Recipe Manuscript

Carotae Vel Pastinacae

Name: Carotae Vel Pastinacae
Prep time: PTPT10M
Cook time: PTPT20M
Yield: 4
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 500 g carrots or parsnips; 30 ml olive oil (plus more if frying); 30 ml white wine (optional for flavor); 10 ml white wine vinegar (or more to taste); 1-2 teaspoons (2-4 g) ground cumin; sea salt, to taste; a few drops of fish sauce (as a substitute for garum, optional)

"Carrots Or Parsnips"

1475

From the treasured pages of Apicius - De re coquinaria (handwritten excerpts)

Written by Apicius

Renaissance (1400 - 1700)European Beginner Lunch Dinner Snack

Original Recipe • 1475

Original Manuscript(circa Renaissance, 1400 - 1700)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

Carotae Vel Pastinacae

"CAREOTAE. VEL: PASTINACAE. Areote seu pastinace fricte oenogaro feruntur. Aliter careotas pile oleo puro & aceto. Atr careotas elixatas concisas et cumino oleo modico coques et inferes cumino edicto facies.~"

English Translation

"Carrots or parsnips, fried, are served with oenogarum. Alternatively: carrots cooked with pure oil and vinegar. Or: boiled carrots, sliced and cooked with a little oil and cumin; serve them prepared with added cumin."

Note on the Original Text

The recipe is written in concise, almost shorthand Latin. It presumes the reader knows basic culinary techniques, leaving much to interpretation, such as the exact quantities or methods. Spelling may differ from modern Latin conventions (for instance, 'careotas' for 'carotas'). Directions jump between boiling, frying, and dressing the vegetables, reflecting the flexible and practical nature of Roman cooking instructions, which adapted to available tools, ingredients, and the cook’s experience.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Apicius - De re coquinaria (handwritten excerpts) - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Apicius - De re coquinaria (handwritten excerpts) (1475)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Apicius

Era

1475

Publisher

Venice

Background

A delectable compendium of ancient Roman cookery, this collection invites you to taste the flavors of antiquity through ten tantalizing sections based on Apicius’s famed De re coquinaria. Savor recipes, tips, and culinary wisdom penned in a fine Italian hand for the epicurean elite of the 15th century.

Kindly made available by

University of Pennsyllvania

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe comes from a manuscript cookery book often attributed to Apicius, a legendary gastronome of Imperial Rome, but the actual texts likely date to the late Roman age and were compiled much later. 'Carotae vel Pastinacae' appears in a collection of culinary excerpts organized into ten books, each highlighting a different aspect of Roman cookery. The manuscript was written in Italy during the late 15th century — a period fascinated by Roman antiquity and the revival of classical scholarship — thus preserving Roman tastes as they were rediscovered in Renaissance Europe.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

In the Roman kitchen, vegetables like carrots or parsnips would be prepared on a simple stone or clay hearth using a bronze or iron pan or pot. Cooking took place over open embers, using long-handled spoons for stirring, knives for chopping, and mortars for grinding spices such as cumin.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Servings

Ingredients

1 lb (16 oz) carrots or parsnips
2 tablespoons olive oil (plus more if frying)
2 tablespoons white wine (optional for flavor)
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar (or more to taste)
1-2 teaspoons ground cumin (scant 1/4 oz / 0.07-0.14 oz)
sea salt, to taste
a few drops of fish sauce (as a substitute for garum, optional)

Instructions

To prepare this Roman recipe inspired by Apicius, take about 1 lb (16 oz) of carrots (or parsnips, as the Latin allows for both).
For the first version, slice and fry them gently in a pan with enough olive oil to coat them, until tender and lightly browned.
Then drizzle in about 2 tablespoons of white wine and a splash (2 teaspoons) of wine vinegar.
Season modestly with salt and, if desired, a hint of garum (fish sauce) for true authenticity.
For the alternative version, boil the carrots or parsnips (1 lb) until just tender, drain and slice them, then sauté in 2 tablespoons good olive oil with a teaspoon (scant 1/4 oz) of ground cumin and a touch of vinegar to taste.
Garnish with another dusting of cumin before serving.

Estimated Calories

150 per serving

Cooking Estimates

It takes about 10 minutes to prepare the vegetables and ingredients, and another 20 minutes to cook them until tender and flavorful. Each serving has about 150 calories, and the recipe makes 4 servings.