This isn't a complete list of Roman ingredients, but it's a start, and includes many fresh fruits and veggies that would be great for Roman snacks. Below that I've included some of the easiest Roman recipes I've found (literally one is drizzle honey on yogurt) that could be used in a Roman food shop for VBS, and some main dishes to do in a "celebration dinner."
The food shop is probably more historical in Rome than any other Holy Land VBS. In the city of Rome, the common people ate "fast food." They lived in tightly packed "apartments" up to five stories high, and many of these places did not allow cooking inside, because it was a fire hazard. So in the home you'ld have bread and dried fish and fruits and vegetables, but if you wanted anything hot, you had to go out to get it.
FRUITS
(Including dried fruit versions of these)
Apple
Blackberry (2). - Sometimes eaten with honey
Figs (possibly imported)*
Grapes and Raisins
Mandarine Oranges or Tangerines (New research found them in Pompeii! Probably not very common, but present.)
Melon (described as yellow and sweet)
Sweet will it be, and when it ripened is
And yellow grows upon well-watered ground
Oft to sick mortals sure relief will bring.
( Columella, 1st century Roman Writer)
Pear
Peach (introduced in later half of 1st century
Pomegranate (possibly imported)*
Plum
Strawberries (the ones in Rome had small berries)
Quince
*Not sure whether was imported or grown in/near Rome in the 1st century.
NUTS
Almonds
Filbert
Hazelnut
Pistachio (introduced sometime before 37 AD, so may not yet be widespread at the time Paul lived there, since trees take time to grow, but probably was imported)
Pine Nut
Walnut
VEGETABLES (and un-sweet fruit)
Artichokes
Asparagus
Beans (unsure of type)
Beets
Cabbage
Carrots
Chicory
Chick Peas (Garbanzo Beans)
Cucumbers
Lentils
Lettuce
Olive
Onions and Leeks
Peas
Parsnips
Radishes
Turnips
SPICES
Unless otherwise linked, I got info for spices from Eat History - Ancient Roman Spices.
asafoetida
caraway
celery
coriander/cilantro
cumin
dill
fennel
laurel
lovage
mint
mallow
oregano
parsley
Pepper (imported, but not overly expensive, so popular)
rue
savory
thyme
RECIPES
In past ancient food posts I've shared every recipe I've found for the ancient place. That's fine in Egypt or Babylon where there's not as many surviving recipes, but for Rome, there was just too many. There are whole cookbooks that have been found and I don't have time to list them all (and some other places have already done the work of listing a BUNCH of them).
But I did want to list a few that I thought would be more appropriate for VBS (things that are not too hard, with ingredients that are not impossible to find, and that kids might actually eat).
If you want to explore more Roman recipes, I suggest visiting Cibi Antiquorum, Historical Italian Cooking or The Romans in Britain Recipe List.
DESSERTS & SWEETS
Curds (Yogurt) With Honey - Super simple. Just drizzle honey over yogurt. The link just ads a way to make it decorative.
Dates Alexandrine - Dates, almonds, butter and some spices. I have read elsewhere that cinnamon, while imported to Rome, wasn't usually used in cooking (just perfume--as it was expensive). It was not mentioned in the original translated recipe, so up to you whether to include. Blanched almonds are almonds with the brown skin removed. Probably would taste fine with regular almonds too.
Egg Pancakes and Honey - No wheat, just eggs! Sort of seems like a dish, not a desert, but was categorized as desert on the Roman history site I found it on.
Sesame Biscuits - Just needs honey, sesame, and some olive oil.
Libum - Sweet Cheesecake (not like modern cheesecake)
Want more....here's 18 Delicious Roman Dessert Recipes
BREADS (And a bread topping)
Breads are a little less easy, but if you have volunteers with a bread maker they might be happy to make some of these.
Plaited Bread - Cool looking - would look really neat in the marketplace food shop, especially if several were made. You could break off little pieces for kids.
Mushroom SHAPED Bread - No actual mushrooms used.
Soldiers Hardtack - These could be fun and I could see some ways these could be incorporated in snack (maybe handed out by costumed soldiers).
Moretum (Herb and Cheese Spread) - Similar to pesto, this will require fresh herbs.
SNACKS & COLD SIDES
No Bake Fig Cake - SUPER easy and cool. I think they mean ground coriander, not whole.
Melon Salad - This mainly includes melon (cantalope) and watermelon. While they did have sweet melons in the Roman empire in the 1st century (as well as un-sweet varieties), sweet watermelon is a different story. Watermelons were very different in ancient times. They started as a bitter fruit mainly used for its seeds in ancient Egypt, and gradually changed due to cultivation practices to become the sweet fruit that we have today. The earliest we have evidence of it being sweet was in the 2nd century, from Hebrew sources (the earliert Roman source was the 5th century)...so after the 1st Century when Paul was in Rome. Up to you whether to include it or just use cantalope in this dish.
Dried Pear Pudding - Just dried pears reconstituted by heating in a little water, then serving with its own sauce. A little cream can be added.
Pancakes - They had pancakes too, cooked in olive oil. They had white bread so white flour is fine.
Roman French Toast
Chick Pea (Garbanzo Bean) Pancakes
Wine Cakes (Grape Juice Used, Not Wine)
Cheese and Honey (Super easy. - Uses feta or cottage cheese, with spices). - This Recipe has more ingredients than included in its preparation instructions, so i think you just sprinkle them on top, or mix them in, you decide.
Roman Salad Dressing (use lettuce for salad and top with this)
BREAKFAST
Puls - Wheat Porridge - Called the porridge that built an empire, and from what I read was often a breakfast food though you could serve it anytime. This recipe includes both sweet and savory topping options, which you could set out "salad bar" style and let kids choose from. That pinch of cinnamon would have been a luxury (you can include or not but I say if you do the salad bar style cinnamon might be something to leave off anyways, just because kids have no concept of how much to use, and too much makes it inedible and cinnamon isn't cheap).
DINNER MAIN DISHES
Most of these would not work well for the snack shop as they need to be served hot. These are probably more appropriate if you are doing a family meal. There are several more in the "Garum" section.
Ancient Roman Pasta and Meatballs - You can replace Asafoetida with equal parts garlic and onion powder. You can use the same amount or up to twice the amount of asafoetida. You can substitute rosemary for rue.
Ham in Red Wine Sauce - Yeah, I know, wine for VBS? But it cooks out and if you want something other than chicken this works.
Pork in Piquant Sauce - Also, wine. But again, a not too hard meat recipe.
HOT SIDE or VEGETABLE DISHES
Chick Peas and Parmesan: I'm re-writing this recipe to make it easier using canned chick peas, which are pre-boiled (garbanzo beans):
Ingredients:
- 1 16 oz can of chick peas (garbanzo beans)
- 2.5 cup grated parmasan
- Salt to taste (maybe 1 tsp)
Directions: Heat chick peas in water with salt (to taste, probably about 1 tsp). Drain. Mix with parmesan cheese. Serve warm.
Fried Parsnips/Carrots (looks like french fries so kids will probably try them).
GARUM/LIQUIMON (The Most Popular Sauce in Rome) + RECIPES
This gets its own section because this condiment was so common. It was as common as ketchup or ranch in America. I don't know if kids would like it, but I felt like I had to include it because so much of Roman food surrounded it, so it would be cool to at least have it available for braver kids to try. Several sites say you can substitute fish sauce (found in the Asian section of your local grocery store) so if you don't want to make it you can also use that. I'm putting recipes that require it in this section (no matter if they are snacks or main dishes).
Garum/Liquimon (ROMAN'S FAVORITE CONDIMENT) - EASIER Modern Recipe: This recipe is a modern, less authentic version, but the real version involves weeks of fermentation so, I'm sharing something that I understand tastes similar with less time and work. You could use it on meats or dip the carrot/parsnip fries in it, maybe. I'm not sure I'd make this but I sort of felt like I had to include it.
Chicken With Dill and Garum - This recipe uses Garum but otherwise has simple ingredients. It uses a whole chicken but I could see this done with chicken drumsticks. It involves boiling then baking and doesn't include a baking time. When I bake drumsticks they usually take 35-45 minutes at 420 degrees. Since these would be pre-boiled they might take a little less. This recipe also lacks measurements. They do say to use two parts garum to one part honey, but don't say how much dill or pepper to use. Based on the pictures (and my own experience that you can't overdo dill), I'd suggest just saturating the garum/honey mixture with dill (fresh or dried), and then adding a small amount (a sprinkling) of white pepper.
Steak with Garum Pepper Sauce - This one assumes you know how to cook a steak, and doesn't give precise measurements for the sauce, but still, if you already have garum, doesn't look too hard, and looks tasty. Long pepper is similar in taste to black pepper, so you can just use black pepper in stead.
Roman Stew - Anise can be used in stead of lovage, or it can be skipped.
Roman Frittata (Eggs)
https://tavolamediterranea.com/2018/05/17/mediterranean-triad-grapes-grains-olives-defrutum/
SOURCES
Other sources are linked in the text
Primary Source (anything not labeled/linked came from here): https://europe.factsanddetails.com/article/entry-1155.html
The Picture at the Top:
This picture by Carole Raddato of a Roman meal by is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
