Roman Foods

The Society of Roman Times recreated some of the Roman food of this period. The Romans in the Rhineland part of Germany ate roast pig. There was a large porker roasting on the spit the day we visited the Villa Rustica.

The food shop sold a plate of historic Roman foods for 5 DM. Here we see the Roman sausage, a mustard sauce, and black olives.

Beans and cheese as shown here, made up the staples of a Roman meal.

There was a grain and shrimp dish, some wine and a sweet honey based dessert

Eating with one's hands was typical, because spoons & bowls had to be supplied by the soldier himself. It was a delightful experience to be able to taste a bit of ancient history.

The oven for baking bread has been restored to use.

We see the firing up of the bakery oven early in the day.

While the oven heated up, the bakers began to make the loaves of bread. They followed an ancient Roman recipe for making bread.

Finally, the loaves were put into the oven and the air was filled with the smell of freshly baked bread.

The Villa's gardens grew many plants used for clothing, spices and medicine.

Oregano, Liebstockel (Ligusticum Ossicinale), Rosemary, Thyme, Dell, Coriander, Majoran, Anis are some spices used for medicine and eating. Garlic, Apples and Peaches are some of the foods they ate.

Also Saffran, Mustard, Nuts, Raspberries, Strawberries, Black Berries, Peas, Beans, Onions & Peppermint were grown here. Linen was grown and used with wool for clothing. Some plants were grown to dye their clothing. Grapes were grown about 10 kilometers away from the Villa, and wine was made in this area.

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