The Romans were a people with a long history: from the foundation of Rome on the shores of the Tiberin 753 b.C till the fall of the Roman empire in 476 a.C. When talking about the Romans and their culinary traditions, however, I have to limit myself to quiute an extent. This is largely due to the limitations of sources of information on the subject.
Practically everything we know about the Romans and their eating habits has to be carefully put together from hints in the writings of a small group of well-to-do male citizens. As to what, when and where women and children ate, very little is known. Information about the meals of slaves, soldiers and manual labourers are equally scarce.
Ook in de tijd zijn we beperkt: over de eerste zes eeuwen van de Romeinse geschiedenis weten wij alleen wat men rond het begin van onze jaartelling zelf aan nostalgisch getinte vooroordelen koesterde. In de latere keizertijd verstommen de stemmen alweer, zodat mijn aandachtsgebied beperkt blijft tot de eerste twee eeuwen vóór en ná Christus.
Wat ruimte betreft daarentegen mogen we -juist in die tijd- de hele mediterrane wereld als Romeins beschouwen.