(ANSA) - Fans of Ancient Rome are set for a special treat at an upcoming festival here, when expert bakers will be whipping up a number of doughy creations popular in antiquity.
Visitors to the three-day European Bread Festival, which kicks off in this northeast town on October 7, will be able to sample a variety of breads prevalent in ancient times, produced on the basis of surviving recipes.
While a trend of recreating ancient Roman food, wine and textiles has swept Italy in recent years, this is the first time specialists have set their sights on bread. From the 2nd century BC onwards, bread started replacing pulses as a staple food, and soon became an essential element in Roman diets.
Bread was eventually eaten every day at every meal, playing such an important role that it became a byword for food in general - as shown in the poet Juvenal's famous remark that the Romans required two things only to keep them happy: "bread and circuses".
The Romans used many kinds of bread, most of which made with sourdough. Wheat, spelt, barley, millet, rice and even ground pulses were all added for texture and density. The bread was usually flat and unleavened, and a variety of flavourings were used, such as raisins, honey and cheese.
A tough bread made of spelt flour was fed to Roman soldiers, while sailors received a kind of hard, dried biscuit. The Emperor Augustus' favourite bread, secundarius, is one of the varieties on sale at the festival, and one that organizers believe is likely to appeal to a modern palate.
This is made of wholewheat flour, spelt, honey, water and milk. Another bread on offer will be siligineus, made of flour, eggs and milk. Strepticius, meanwhile, is a fine, fluffy bread baked in
the oven on a scorching-hot plate, and made from flour, wine, milk, oil, salt and pepper.
The festival, which will also feature a variety of modern bread from across Europe, is the latest in a series of initiatives aimed at restoring Roman customs and giving the public a taste of what life was really like. Researchers at the archaeological site of Pompeii have been particularly active in recreating the food, wine and garb of antiquity.
In June, Ancient Roman apricots were used in a variety of ancient recipes, marking the final event in a three-month initiative entitled De Gustibus. This steered tourists through the delights of Roman cookery, covering everything from cereals to vegetables, fruit, spices and medicinal herbs.
Food archaeologists identified several plants that are today scorned as weeds but in ancient times were considered key ingredients in various dishes. De Gustibus featured a tasting of ancient dishes
including 'Libum', a sort of ricotta pie cooked on laurel leaves, the recently rediscovered sharp cheese Moretum, and carrots a' la Pompeii, marinated and sauteed.
A research team of biologists and archaeologists have been working for months at Pompeii, replanting excavated gardens on the basis of their discoveries. Olive oil, flour, lemon juice, sage, rosemary and cereals were all produced in the city, and used for medical and cosmetic purposes, as well as culinary ones. Herbs were used in ritual worship while unguents developed from basil, rosemary and balm-mint were used for skin conditions and massages.
A selection of the balms, essences and cosmetics used by the city's ancient residents went back on sale recently. Violet, rose, lily, basil, dill, rue, thyme, anise, oregano and lemon balm were just some of the plants grown on site.
"Romans had access to incense, myrrh and cumin from Egypt, as well as cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves from parts of India," said the team's leading biologist, Anna Maria Ciarallo.
