Vstum De Praecocis Duracinis

This recipe comes from a manuscript copy of the famed Roman cookbook attributed to Apicius, De re coquinaria, as it was copied and used in Italy in the late 15th century. The book itself is a palimpsest of earlier Roman culinary traditions, combining imperial tastes with the domestic skills of cooks several centuries later. The Apicius text continued to influence the tastes and techniques of wealthy Europeans well into the Renaissance. It represents the luxurious, highly spiced cuisine enjoyed in elite Roman households, bridging ancient and early modern foodways, and showing the persistence of classical gastronomic prestige.

In antiquity, this dish would have required a mortar and pestle for grinding pepper and mint, a glass or clay amphora or pitcher for blending sauces and liquids, and a patina (shallow metal or earthenware pan) for gentle simmering on a hearth or over a charcoal brazier. Spoons or spatulas of wood or bone would likely be used to stir and serve. Measuring would have been by eye or with handfuls and spoons rather than precise scales or jugs, emphasizing practice and experience over exactitude.