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Apicius was already a legend in his life-time (42 v.C - 37 n.C). Truth and myth around his person are hard to keep apart. He wasn't a 'cook', as it is still sometimes assumed, but a very wealthy Roman citizen. He didn't choose a life that befitted his position, like a political carreer or that of a land-owner, nor did he devote is time to philosophy or litterature. Instead he did something that wasn't unique in his days, but which was frowned upon by most of the Romans wroters we know: he became one of the founders of gastronomy. We are told he squandered his entire patrimony on fine food, wrote books about it and obviously he shared his knowledge and passion with others. His name survived in the names of specific dishes, he is known as the inventor of ‘foie gras’ and a extensive collection of recipes dating from the 4th century a.C. still carries the name of Apicius.
Even nowadays a great number of restaurants bear his name.