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Ancient Recipes, Cheese, Edible Archaeology, Italy, Uncategorized, Vegetarian

Making Cheese with the Romans: Caseus Fumosus Velabrensis (Smoked Velabran Cheese)

November 22, 2019 by Farrell Monaco 4 comments

Make Roman smoked cheese from start-to-finish the same way it was once made in The Velabrum: ancient Rome’s bustling food market district.

Ancient Recipes, Bread, Edible Archaeology, Italy, The Old-School Kitchen, Vegan, Vegetarian

Baking with the Romans – The Key Ingredients: Poppy Seed, Fennel and Parsley

August 30, 2019 by Farrell Monaco 4 comments

Relinquish the ‘relish’, the butter, the olive oil with this flavour-packed, aromatic 2,000-year-old Roman recipe for a naturally-leavened whole-grain bread that incorporates poppy seeds, fennel and parsley.

Roman Git Bread Recipe | Tavola Mediterranea

Ancient Recipes, Edible Archaeology, Italy, Vegan, Vegetarian

Baking with the Romans – The Key Ingredients: Git.

August 16, 2019 by Farrell Monaco 1 comment

That’s right, folks. It’s time to get the git out. Recently, I have been delving deeper into the archaeological and documentary records, looking for evidence of the many weird and wonderful ingredients that are incorporated into Roman breads, as this is an integral (and achievable) aspect in exploring the sensory […]

Taralli Pugliesi Recipe | Tavola Mediterranea

Ancient Recipes, Bread, Edible Archaeology, Greece, Puglia, Vegan, Vegetarian

Bread for the Gods: Taralli Pugliesi

August 9, 2019 by Farrell Monaco 5 comments

Hey good looking! Whatcha got cooking? How’s about cooking up ancient bread with me?… There has been a particular theme that has consistently presented itself during my research this summer, and it’s called ‘continuity’. In archaeology, continuity is a term used to connote the unbroken or consistent existence, operation, or […]

Ancient Greek Choirinas Goat-Cheese Honey Cake | Tavola Mediterranea

Ancient Recipes, Dessert, Edible Archaeology, Vegetarian

The Greek Sweet Tooth: Goat-Cheese Honey Cake

August 3, 2019 by Farrell Monaco 5 comments

From ancient Greece comes a 2,500-year-old recipe for a sumptuous goat-cheese and honey cake fit for a banquet…. or for a midnight snack following a raucous game of kottabos!

Prosphoro: Greek Orthodox Eucharistic Bread

Ancient Recipes, Bread, Edible Archaeology, Greece, The Old-School Kitchen, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian

Baking with the Greeks: Prosphora

May 4, 2019 by Farrell Monaco 5 comments

Hey, good looking! Whatcha got cooking? So… I took a break this week from preparing for this summer’s presentations and cooking workshops in Italy to get back into the kitchen where I could indulge in what I call ‘procrastibaking‘. This sometimes happens when I have a writing deadline or lot […]

Ancient Recipes, Edible Archaeology, Italy, Vegan, Vegetarian

Bread for the Gods: Mola Salsa

February 7, 2019 by Farrell Monaco 2 comments

Happy Fornacalia, everyone! Forna…what?! Okay, calm down. First things first: get your mind out of the gutter. I’m not writing about some Roman hanky-panky party… this post is about the most important Roman festival of the year, in my humble opinion: Fornacalia — the Roman festival of bread and ovens! […]

Ancient Recipes, Edible Archaeology, Food Frescoes, Italy, Vegan, Vegetarian

Columella’s Fig Vinegar

September 6, 2018 by Farrell Monaco 3 comments

Salvete, good readers! What a month it has been! A wonderful summer field season has come to a close, I completed a good amount of research in the bakeries at Pompeii, and this blog has been nominated for Best Special Interest Food Blog by Saveur Magazine for the 2018 Blog […]

Ancient Recipes, Italy, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian

The Mediterranean Triad – Grapes, Grains and Olives: Cato’s Olives in Brine

August 30, 2018 by Farrell Monaco 1 comment

Good day, good readers! Summer is drawing to a close, the days are slowly getting cooler, and the season of sweaters is just around the corner! While it brings tears to my eyes to say goodbye to Italy for another summer well spent… there’s something wonderful awaiting us in the […]

Panis Quadratus | Panis Siligineus Recipe

Ancient Recipes, Edible Archaeology, Italy, Vegan, Vegetarian

Baking Bread with the Romans: Part III – The Panis Strikes Back

June 14, 2018 by Farrell Monaco 29 comments

Salvete Pistores! Good day from Rome! I hope you like rabbit holes because we’re about to go down a deep one. It’s time to revisit the Panis Quadratus, the Pompeian bread that has been represented so beautifully and frequently in the archaeological records at Pompeii and Herculaneum. Most of us […]

Archaeologist. Baker. Food-Intaker.

About the author:

Farrell Monaco is a lover of archaeology, travel, cooking, dogs, books, bread and baths… and not necessarily in that order. She is the 2019 winner of the Best Special Interest Food Blog Award (Editor's Choice) by Saveur Magazine. Farrell was awarded the The John Wacher Dissertation Prize In Roman Studies (2019) by the University Of Leicester for her research into the bread and bakeries of Pompeii. She is also a member of EXARC, the Society for American Archaeology, and currently sits on the SAA Media Relations Committee.

Vegetarian

Making Cheese with the Romans: Caseus Fumosus Velabrensis (Smoked Velabran Cheese)

Baking with the Romans – The Key Ingredients: Poppy Seed, Fennel and Parsley

Baking with the Romans – The Key Ingredients: Git.

Bread for the Gods: Taralli Pugliesi

The Greek Sweet Tooth: Goat-Cheese Honey Cake

Baking with the Greeks: Prosphora

Bread for the Gods: Mola Salsa

Columella’s Fig Vinegar

The Mediterranean Triad – Grapes, Grains and Olives: Cato’s Olives in Brine

Baking Bread with the Romans: Part III – The Panis Strikes Back

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2019 Winner of the John Wacher Dissertation Prize in Roman Studies (University of Leicester)

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2019 Winner of the John Wacher Dissertation Prize in Roman Studies (University of Leicester)