We’ve all read about ancient people, seen documentaries, and wondered about things they used to have. For example: What kind of soap did they use? Did they use oil? What type of clothes did they wear and what kind of medicine was available? There are so many questions, but we do not have answers to them all. By analyzing archaeological sites, we can make assumptions about how things were, but we cannot be 100% sure. We’ve also tried to figure out what types of food they used to eat. In the beginning, humans of course ate something, but then agriculture came along and generations started relying on it too. Now we have both crops and meat to depend on. But what did ancient peoples used to have?
Bread and cheese was a pretty common dish that was proper eating for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The bread and cheese we have now is not like the bread and cheese in those times, however.
In this article, we will learn about making the bread and cheese from Pompeii in Ancient Rome. Fossilized bread was discovered from the site. In 79 CE, Mt. Vesuvius erupted and destroyed the nearby city of Pompeii,m. This is where bread was found in the oven. Romans made and perfected several types of breads and cheeses. It is a delicious dish that was served with figs, walnuts, mint, and other things, depending on a person’s tastes. Here is how to make this amazing ancient dish.
Ingredients for the Cheese
This is the oldest known Roman cheese recipe. It was first documented by the Roman writer Columella in his book De Re Rustica. To make cheese natural, rennet was used. Columella recommends obtaining rennet from the stomach lining of a lamb or a goat baby. But nowadays, you can get rennet tablets from the market.
- 1 gallon of whole goat’s milk
- Salt
- 1 tsp rennet (1 tablet)
- Dried mint
- Walnuts
How to Make Cheese
Take one gallon of goat milk and boil it. Do not start making the cheese right after boiling it. Let it sit and cool for 15 minutes before you proceed. Milk that is too warm can ruin your cheese. After thar, take one rennet tablet and dissolve it into water. A dissolved tablet will make sure that your cheese is nice and smooth.
After the rennet is dissolved, mix it into the milk real quickly and then stop touching it. Put the container aside. If you keep touching the container, you will ruin the texture of the curd and end up with dry cheese. Let this mixture sit for an hour. Check the mixture after an hour. By then, it would probably have turned into curd. To see if the curd is ready, shake the pot. If the inside mixture jiggles as one, then it’s ready.
Instead of breaking the curd, cut it into pieces with a knife. It is important to cut the curd to control its flow. If you break it too much, whey will come out, leaving you with dry cheese.
Put a drain cloth on a bowl to drain the whey out of the cheese. Pour the mixture into the drain cloth. Do not press or twist the mixture just yet; let it sit that way for an hour. After an hour, you can press it, age it, or throw it in a salt brine according to your wish. To eat it right after that, start seasoning it. First, sprinkle some salt on it and then press it to remove excess moisture. Then nicely twist it and weigh it down for some time. If you want firmer cheese, let it sit overnight.
Romans used to use wicker baskets or ceramic molds to separate whey from cheese. A mural in Pompeii was found depicting the whey separating from the cheese in a wicker basket.
Ingredients for Bread
This bread is called Panis Quadratus. The bread is made in interesting shapes, like a wheel or other objects. Roman food archaeologist Farrell Monaco has done extensive research on ancient Roman breads. She proposed that a wooden wheel-like tool may have been used to make Panis Quadratus loaves in Roman bakeries. The idea was first proposed in 2018; other than that there is no written evidence about it.
Carbonized spelt, wheat, millet, and barley were found in Pompeii. There, they used to bake the bread on the oven floor. There were clay vessels that they would use to form the bread in, but they did not bake the bread in them.
- 600g biga acida (sourdough)
- 4 tsp salt
- 500ml water
- 1000g spelt flour
How to Make Bread
First, dissolve some salt into the water. It makes it easier to incorporate the flour. If you put salt directly into the starter, you will end up with a ruined bread. Pour the spelt flour onto the work surface, slowly creating a sort of pyramid. Using your hand, create a crater shape in the middle of the flour in order to create a well. Dissolve the salt in the water. Mix the sourdough starter into the flour mixture bit-by-bit by pouring it into the well. Roughly mix in the sourdough starter. Pour the water into the crater slowly, bit-by-bit, mixing it gently with your hands as you go. Add and mix until all of the water is gone and the flour is fully incorporated.
Shape into a rough ball. Knead the dough gently, folding it back on itself so it can take in some air. Knead until you can make it into a smooth ball. Slightly flatten the dough into a circle. Place it on an oiled baking tray or other surface. Cover it and let it rest at room temperature for 1 1/2–2 hours. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Gently press a dowel rod into the bread to create the unique Panis Quadratus shape. Bake for 30–45 minutes. Let it cool.
Both the cheese and bread are ready. Cut a piece of each and spread the cheese on the bread. Sprinkle on the seasonings of your choice and eat your ancient sandwich. Fig gives it a little bit of a sweet taste. Although it takes time, it is a nice food to snack on.
Sometimes a bakery would put their emblem on the bread as a way of branding it and to signify if the bread was kosher.
Have fun eating this ancient food!
