The Science of Cookery and the Art of Eating Well by Donald Phillip Verene

Author:Donald Phillip Verene [Phillip, Verene, Donald]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Perseus Books, LLC
Published: 2018-05-17T16:00:00+00:00

Book 4: A Wedding Dinner, Spartan Meals

Book 4 begins with a description of a wedding dinner in Macedon, at which silver and gold bowls and platters were employed, and given to the guests. After some first plates were served and some entertainment: “Then a fortune was served instead of dinner: a silver platter covered with heavy goldplate, and large enough to hold a huge roast piglet lying on its back and displaying its belly, which was full of many delicious items; for inside it were roast thrushes, ducks, and an immense quantity of warblers, as well pea soup poured over hard-boiled eggs, as well as oysters and scallops” (4.129b). The guests were given an assortment of these items, along with the platters. Then they were given a piping hot kid, along with the platter it was on, accompanied by gold spoons. The custom of giving guests some form of gift at such special occasions persists in some cultures today, although not so extravagant.

In contrast to such dining there is a description of Spartan meals eaten at military men’s messes. “The dinner is initially served to each man separately, and nothing is shared with anyone else. Then there is a barley-cake as large as each of them wants; and, moreover, a cup is set beside each man to drink whenever he wishes” (4.141b). Everyone is given some stewed pork and broth from the meat “and perhaps an olive, some cheese, or a fig, or if they are given something extra, a fish, a hare, a ring-dove, or the like” (4.141c). It is said they eat these meals quickly. But: “The Spartans later abandoned a way of life as austere as this and drifted into luxury” (4.141f).

The book offers a catalogue of how meals are composed and eaten by various ancient peoples. In regard to dining among the Parthians, a strange practice is described: “The man referred to as the king’s ‘friend’ does not share his food, but sits on the ground below the king, who lies on a high couch, and eats whatever is thrown to him like a dog. Often for one reason or another he is dragged away from his dinner on the ground and beaten with rods or whips to which knucklebones have been attached” (4.152f). The man then returns to the dinner to worship the king as his benefactor. One thinks of the court custom of having a taster who tries the king’s food to determine that it is not poisoned. The taster has a clear-cut, practical role. The king’s “friend,” in this case, has no such role except to demonstrate to others the extent of the king’s power.

The book ends with some remarks on the enjoyable sounds made by a hydraulic organ and the origin of string and wind musical instruments.

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