How Ancient Romans Gave The World's First Hamburgers Seasoning
NEWS
By ELIAS NASH
The U.S. has taken many ideas from Ancient Rome. One lesser-known is that of the hamburger, whose origins might be traced to a Roman cookbook called "Apicius de re Coquinaria."
Published in the fourth century, it contains over 400 recipes. A dish that stands out is the Isicia Omentata, composed of minced meat blended with nuts, berries, spices, and wine.
The recipe calls for lean minced meat seasoned with pepper, myrtle berry, wine, and pine nuts. It also recommends adding an optional touch of garum, an ancient fish sauce.
There's one other ingredient that is particularly notable, and that's bread. While uncommon for hamburgers, bread is almost always used in meatball recipes.
