I see this topic is in need of refreshing, and since food's often on my mind, it might be time to discuss one of my favourite volumes on Roman cuisine.

Mark Grant's "Roman Cookery, Ancient Recipes for Modern Kitchens" (Serif, London) uses a variety of ancient primary sources to offer the cuisine of ordinary Roman citizens.

Grant, a classics teacher, spent a year training in catering management and researched ancient cuisines for over 20 years before writing "Roman Cookery." He draws his recipes from such sources as Anthimus (450-520 CE), a Byzantine doctor who wrote a medical and culinary treatise while on a diplomatic mission to King Theodoric in France; Aristophanes, whose commentaries on his works often took the form of recipes; Athenaeus, who used the format of an imaginary dinner party to discuss food; Cato, Columella and others.

The book includes sections on ingredients (with recipes for such essentials as sapa — reduced wine sauce — and divides recipes into "breakfast, lunch, dinner at the bar, and dinner in the dining room." Recipies are measured both in grams and ounces, making conversion reasonably straightforward.

Following is a recipe that I've often made which is really quite simple and really tasty.

Epityrium Varium

— Cato, On Agriculture

100 g/3 oz whole green olives
200 g/3 oz whole black olives
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp fennel seeds
Bunch of fresh coriander leaves
a sprig of rue (available dried in some natural food stores)
2-3 mint leaves
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp white wine vinegar

Grind cumin and fennel seeds to a fine powder (I use my electric coffee grinder). Finely chop coriander, rue and mint. Stone and roughly chop the olives. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, stir and taste. Add a drop more vinegar, if required.

I've made this for several Roman feasts and love it. Make it a day ahead to let the flavours blend and serve it with a good, crusty bread.