of Aristotle and author of the Gastronomia, a
compendious account of ancient
Mediterranean eating whose title gave us the
word “gastronomy,” accorded extravagant
praise to a barley bread from the island of
Lesbos on just these grounds, calling it “bread
so white that it outdoes the ethereal snow in
purity. If the celestial gods eat barley bread,
no doubt Hermes goes to Eresus to buy it for
them.”
By late Roman times, wheat bread was a
central feature of life, and huge amounts of
durum and bread wheats were imported from
northern Africa and other parts of the empire
to satisfy the public demand. Pliny offers a
touching reminder that enriched breads —
early cakes and pastries — were great luxuries
in turbulent times:
Some people use eggs or milk in kneading
the dough, while even butter has been used
by peoples enjoying peace, when attention