Apicius: A Critical Edition with an Introduction and English Translation

Apicius is the sole remaining cookery book from the days of the Roman Empire. Though there were many ancient Greek and Latin works concerning food, this collection of recipes is unique. The editors suggest that it is a survival from many such collections maintained by working cooks and that the attribution to Apicius the man (a real-life Roman noble of the 2nd century AD) is a mere literary convention. There have been many English translations of this work (and, abroad, some important academic editions), but none reliable since 1958 (Flower and Rosenbaum). In any case, this edition and translation has revisited all surviving manuscripts in Europe and the USA and proposes many new readings and interpretations. The great quality of this editorial team is that while the Latin scholarship is supplied by Chris Grocock, Sally Grainger contributes a lifetime's experience in the practical cookery adaptations of the recipes in this text. This supplies a wholly new angle from which to verify the textual and editorial suggestions. This volume supplies a fully referenced parallel text (Latin and English) of Apicius and of the excerpts from Apicius done by Vinidarius. There is an extensive introduction discussing both the art of cookery in the later Empire and the origins of this text, together with a new hypothesis as to its true date. There are then long appendixes discussing the vexed question of the true nature of the Roman store sauces, garum and liquamem. There is also a full bibliography and extensive discussion of the meaning of technical terms found in the text. This book will set a new standard for Apician studies.

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1. Apicius and its context What is Apicius? Who was Apicius intended for? The Apicius text - an overview The Vinidarius collection Apicius in its context 2. Cooks and ancient cookery books The Greek tradition Greek culinary writing in the Roman period Cookery books - the Roman tradition Marcus Gavius Apicius - history and legend Greek and Roman medical writing Veterinary texts Roman cooks and their recipes Conclusion 3. Cooking techniques in the ancient world 4. Roman weights and measures 5. The language of Apicius The vocabulary of cooking techniques The style and grammar of Apicius 6. Editorial principles and methods 7. Description of the manuscripts and stemma 8. Previous editions and studies English and Latin texts, translation and notes Appendices 1. Glossary of technical vocabulary 2. Sources on Apicius, cooking and luxury dining 3. Named recipes in Apicius 4. Excursus on garum and liquamen 5. Concordance of recipes with earlier editions Select bibliography

About the Author :
Christopher Grocock is a teacher of Latin; he was Project Direct at Bede's World Museum in Jarrow; he has edited for the OUP Historia Vie Hierosolimitane of Gilo of Paris as well as work by the Venerable Bede (forthcoming); he has contributed many papers to learned journals and conferences on medieval Latin studies. Sally Grainger is the author of The Classical Cookbook (with Andrew Dalby) for the British Museum. She is a leading reconstructionist cook and has produced classical and medieval meals for countless conferences and public gatherings.

Review :
I warmly recommend it to all readers with an interest in food history, both theoretical and practical.' -- Alexandra Grigorieva Gastronomica Spring 2008