Maths
Activities - Roman Food & Roman Numerals
(Time for a
Little Fun)
For
the poor of Rome meals consisted of bread, meat & vegetables.
The rich ate much more extravagantly.
Here
are a few of the more well known delicacies.
-
stuffed dormice
- snails fattened in milk
- sow's udder stuffed with salted sea urchins
- ostrich brains
- goats' lungs
- calf's brain custard
- rotten fish gut juice
- stewed seaweed
Possible
Task I
- Research the food above and make a menu complete with
how the food is prepared and prices in roman numerals. NB
the Roman currency of time was the 'denari'. The daily wage
was from half a denari to II
denaries. A loaf of bread cost I
denary. A cow cost about C
denary and a cloak cost about XII
denaries.
Possible
Task II - Write a short play that outlines what
is involved in the preparation of a dish in ancient Rome.
The short plays can then be combined to make a longer play
to present to another class in your school.
Ancient
Roman Food
Setting:
The scene begins in a restaurant with several couples
sitting at tables and a waiter busily serving.
Patron:
(Gestures to waiter & in a rather posh voice says...)
Excuse me waiter. I have a rather sensitive palate
and was just wondering if you could run me through the
preparation of you famous 'fish sauce'?
Waiter:
(In a strong professional voice) Why certainly
sir. Firstly we take the gills, intestines and blood from
a freshly caught Mediterranean mackerel and place them
in a jar. We then salt the ingredients heavily and add
vinegar, parsley, wine and some sweet herbs.
Patron:
Hmmm, sounds delicious so far. Do continue.
Waiter:
Next we expose the mixture to the hot sun for several
days until the fish parts rot down to a thick sauce.
Patron:
Mmmmmmm, my mouth is watering in sweet anticipation already.
Waiter:
After around III months in the bottle the sauce
is ready to serve.
Patron:
Hmmmm, sounds delicious. Do bring us a bottle.
(Another patron summons the waiter. Join your plays
on here)
Further
research
- Is it true or false that the ancient Romans used powdered
mouse brains for toothpaste?
-
The ancient Romans had a special room they called 'The vomitorium'
where guests at parties could go to throw up and then return
to the feast to eat some more. True or False? How did you
find out?
