Ancient Roman dining: Food transformation, status, and performance

This study explores how political and ideological change affected Roman aristocratic foods and their presentation. In an attempt to understand Roman elite cuisine as an expressive vehicle for social relations, I examine ancient texts, including histories, literature, and recipes. I argue that while Greek notions of spirituality, openness, and commensality had some influence over the Roman culinary genre, elite Roman dining and culinary practices were most strongly structured by political issues and attendant values of status and prestige.; I begin the study with an exploration of elite Roman “tastes,” examining Roman aristocratic food fashions, flavors, and styles from different ideological and sensory perspectives. Then I focus on the perspective of Roman nobles regarding traditional foods and how those foods may have signified Roman identity. Next, I investigate the spirituality of ancient, particularly elite Roman foods, noting how, by their very nature, certain classic foods embodied values of purity or corruption and were key to the elite Roman psyche, helping define their position in the cosmos. Turning to “blended” Roman cuisine—the exotic stews and sauces one typically expected on the elite Roman table—I observe that the way in which nobles approached these creations was contingent on their worldview. I conclude by exploring the Roman aristocratic dining environment, examining how the dining setting played an integral role in the elite's culinary agenda.