The Romans were a people with a long history:
from the foundation of Rome on the shores of the Tiberin 753 b.C till
the fall of the Roman empire in 476 a.C. When talking about the Romans
and their culinary traditions, however, I have to limit myself to quiute
an extent. This is largely due to the limitations of sources of information
on the subject.
Practically everything we know about the Romans and their eating habits
has to be carefully put together from hints in the writings of a small
group of well-to-do male citizens. As to what, when and where women
and children ate, very little is known. Information about the meals
of slaves, soldiers and manual labourers are equally scarce.
Ook in de tijd zijn we beperkt: over de eerste zes eeuwen van de Romeinse
geschiedenis weten wij alleen wat men rond het begin van onze jaartelling
zelf aan nostalgisch getinte vooroordelen koesterde. In de latere keizertijd
verstommen de stemmen alweer, zodat mijn aandachtsgebied beperkt blijft
tot de eerste twee eeuwen vóór en ná Christus.
Wat ruimte betreft daarentegen mogen we -juist in die tijd- de hele
mediterrane wereld als Romeins beschouwen.