Food is everything to a society. Sure, people need it to survive, but it's much more than that. Food has had countless cultural, social and psychological influences on the state of humanity since prehistoric times. People eat with others to establish and maintain relationships. People eat to gain satisfaction and escape the stress of the normal world. People eat because that's what humans have done for hundreds of thousands of years. For the Romans, eating food was more than just a means of survival. It was a social activity they were proud of. For scholars looking back at Roman civilization in an attempt to understand who they were as a people, food served as the basis for trying to decipher how the Romans lived. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Mediterranean cuisine largely revolved around four main foods: vegetables, grains, olive oil, and wine. Seafood, cheese, eggs, meat and fruit were available to the wealthy, but it was more of a luxury. The Romans became pioneers in the field of preservation, relying heavily on pickling and honey. Spices. sauces and herbs were used to flavor food. Much of what we know about the Romans has been gleaned less from the food itself and more from Roman texts and art. The Romans used grains which often provided the majority of the average person's diet. Barley and wheat were the most common, but oats, rye and millet were also consumed. People used these grains in porridges and dark, coarse bread (“Roman food). Roman technology, such as mills, made it possible to grind these grains into a much finer flour. Among fruits and vegetables, apples, figs, grapes, beans, lentils and peas were most commonly present in Roman cuisine. Also present were pears, plums, cherries, peaches, onions, cabbage, turnips and garlic. And, of course, olives and olive oil have established themselves as a cornerstone of the region's cuisine. Meat was more expensive than other foods because it had to be preserved. For this reason the meat was commonly prepared in small portions or in sausages. Poultry, pork, veal, mutton, and goat were available, but many people hunted wild game for food. The chefs of the wealthy often prepared dishes with exotic and unique birds such as doves, flamingos, peacocks, parrots and ostriches. All this meat was preserved by salting, smoking, drying, marinating, or preserving in honey. Seafood was less common, but people still used the same preservation practices. The Romans ate saltwater fish, freshwater fish, crustaceans and molluscs (“Food in the Roman World”). As the city of Rome grew, so did the demand for food. Food was imported mainly from mainland Italy and the surrounding islands. These foods saw a lot of room for experimentation, and the way the Romans used cooking utensils helped streamline the different types of dishes the Romans could prepare. While consuming and preparing these different types of food, the Romans used different cooking utensils. Some of the most common objects in the average Roman kitchen were bowls made of terracotta, thin sheet metal or bronze. These bowls could be used for cooking meat, vegetables, porridge and fish. They were often placed on a tripod or right above the fire itself. In addition to these bowls, metal kettles of various shapes and sizes were also used for cooking. Surprisingly, the Romans did not use forks or spoons, but only knives to cut meat at the table (Harcum). They ate mostly withthe hands. The Romans tried to eat only at certain times of the day, very similar to the modern concept of a meal. The Romans, just like modern civilizations, liked to divide food consumption into meals. Over the course of the evolution of society, people have also seen an evolution in their meals. The Romans usually ate a kind of breakfast meal known as an ientaculum. This meal was light and would be considered a snack by today's standards. Consisting of bread, cheese or fruit, it helped every Roman start the day. In addition to the ientaculum, a lighter meal later in the day known as vesperna. However, when the Romans' main meal moved later in the day, vesperna was replaced with a lunchtime meal called a prandium. This lunch was light and usually consisted of vegetables, fish and eggs. The main meal in Roman culture has always been called dinner. Towards the beginning of the Republic, dinner was held during lunch time. As the years passed, people began to eat dinner later and later, until it became an evening meal. Dinner became a huge meal that usually consisted of three parts. The first part was the appetizers; this phase of the meal was called gustatio. During this portion, eggs, olives and fish were usually consumed. To wash it all down, the Romans drank wine sweetened with honey and diluted with water. After the starters the main course arrived. Sometimes containing up to seven courses, this portion of the meal was where the majority of the food was consumed. The main course was usually some sort of meat or fish, while the rest of the dishes were different depending on the family. If a host wanted to impress his dinner host, he would present him with exotic dishes during this part of the meal ("The Roman Banquet"). After the main phase there was dessert or, as the Romans called it, mensae secundae. This portion of the meal was rich in nuts, fruits, and sometimes even snails or shellfish. (“Food in the Roman World.”) The Roman meal was a very social event and helped embody the values ​​of Roman culture. In their humble beginnings, Roman dinners were all-male, reserved for the elite, and often consisted of excessive alcohol consumption. After a while, these parties began to admit women and to mix the acts of drinking and eating (“The Roman Banquet”). Often these dinners were held in rooms that had concrete dining couches that were once covered with mattresses and pillows. With three main seating areas, these triclinia often encouraged "status seating" was not uncommon among these dinner parties, and the hosts often gave preferential treatment to some guests (Brown). Conservative Romans may have segregated men and women into different rooms towards this transitional period of restorative practices. According to some historians, the host family often sat right next to higher-status guests and across from lower-status guests. These three seating areas each had their own table or shared a common lower platform that all guests would share. There were often multiple courses in the meal. The first course consisted of appetizers such as cheese, eggs, mushrooms or sausages. Next there were usually salads, greens or other greens. For the third and final course it was usually meat or fish, often served with a wide range of sauces and condiments. Bread was served throughout the meal and wine diluted with water or fruit juice was always on the table ("Unusual Historians"). Wine ended up becoming a fundamental part of Roman culture, and this is easy to see by studying consumption practices. Alcohol was a big part of life in Rome and, as far ashistorians know, everyone drank, whether the rich, the military, the sailors or the farmers. Among the million citizens and slaves living in Rome, it is estimated that the average person drank nearly three liters of wine a day. The first version of the wine was most likely made from grapes from Eurasian wild grape vines. These vines would later be domesticated and transformed into self-pollinating plants that produced much larger and much juicier fruit than its undomesticated ancestors (Hayes). Clearly, the Romans considered alcohol very crucial to their society. As society progressed, what began as innocent, moderate drinking slowly evolved into drinking to excess. People began drinking before meals while their stomachs were still empty, vomiting to consume more food and wine, and engaging in drinking games that encouraged the rapid consumption of large quantities of alcohol. In the House of the Chaste Lovers in Pompeii, there is a mural depicting a drinking game in which one person drinks and another sits on a sofa, passed out. Alcoholism began to become the norm and excessive drinking was something many people took pride in. This destructive behavior continued until around 50 AD, when many displaced people began to flock to Rome. Large quantities of wine began to be distributed to the public and this excess consumption began to be reserved for parties and celebrations (Hanson). Since fruit juices had no way to be refrigerated, they quickly turned to wine (Hayes). As Christianity began to spread, the teachings of Jesus Christ regarding wine were taken more seriously. Wine was used in moderation, but drunkenness was still despised. Since wine was created by God, it was intrinsically good and was often used for medical purposes. Individuals in the church could choose not to drink, but if anyone showed contempt for wine, it would be an insult to God. During the 5th century, the Huns devastated Europe and temporarily destroyed alcohol production by burning vineyards, killing workers and drinking all the alcohol in the cellars. When the Roman Empire fell, monasteries became the primary source for everything related to beer and wine production. Until about the 12th century, monasteries were one of the few places where an individual could obtain quality wine and beer (Hanson). In addition to alcohol, some Romans also used other types of drugs, such as opium and cannabis, to relieve pain (Hayes.) Of course, when talking about food in the Roman and post-Roman world, one must also address the way where cities manage their food. Throughout the history of the Italian peninsula, governments have often tried to provide food to the population. This originally stemmed from the view of early Roman rulers that by securing food from provinces and allied states, they could easily conquer the population and gain the favor of its citizens. Grain was often distributed to citizens and its price was set so that it was affordable enough to be easily obtained by everyone. As society evolved, olive oil, pork, and pork were also distributed to citizens. This became one of the key strategies for the leaders of this area to ensure that their population was happy and healthy throughout the centuries (“Food in the Roman World”). Many, many centuries after this precedent was first established, during the “Great Famine.” ”, massive food shortages have occurred in some states. In February 1329, King Robert was forced from office after an angry populace accused him of not providing them with enough grain from the Kingdom of Naples. More,.