 Moretum in the mortar | |
| Type | Spread |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Ancient Rome |
| Main ingredients | Herbs, fresh cheese, salt, oil, vinegar |
Moretum is an herb cheese spread that the Ancient Romans ate with bread. A typical moretum was made of herbs, fresh cheese, salt, oil, and vinegar. Optionally, different kinds of nuts could be added. The ingredients were crushed together in a mortar, for which the dish is named.
Recipes
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A recipe can be found in the poem of the same name in the Appendix Vergiliana. De re rustica, book XII of Columella contains further recipes for moretum. The variant with pine nuts is considered to be a precursor of pesto.
See also
References
- Grant, Mark (1999). Roman Cookery: Ancient Recipes for Modern Kitchens. London: Serif. ISBN 1-897959-39-7.
- "Appendix Vergiliana in English translation".
- Scarpato, Rosario. "Pesto Genovese: an Ageless Benchmark of Great Italian Cuisine". Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
External links
Media related to Moretum at Wikimedia Commons- Appendix Vergiliana in Latin
- Columella at The Latin Library
- Columella Books I–IV in English translation at LacusCurtius