Moretum is an herb cheese
spread that the
Ancient Roman
In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...
s ate with bread. A typical moretum was made of
herb
Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...
s,
cheese
Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...
(typically
ricotta
Ricotta () is an Italian whey cheese made from sheep, cow, goat, or Italian water buffalo milk whey left over from the production of other cheeses. Like other whey cheeses, it is made by coagulating the proteins that remain after the casein h ...
),
salt
In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...
,
oil, and
vinegar
Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...
. Optionally, different kinds of nuts could be added. The ingredients were crushed together in a
mortar, for which the dish is named.
Recipes
A recipe for Moretum was handed down in a Latin poem of 122
dactylic hexameter
Dactylic hexameter is a form of meter used in Ancient Greek epic and didactic poetry as well as in epic, didactic, satirical, and pastoral Latin poetry.
Its name is derived from Greek (, "finger") and (, "six").
Dactylic hexameter consists o ...
s attributed to
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Rome, ancient Roman poet of the Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Augustan period. He composed three of the most fa ...
under the title ''Moretum'' in the so-called ''
Appendix Vergiliana
The ''Appendix Vergiliana'' is a collection of Latin poems traditionally ascribed as being the juvenilia (work written as a youth) of Virgil (70–19 BC).Régine ChambertVergil's Epicureanism in his early poems in "Vergil, Philodemus, and the Aug ...
''. It describes, as a parody of the exaggerated praise of rural life how a simple farmer begins his day's work; the centrepiece is the preparation of moretum for breakfast.
Moretum is also mentioned in
Columella
Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (, Arabic: ) was a prominent Roman writer on agriculture in the Roman Empire.
His in twelve volumes has been completely preserved and forms an important source on Roman agriculture and ancient Roman cuisin ...
's ''De re rustica'' (XII 59, 1-4). In it, Columella mentions a variant in which walnuts are used instead of cheese, as well as alternatives with roasted sesame seeds, with pine nuts or almond kernels, as well as mixtures with dried herbs.
The variant with pine nuts is considered to be a precursor of
pesto.
In his didactic poems ''
Fasti
In ancient Rome, the ''fasti'' (Latin plural) were chronological or calendar-based lists, or other diachronic records or plans of official and religiously sanctioned events. After Rome's decline, the word ''fasti'' continued to be used for simi ...
'',
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...
mentions a type of moretum in connection with the use of the worship of the
Magna Mater, without, however, giving more precise details. According to this, this moretum is said to be an ancient food and made from ‘pure milk’, i.e. ‘
white cheese’ and crushed wild herbs.
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...
''Fasti
In ancient Rome, the ''fasti'' (Latin plural) were chronological or calendar-based lists, or other diachronic records or plans of official and religiously sanctioned events. After Rome's decline, the word ''fasti'' continued to be used for simi ...
'' 4.367-372:
:'non pudet herbosum' dixi 'posuisse moretum
::in dominae mensis: an sua causa subest?'
:'lacte mero veteres usi narrantur et herbis,
::sponte sua siquas terra ferebat' ait;
:'candidus elisae miscetur caseus herbae,
::cognoscat priscos ut dea prisca cibos.'
See also
*
Ancient Roman cuisine
The cuisine of ancient Rome changed greatly over the duration of the civilization's existence. Dietary habits were affected by the political changes from republic to empire, and Roman economy#Trade and commodities">Roman trading with foreigners ...
*
List of cheese dishes
*
List of spreads
This is a list of spreads. A Spread (food), spread is a food that is literally spread, generally with a knife, onto food items such as bread or Cracker (food), crackers. Spreads are added to food to enhance the flavour or texture of the food, whic ...
References
External links
*
''Appendix Vergiliana'' in Latinat
The Latin Library
Columella Books I–IV in English translationat
LacusCurtius
{{Cheese dishes
Food in ancient Rome
Cheese spreads
Ancient dishes