind of grain, which within varied with the setting of the quern or millstones and the finess of the sieves. Loaves tended to be somewhat comparable to a coffee cake in that they were circular and flatter to a

certain degree than today’s average loaf.

There were several kinds of bread depending on the social status of the buyer:

libae Small rolls

Generally the least expensive kind of bread. panis primus

Very coarse grain bread.

“cheap” bread

panis rusticus Solely made of bran.

“country” bread Picenian bread

Fine biscuits

Considered to be quite a splurge. siligineus

White bread.

Considered to be the best of the best.

panis secundus Fairly coarse grain bread

One step abouve panis primus. panis plebeius

Bread of coarse wheat flour

“common” bread panis castrensis

(consistency unknown)

“army” bread Panis sordidus

(consistency unknown)

“dark” bread

lentaculum Made flat and round of emmer

Usually eaten with salt. Oyster bread

Generally eaten with oysters, hence the name.

Nothing special.

Romans enjoyed bread add-ins such as beans, green peas, chick peas, lentils,

etc.

artolaganus cakebread

Used for pastries and such. speusticus

“hurry” bread

Most likely more of a grab-n-go snack. Tin bread

(consistency unknown)

(status unknown) Parthian bread

(consistency unknown)

(status unknown)

Typical Roman Meals

Breakfast “jentaculum” Wheat pancake biscuit Bread dipped in wine

Bread flavoured with cheese, dried fruits, or honey Bread with salt, honey, dates, or olives

Lunch “prandium” Eggs with bread and cheese

Leftovers from the previous day’s party

Dinner “cena” Wheat meal porridge (puls)

Meat (only at dinner parties of the wealthy) Fish

Mostly bread; it was considered the most common food for each meal

Roman Sourdough

Cooking Instructions

Ingredients 500 gram (4 ¼ cup) spelt flour ¼ litre (1 cup) white grape juice 200 gram (7 fl. oz) sourdough on room temperature 75 gram (1/3 cup) fresh goat cheese (chevre) at room temperature 2 tbsp. olive oil 1 tbsp. honey 1 tsp. each of aniseed and cumin seeds ½ tsp. salt 15 gram (1/2 oz.) of fresh yeast

Temper the sourdough with 1 decilitre of the grape juice, 100 gram spelt flour and honey. Let it sit for at least 1-3 hours in room-warm temperature until it has doubled in volume, then mix in the other ingredients. Knead well until an elastic consistency is formed. Let it rise on a warm spot under a damp cloth. Using extra yeast will lower the time to one or two hours, but when sourdough is the only rising-agent, you can also leave it an entire night. When the temperature is lower, rising will take a longer time. To prevent the dough from drying out, place it in a contained space with some glasses of hot water. Once you have molded the bread to its desired shape, let it again rise, this time for half an hour and bake it for 20 to 25 minutes at about 425 degrees Fahrenheit .

Ancient Roman Bread

Cooking Instructions

Ingredients 2 envelopes of fast rising dry yeast 2 ½ cups tepid water 1 cup whole wheat flour ½ cup rye flour unbleached white flour 1 tsp salt dissolved in 1 tbsp water cornmeal

Mix the tepid water and dissolve the yeast. Weigh the whole wheat and rye flour, then use the unbleached white flour to make up a total of 2 lbs 3 oz. of flour weight. Whip about 4 cups of flour to the mixture for 10 minutes, and continue to add more and flour until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover with an inverted steel bowl, then allow to rise. Punch and push it down, then allow it to rise a second time. Form it into 2 or 3 loaves. Dust a flat surface with cornmeal and allow the loaves to rise yet again for about 24 minutes, or until the crust is golden and it creates a hollow sound when you tap your finger on the bottom of the loaf.