Pertinax

Indeed , there is (as far as I know ) just one herb that has all the tastes present and that is Schisandra (Wu-wei-zi) from China and Korea.Ive tasted the fluid extract and its literally a kaleidoscope of sensations.Catmint and Valerian also drive kittys wild.

Er , oddly yes. Bit gassy if you know what I mean.Only gather fresh Nettles away from roadside verges, they soon accumulate junk from passing vehicles if old.

Post status restored , we have equilibrium Captain.

One theme that runs through my blog is the appearence of things in the modern world that were well known in antiquity , but are almost forgotten today. Black Bryony (Tammus communis) is in glorious fruiting condition ,prompted by the warm weather as Britain enjoys a very belated indian summer. This is the plant known to Pliny (The Elder, as usual), as Uva Tamina. If you had been a wealthy person suffering from gout, chilblains or ulcerated legs in Pliny's day, the macerated sap of this plant would have been applied to the seat of your discomfort.The berries act as a strong emetic , a child could die from eating them. The juice from the root mixed with a little wine was used as cure or palliative for gravel, however as regular readers will not be surprised to hear , an overdose results in an agonising death due to the steroidal glycosides it contains. http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?automo...si&img=1923 Nearby the Bryony I found the Dead Yellow Nettle (called dead as the leaf does not sting ), Pliny recommends this as a cure for scrofula , and rightly so , European peasants have known of this property for centuries , the plant is full of vitamin c and the poor used to scour the hedgerows for early growth to add to a dull winter diet . It is still possible to buy a strong Nettle beer in Britain which is a good digestive aid for an acidic stomach or for constant gastric bloating , though I should warn against excessive use as the beer does produce "a stronng wyndde". Here is a local recipe for the beer if you must tempt fate. 900g (2lb) Young Nettle Tops 4.5lt (8 pints) Water 450g (1lb) Demerara Sugar 2 Lemons 25g (1 oz) Cream of Tartar 15g (

Good to see that you are getting into your stride all round.

Thank you Elfers, if you are a devoted Attic foodie I can split the thread at a later date to give it a specific Grecian focus, and this message certainly applies to anyone who wishes to go non-Roman but classical. BTW the version of the Guinea fowl dish I enjoyed did not have the fancy "parcelling" of the leeks , they were chopped fine .I couldnt complain about the result at ll.

And the wealth of Anglo-Saxon place names is irrelevant?

I am using said stopper right now thank you.

Decadent? That last recipe was virtue itself. Just scroll back on the thread for some real eye-openers.

Guinea fowl in the style of Vardanus, as performed "in the field" by Sally Grainger author of Cooking Apicius. Firstly , this is quite a creamy dish without heavy use of spices.The basis of the sauce is the use of egg white rather than flour.As Mrs Grainger says "the original recipe calls for chicken , but early chickens were likely to be much tastier than our modern breeds "Amen to that. So a nice fatty guinea fowl will do the trick.The robust hint of game that comes from a guinea fowl is a usefel property in this recipe. you require: a guinea fowl 500 ml sweet wine 40 ml olive oil (extra virgin cold pressed) 2 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla will do). a bunch of fresh coriander leaf a leek 3 sprigs thyme plenty of ground pepper 75 g of pine kernels (do not stint on this one) 60 ml goats milk (camel if you are of noble birth) 1 fresh egg white 300 ml stock http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?automo...si&img=1920 your stock is on the boil here Now cook the fowl, pull it to bits . http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?automo...si&img=1919 this is your pot on the stone oven bench , a decent bird will be falling off the bone in an hour at this heat. Wine, oil and garum in a pan with the flesh.The flesh must be covered by liquid. Take the leek and separate the white flesh, produce 4 evenly cut flattened pieces .Now pay attention. Take two of these pieces and lay on a board with cooking string underneath, fold the coriander to sandwich into the same length as the leek, place the thyme on the coriander then close the "sandwich" with the remaining leek and bind it up.Pop this into the simmering pan with the fowl. Grind pepper and pine kernels: http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?automo...si&img=1921 using a very rough surfaced mortar with protruberant grit , not the soft barbarian things with a shiny surface. Add milk to the ground powder, then slowly add the milk.This should now be a soft paste , then fold in the egg (no air!).When cooked pour over the fowl which is now floating in bits of leek and herb, sprinkle with pepper and coriander. http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?automo...si&img=1922 Delicious.

On initial inspection are there a lot of extras , (like the first series collection)?

I can only describe that verse as " terrifying".

Is he recorded as having a big nose himself?

Indeed yes, or possibly measles or rubella, sometimes ( in a situation where personal cleanliness is hampered by heat and proximity of persons) a staphylococcus infection causing toxic shock . All these are very straightforward pathogens .

Once again proving the pivotal role of dairy produce in history.

A vexed question indeed. I have blogged on site (March 8th..Plague and Rye) regarding possible co-factors in population morbidity. I also have a pending review regarding the book "Justinian's Flea" (no explanation needed given the title and the well known episode of "plague"). My tentative suggestion is that all plagues (regardless of what the actual "plague") was , any disease that targets a population with immune defence deficiency would do and smallpox is nicely contagious (speaking from the point of view of the efficiency of the bacillus), this doesnt dismiss bubonic plague as such , but perhaps widens the scope of multiple disease vectors hidden by more marked physical affliction. Microbial survivals are rare in the extreme and as far as I am aware few records survive from the Antonine episode.The Justinian plague is perhaps the most disastrous in cultural terms for Romanophiles, cohort mortality was such that men could not be found to serve or be impressed to keep the army in a functioning condition. Christine Smith has this essay : http://www.loyno.edu/~history/journal/1996-7/Smith.html not directly what you are hoping for , but food for thought at least.

Ah yes we see the medicinal wines in the bottom part of the list Marubii is Marrubium vulgarae based -horehound herb chest medicine, the active principles are vasiodilatory as well . Absinthiates are as in Artemisa absinthum (the various wormwoods)- a digestive/anti-parasitic/worm mix which might also function as a puge in high doses.So this is a distant cousin of Absinthe (well not that distant). Myrtites are any of the myrtle family , bog myrtle being a key ingredient (and semi-psychoactive) in gruit ale as well.In a medicinal context they are for deep seated urinary infections. Scilites could cover quite a range, nettle , yarrow (another component of gruit), fenugreek ,fennel ,gum mastika from Chios, angelica and dill.

A couple of precis: 1.

It struck me that my previous note regarding lime might mean that substance had two functions in wine making, helping to seal a porous surface and as an alkalising medium for acidic wine .The presence of lime traces in the amphorae might be solely due to its use as an alkaline medium. I found this interesting resume: http://www.springerlink.com/content/72p67180lrx40258/ Obviously other people are just as obsessive as we are here!

There were considerable differences in the actual and perceived qualities of garum/liquamen/muria (or the cooking paste equivalent ): aha here we have it from the horses mouth , I was going to say that I beleive the head and gills of the tuna were consdered to be the "top end " of the market .This post stresses the anaeorbic nature of the fermentation process (ie: no rotting) : http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Ithaca/8337/c_garum.html

Apparently the mix is pitch , mixed with oil and lime. The latter additives improving the seal. I dont know the technology/chemistry here , lime to give a clean surface, oil to fuse with the pitch? Wheres NN he could help!.

Ordinary country wine was also the main medium for transportable liquid medicines , I have mentioned elsewhere the straightforward making of a medicinal tincture by maceration of chosen herbs in a wine base. The longevity of such medicines is excellent, they mature and potentiate with the wine. Survivals of horehound herb in wine , as a cough medicine are attested in Britain (rightly so Marrubium is an excellent expectorant for troops getting chesty coughs in a damp bogy place). Jashemski (Pompeiian Herbal), lists finds of dried herbs and others found as a preserved residue from damaged amphorae. When I was asking AD about a suitable modern substitute to replicate the Roman "taste" he suggested a sweetish cooking grade Madeira (if my memory serves me correctly..does it AD?) .

Ninjas? That, or GO has been entering our realm and sneaking off with our messages... Even scarier than Ninjas.

Defrutum, Faas defines this as the must syrup which has been nicely reduced in a lead pan. The consistency need sto be near that of treacle (as described by Palladius) ,Pliny suggested a 50 percentum reduction off the original must to achieve a decent consistency.Faas says "not the same a s grape-juice syrup we get today , though that makes an adequate substitute". Faas also remarks that it is not the same as the savoury residue from reduced wine used in France (again he says "a decent substitute" , and the version I use in my own food) Rue is Ruta graveolens a bitter herb , actually an abortefactant if used in a significant quantity . It was placed in the marital bed post partum to sign to an over amorous husband to desist from libidinous advances. It smells pretty "robust".This is where "Rutin" comes from for capillary fragility (ie: keeps your pipework nice and bendy), otherwise called vitamin P. http://www.gfmer.ch/TMCAM/Atlas_medicinal_...ages/mp0095.jpg Asafoetida ( Ferula asafotida) resin is very pungent, sulphorous (technically "alliaceous") in fact. Its common name "Devil's Dung" gives the game away.I believe it is "Heeng"or hing in a lot of Indo-Aryan languages , (Doc does that hint at its properties or odour?).Its normal medicinal use is as a digestive aid for bad bloating and poor digestion.The resin is a pathological product of the incised roots.Chemistry wise we are talking a collection of sulphides and coumarins. So we have a sweet and sour mix in fact.

Ladies Mantle, Agnus Castus and Dong Quai ...all emmenogogues (ie: the no longer viable endometrium is cast away "cleanly") .Pennyroyal would do as well.