Uvae Ut Diu Serventur

This recipe comes from a 15th-century Italian manuscript attributed to Apicius—the legendary Roman gourmand. The text is from a period when preserving fresh produce without refrigeration was crucial, and such methods reflected both ingenuity and an ongoing appreciation for out-of-season fruits. The manuscript itself is a handwritten codex, combining practical Roman-era recipes with the elegant penmanship and scholarly interests of the Italian Renaissance. It was bound together with one of the earliest printed cookbooks—a testament to the bridge between manuscript and print, old flavors and new techniques. This recipe captures a moment where ancient Roman foodways kept influencing cooks nearly 1500 years later.

In its original context, the preparation would have required a large clay or metal pot for boiling, possibly a ladle or strainer, and a vessel for storage—typically a ceramic amphora or glass jar coated inside with pitch (a pine resin product) or lined with mineral plaster like gypsum to prevent spoilage and impart a tight seal. Jars would then be stored in cellars, which served as the refrigerators of their day. For the alternate method, clean burlap or linen sacks, or earthware jars packed with barley, would be used to bury and insulate the grapes.