{"id":172,"date":"2025-09-09T20:00:03","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T20:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heinrichvonholstein.com\/?p=172"},"modified":"2025-09-09T20:00:03","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T20:00:03","slug":"roman-bbq-sauce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heinrichvonholstein.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/09\/roman-bbq-sauce\/","title":{"rendered":"Roman BBQ Sauce"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Lord Heinrich von Holstein<\/p>\n

The Roman cookbook De Re Coquinaria , attributed to the legendary gourmand Marcus Gavius Apicius, describes a vibrant cuisine full of bold and contrasting flavors.\u00a0 After redacting and cooking several recipes from the book, I decided to make a composite \u201cbarbecue\u201d sauce that incorporates some of Apicius\u2019s favorite flavors.<\/p>\n

[223] ANOTHER [sauce]
\nALITER<\/p>\n

PEPPER, LOVAGE, LASER, WINE [1] MOISTENED WITH BROTH. ADD WINE AND BROTH TO TASTE. MASK THE WOOD PIGEON OR SQUAB WITH IT. SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER [2] AND SERVE.
\n[1] Tac., Tor. laserum, vinum; G.-V. l. vivum.
\n[2] Wanting in Tor.
\n(Cooking and Dining in Imperial Rome)<\/p>\n

Here, in the section dedicated to cooking fowl, we find a sauce with a common trio of spices: pepper, lovage, and laser (also known as \u201csilphium\u201d or modernly asafoetida).\u00a0 We also see the base of the sauce combing wine and garum, an ancient Mediterranean fermented fish sauce that has been translated as \u201cbroth\u201d in this text.<\/p>\n

[232] ANOTHER WAY
\nALITER<\/p>\n

ROAST THE BIRD. CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE, CELERY SEED, SESAM [1] PARSLEY, MINT, SHALLOTS, DATES, HONEY, WINE, BROTH, VINEGAR, OIL, REDUCED MUST TO TASTE.
\n[1] Tor. sesamum, defrutum; G.-V. s. frictum.
\n(Cooking and Dining in Imperial Rome)<\/p>\n

In this sauce we see other ingredients such as vinegar, honey, and \u201cdefrutum\u201d, a condiment made of reduced grape must.<\/p>\n

[239] GUINEA HEN
\nPULLUM NUMIDICUM<\/p>\n

PREPARE [1] THE CHICKEN [as usual; par-] BOIL IT; CLEAN IT [2] SEASONED WITH LASER AND PEPPER, AND FRY [in the pan; next] CRUSH PEPPER, CUMIN, CORIANDER SEED, LASER ROOT, RUE, FIG DATES AND NUTS, MOISTENED WITH VINEGAR, HONEY, BROTH AND OIL TO TASTE [3] WHEN BOILING THICKEN WITH ROUX [strain] POUR OVER THE CHICKEN, SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE.
\n[1] Curas.
\n[151][2] Remove skin, tissues, bones, etc., cut in pieces and marinate in the pickle.
\n[3] Immerse the chicken pieces in this sauce and braise them to a point.
\n(Cooking and Dining in Imperial Rome)<\/p>\n

Lastly, we see this example reiterating some of the previous ingredients but also showing the process of thickening a sauce with flour (translated as \u201croux\u201d).<\/p>\n

From these recipes and many recipes in De Re Coquinaria we find some of the most common ingredients Romans used to obtain flavors of salt (garum), sour (vinegar), sweet (honey, defrutum), spicy (pepper, lovage), and pungency (laser).\u00a0 In modern times, we often see these flavors combined in a barbecue sauce, hence the naming of this creation.<\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/h1>\n