Ancient Romans Preferred Fast Food. The average ancient Roman ate on the run and didn't wine and dine in decadence and formality like the elite in Rome, says a British archaeologist. Dr Penelope Allison of the University of Leicester presents her findings in a new book detailing the excavation of an entire neighborhood block in Pompeii. Allison excavated an entire neighborhood block in Pompeii, a city frozen in time after the eruption of volcano Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. [...] Allison noticed an unusual lack of tableware and formal dining or kitchen areas within the Pompeii homes. Instead she found isolated plates here and there, such as in sleeping quarters. "Similar to how children today bring a plate of food to their rooms before watching TV or playing on the computer, my guess is that Roman youths would tote food to certain areas where they possibly engaged in other activities," she said, adding that kids might also have dined with slaves in nanny or caretaker roles. What she did find in the homes were multiple mini barbecue-type fire boxes, suggesting that "BBQ or fondue-style dining" often took place.
This was the average day for an ancient Roman soldier "Today, the modern soldier wakes up, eats chow, goes through a day of training with his or her squad before resting up. They follow this schedule every day from Monday to Friday. If the troop is on a deployment, they could work anywhere from 12 to 18 hours (if not more) per day, seven days a week, for nearly a year". "It’s a tough lifestyle. Once a troop fulfills their service commitment, they can be honorably discharged or reenlist — the choice is theirs". (Read More)
"Researchers digging around the drains of ancient Pompeii have learned about some unusual Roman eating habits. The scientists found the remains of a giraffe and sea urchin in the drain of a onetime restaurant, LiveScience reports". "This is thought to be the only giraffe bone ever recorded from an archaeological excavation in Roman Italy," researcher Steven Ellis, of the University of Cincinnati, says. "How part of the animal, butchered, came to be a kitchen scrap in a seemingly standard Pompeian restaurant not only speaks to long-distance trade in exotic and wild animals, but also something of the richness, variety and range of a non-elite diet." "The team dug up some 20 shop fronts, finding food and human waste in cesspits and latrines. The oldest finds dated to the third century B.C.; spices came all the way from Indonesia, reports the Daily Mail, which has photos of the excavation". "Indeed, the research contradicts the idea that less-wealthy Romans were a "mass of hapless lemmings" desperate for anything to eat". (READ MORE)
When In Rome...... "It has long been known that the Romans brought ‘fast food joints’ - or thermopolia as they called them - to Britain. In large towns people wanted access to quick food during their lunch break and vendors selling chicken legs, lamb chops and shellfish became commonplace. " “We all know that the Romans left a huge mark on Britain, fundamentally altering the British diet forever,” says Food Historian Dr Annie Gray. “Street food became available en masse, and many of our favourite foods were introduced, including Isicia Omentata, what can be seen as the Roman forefather to today’s burger." "According to Dr Gray, the Roman burger was “decidedly more upmarket" than many of today’s offerings, with a “richer and more complex” recipe than the plain beef version most common today." “Since our ‘Roman Burger’, other similar recipes can be seen throughout history,” she adds. “There were the more flat or meatball-like Medieval ‘Pompeys’ or ‘Rissoles’, Georgian ‘Patties’ which popularised fried mince meat, and, by the end of the Victorian era, we see the first proper Hamburger. Burgers aren’t a modern invention - rather, a staple throughout the centuries that has evolved.” "More than 10,000 soldiers would have been based at forts such as Birdoswald at the peak of Roman occupation along Hadrian’s Wall. Having access to tasty, convenient food was vitally important as they patrolled the frontier and vendors serving fast food would have been commonplace in large towns."