Apicius
The surviving version of the cookbook dates only from the fifth century according to modern textual analysis. Language usage provides key evidence for this dating decision. Many sections use Vulgar Latin forms like ficatum and bullire rather than Classical terms such as iecur or fervere. These linguistic shifts suggest later additions to an older core text. A manuscript dated around 900 AD now resides at the New York Academy of Medicine after being acquired in 1929. This specific copy comes from the monastery of Fulda in Germany. The text shows signs of evolution over time as different readers adapted its contents. No standard version existed because the material changed with each adaptation by scribes and cooks throughout history.
The Latin text divides into ten books arranged similarly to a modern cookbook format. Each book carries a Greek title corresponding to specific food categories. Epimeles means The Diligent while Sarcoptes translates to The Butcher. Cepuros represents The Gardener and Pandectes serves as The Encyclopedia. Ospreon covers Pulses and Legumes whereas Aeropetes focuses on The Bird. Polyteles denotes The Sumptuous and Tetrapus refers to Quadruped animals. Thalassa addresses The Sea and seafood while Halieus describes The Fisherman. This structure organizes recipes by ingredient type rather than meal course or cooking method. The arrangement allows users to find ingredients quickly without navigating chronological sequences.
Recipes target the wealthiest classes and include exotic items like flamingo meat. A sample recipe for hot kid or lamb stew instructs cooks to put meat pieces into a pan. Finely chopped onion and coriander join pounded pepper, lovage, cumin, garum, oil, and wine in the mixture. Cookers must turn out the liquid into a shallow pan and thicken it with wheat starch. Lamb requires adding mortar contents while raw but kid needs addition during cooking. Silphium appears frequently though scholars believe it became extinct in the first century AD. These details reconstruct dietary habits of ancient Mediterranean Basin societies. The text reveals how Roman elites prepared complex dishes using imported spices and rare meats.
A completely different manuscript contains an abbreviated epitome entitled Apici excerpta a Vinidario. This pocket version dates as late as the Carolingian era and was created by an illustrious man named Vinidarius. He may have been a Goth whose Gothic name could be Vinithaharjis though this remains conjecture. Nothing about him is truly known despite his title. The booklet survives in a single 8th-century uncial manuscript held at BnF under MS lat. 10318 on folios 196 through 203. It includes material not found in longer Apicius manuscripts suggesting lost texts or evolving standards. Either some content disappeared between creation times or no standard version ever existed because readers adapted contents over time.
Two early printed editions appeared in Milan in 1498 and Venice in 1500 after manuscripts surfaced. Four additional editions followed within the next four decades reflecting strong public appeal. C.T. Schuch published a long-standard edition in Heidelberg in 1867 adding recipes from the Vinidarius manuscript. Between 1498 and 1936 fourteen Latin text editions emerged plus one possibly apocryphal release. Joseph Dommers Vehling produced the first English translation and bibliography in 1936. No wide translations occurred until Italian versions arrived in 1852. German and French translations followed during the twentieth century. Bertrand Guégan received the 1934 Prix Langlois from the Académie française for his French translation work.
Common questions
Who wrote the Roman cookbook Apicius?
No historical record confirms that Marcus Gavius Apicius actually wrote the text, though some recipes are attributed to him directly. Scholars debate whether the author existed or if the work is a later compilation from the fifth century.
When was the manuscript of Apicius acquired by the New York Academy of Medicine?
The New York Academy of Medicine acquired a single manuscript from the monastery of Fulda in Germany on the 1929. This specific copy dates around 900 AD and contains the surviving version of the cookbook.
What language evidence proves Apicius dates to the fifth century instead of the first century AD?
Many sections use Vulgar Latin forms like ficatum and bullire rather than Classical terms such as iecur or fervere. These linguistic shifts suggest later additions to an older core text during the fifth century.
How many books does the Latin text of Apicius contain and what do they cover?
The Latin text divides into ten books arranged similarly to a modern cookbook format with Greek titles for each category. The books cover categories including The Butcher, The Gardener, The Bird, Quadruped animals, The Sea, and The Fisherman.
Who created the abbreviated epitome entitled Apici excerpta a Vinidarius?
An illustrious man named Vinidarius created this pocket version which dates as late as the Carolingian era. He may have been a Goth whose Gothic name could be Vinithaharjis though nothing about him is truly known.