Food is everything to a society. Sure, people need it to survive, but it's so much more than that. Food has had countless cultural, social and psychological influences on the state of humanity since prehistoric times. People eat with others to establish and maintain relationships. People eat to satisfy themselves and escape the stress of the normal world. People eat because that's what humans have done for hundreds of thousands of years. For the Romans, eating food was more than just a means of survival. It was a social activity that they were proud of. For researchers looking at Roman civilization in an effort to understand who they were as a people, food has served as a basis for trying to decipher the Roman way of life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Mediterranean cuisine largely revolved around four main foods: vegetables, grains, olive oil, and wine. For the wealthy, seafood, cheese, eggs, meat, and fruit were available, but these were more of a luxury. The Romans became pioneers in the field of preservation, relying heavily on pickling and honey. Spices. sauces and herbs were used to flavor foods. Much of what we know about the Romans comes less from the food itself than from Roman texts and art. The Romans used grains that often made up the bulk of the average person's diet. Barley and wheat were most common, but oats, rye, and millet were also eaten. People used these grains in porridges and dark, coarse breads ("Roman food.") Roman technology, like mills, allowed these grains to be ground into a much finer flour. Among fruits and vegetables, apples, figs, grapes, beans, lentils and peas were more common in Roman cuisine. Pears, plums, cherries, peaches, onions, cabbage, turnips and garlic were also present. And of course, olives and olive oil have become the cornerstone of the region's cuisine. Meat was more expensive than other foods because it had to be preserved. For this reason, meat was usually prepared in small portions or as sausages. Poultry, pork, veal, sheep, and goat were available, but many people hunted wild game for food. Wealthy chefs often prepared dishes with exotic and unique birds such as doves, flamingos, peacocks, parrots and ostriches. All this meat was preserved by salting, smoking, drying, marinating or preserving in honey. Seafood was less common, but people still used the same preservation practices. The Romans ate saltwater fish, freshwater fish, crustaceans, and shellfish (“Food in the Roman World”). As the city of Rome grew, so did the demand for food. Food was mainly imported from the Italian mainland and surrounding islands. These foods left a lot of room for experimentation, and the way the Romans used cooking utensils helped optimize the different types of dishes the Romans could prepare. When eating and preparing these different types of foods, the Romans used several different cooking utensils. Some of the most common objects in the Middle Roman kitchen wereterracotta, thin sheet metal or bronze bowls. These bowls could be used to cook meat, vegetables, porridge and fish. They were often placed on a tripod or just above the fire itself. In addition to these bowls, metal kettles of various shapes and sizes were also used for cooking. Surprisingly, the Romans did not use forks or spoons, and they only used knives to cut meat at the table (Harcum.) They ate mainly with their hands. The Romans tried to eat only at certain times of the day, in a way very similar to the modern concept of a meal. The Romans, like modern civilizations, liked to divide their food consumption into meals. As society has evolved, people have also seen an evolution in their diet. The Romans usually ate a type of breakfast meal called ientaculum. This meal was light and would be considered a snack by today's standards. Consisting of bread, cheese or fruit, it helped every Roman start their day. In addition to the ientaculum, a lighter meal later in the day called vesperna. However, when the Roman's main meal was moved to later in the day, the vesperna was replaced with a midday meal called prandium. This lunch was light and usually consisted of vegetables, fish and eggs. The main meal in Roman culture has always been called cena. Towards the beginning of the Republic, the cena was held at lunchtime. Over the years, people began eating cena later and later, until it became an evening meal. Cena became a huge meal usually consisting of three parts. The first part was the aperitifs; this stage of the meal was called gustatio. During this portion, eggs, olives and fish were usually eaten. To wash it all down, the Romans drank wine sweetened with honey and diluted with water. After the starters, came the main meal. Sometimes containing as many as seven dishes, this part of the meal was where most of the food was consumed. The main course was usually some sort of meat or fish, and the rest of the dishes were different depending on the household. If a host wanted to impress his guests, he would present them with exotic dishes during this part of the meal (“The Roman Banquet”). After the main scene there was dessert, or as the Romans called it, mensae secundae. This portion of the meal was rich in nuts, fruits and sometimes even snails or shellfish. ("Food in the Roman World.") The Roman meal was a very social event and helped embody the values ​​of Roman culture. In their humble beginnings, Roman dinners were all-male, reserved for the elite, and often consisted of excess. alcohol consumption. After a while, these festivals began to allow women and mix the acts of drinking and eating ("The Roman Banquet"). Often, these dinners took place in rooms constructed of cement couches that were once covered with mattresses and cushions. With three main seating areas, these tricliniums often encouraged "status seating" which was not uncommon among these dinners, and hosts often gave preferential treatment to certain guests (Brown.) Conservative Romans may have segregated men and women in different rooms towards this transition. period of culinary practices. According to some historians, the host family often sat right next to the higher-status guests and across from the lower-status guests. These three seating areas each had their own table or shared a common lower platform thatall guests would share. There were often several dishes in the meal. The first course consisted of appetizers such as cheese, eggs, mushrooms or sausages. This is usually followed by salads, greens or other vegetables. For the third and final course, it was usually a meat or seafood dish, often served with a wide range of sauces and condiments. Bread was served throughout the meal, and wine diluted with water or fruit juice was always on the table ("Unusual Histories.") Wine eventually became a fundamental part of Roman culture, and this is easy to understand by studying consumption practices. Alcohol was an integral part of life in Rome and, according to historians, everyone drank it, whether the rich, the military, the sailors or the peasants. Among the million citizens and slaves who lived in Rome, it was estimated that the average person drank nearly three liters of wine per day. The first version of the wine was most likely made from grapes from the vines of the wild Eurasian grape variety. These vines would later be domesticated and transformed into self-pollinating plants that produced much larger and juicier fruits than those of their undomesticated ancestors (Hayes). Clearly, the Romans viewed alcohol as crucial to their society. As society progressed, what started as innocent, moderate drinking slowly evolved into excessive drinking. People began drinking before meals, while their stomachs were still empty, vomiting to consume more food and wine, and participating in drinking games that encouraged the rapid consumption of large quantities of alcohol. In the House of the Chaste Lovers in Pompeii, there is a mural that depicts a drinking game in which one person is drinking and another is sitting on a couch, passed out. Alcoholism began to become the norm and excessive drinking was something many people engaged in. This destructive behavior continued until around 50 CE, when many displaced people began to flock to Rome. Large quantities of wine began to be distributed to the public and this excessive consumption began to be reserved for festivals and celebrations (Hanson.) As fruit juices had no way of being refrigerated, they quickly turned to Wine (Hayes.) As Christianity began to spread, the teachings of Jesus Christ regarding wine were taken more seriously. Wine was consumed in moderation, but being drunk was always looked down upon. Since wine was created by God, it was inherently good and often used for medicinal purposes. Church members could choose not to drink, but if anyone showed disdain for wine, it would be an insult to God. In the 5th century, the Huns ravaged Europe and temporarily destroyed alcohol production by burning the vineyards, killing the workers and drinking all the alcohol from the cellars. With the fall of the Roman Empire, monasteries became the primary source for all things brewing and winemaking. Until about the 12th century, monasteries were one of the few places where an individual could obtain quality wine and beer (Hanson). In addition to alcohol, some Romans also used other kinds of drugs, such as opium and cannabis, to relieve pain (Hayes.) Of course, when we talk about food in the Roman world and post -Roman, we must also ask ourselves how cities manage their food. Throughout the history of the Italian peninsula, governments have often attempted to provide food for their,.