The Street Foods Of Ancient Rome
Food to go at the foot of Mt Vesuvius
So often when studying the food of the past, a great deal of attention is paid to what the elites ate, particularly when it comes to Ancient Rome. The food of wealthy Romans is well documented, and we even have numerous recipe books from the period to better inform our understanding of Roman cuisine.
What’s not often discussed, however, is the food of the common people, particularly the urban citizens of Rome itself and the countless towns and cities within the empire. A closer look at the diet of a Roman commoner reveals that it was both nutritious, delicious and perhaps most surprisingly, that many of the foods they ate are still with us today in some variation or another.
Where to Eat
Archaeological analysis of cities like Ostia, Herculaneum and reveals that the Romans invented what we today would consider street food. By excavating the drains in specially selected sites throughout these cities, archaeologists have been able to pinpoint venues that served food to potential customers.
