With such great demand for food and extensive trade, there was
also widespread speculation in foodstuffs. This included both basic
staples as well as luxuries, such as the infamous fi sh sauce that went
into most Roman dishes called garum, which is not unlike nuoc
mam, a fi sh sauce still made in Southeast Asia. They also planted vineyards and made wine of such quality that
it could be kept for decades. In a boom economy like this, great
fortunes could be easily made and lost. There was a remarkable
degree of social mobility as well, with examples of people even
starting as slaves, buying their freedom, and eventually becoming
wealthy in trade. When people suddenly make a lot of money and are able to rise
socially, they naturally try to imitate their superiors. They begin to
dress like them, learn to speak properly, buy expensive villas, and
most importantly, eat the same foods as the wealthy do—because
only the richest of people can afford exotic luxuries and expert cooks
to prepare them. Food is an unmistakable marker of social class. For the ancient Romans, throwing dinner parties was the most
important social function, where they made contacts, cut business
deals, and discussed politics. Of utmost importance were who was
invited, what was served, and how rare and expensive the ingredients
were. The Romans had very precise dining rituals as well.A Cookbook for Imperial Extravagance
The most famous cookbook of classical antiquity is De re
Coquinaria by Apicius, whose identity has been a matter of
speculation for centuries. There was an actual person named
Marcus Gavius Apicius who lived in the fi rst century A.D. and
was known for his exquisite taste and for the extravagant sums he
spent on food. Whether a real fi gure or not, Apicius’s name was
universally associated with magnifi cent dining, extravagance, and
profl igacy—if not outright gluttony.