Growing an Ancient Roman Garden

Tiktok ► TastingHistory

Send mail to:
Tasting History
22647 Ventura Blvd, Suite 323
Los Angeles, CA 91364

LINKS TO INGREDIENTS & EQUIPMENT**

LINKS TO SOURCES**

RECIPE
1 tablespoon chopped Rue
1 teaspoon Celery Seeds
2 teaspoon Honey
½ tsp Pepper
1 cup or more of Raisin wine
2 teapoons garum
2 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 heaping tablespoon of Wheat Starch or cornstarch
4 Artichokes

1. Remove the stem and top inch of each artichoke and boil in well salted water for 40 min to 1 hour. They are done when a leaf at the bottom of the artichoke can easily be removed with very little effort. Set them on a wire rack and cool for 1 minute, then turn them over and let them drain and cool for 10 more minutes.
2. To make the sauce, mix the rue, celery seeds, and pepper together in a small saucepan, then add the olive oil, honey, garum and raisin wine and heat over a low heat until simmering. Whisk the starch into 2-4 tablespoons of raisin wine, then add it to the simmering sauce and whisk until it begins to thicken. Note that it will continue to thicken as it cools.
3. Once the sauce is ready, pour a little on top of the artichokes and sprinkle pepper over them. Keep most of the sauce on the side for dipping.

**Some of the links and other products that appear on this video are from companies which Tasting History will earn an affiliate commission or referral bonus. Each purchase made from these links will help to support this channel with no additional cost to you. The content in this video is accurate as of the posting date. Some of the offers mentioned may no longer be available.

Subtitles: Jose Mendoza | IG @worldagainstjose

PHOTO CREDITS

#tastinghistory #ancientrome

[garycraigart]

Max, as well as being an artist, I am a garden designer and avid gardener. I've grown almost all the herbs you spoke of and I want to warn you about borage. Grow it in a pot. It can be terribly invasive! If you need any free advice on designing your roman garden give me a holler. I love the Getty Villa and I've visited the gardens of Pompeii in the days before tourism went crazy. Make sure you build a little arbor somewhere for your grapevines for having meals and cocktails alfresco!!! Good Luck!

[loretta_]

My mum worked as a domestic maid in Rome and that's where she learnt to cook artichokes. After washing them, she'll leave them in a container filled with water and chopped lemon, so I imagine that's how she deals with the oxidation. I'm wondering if the water also helps with contact with the air? Didn't know it could stain hands though. She'd never seen them in her little town up in Udine. We've enjoyed what she learnt as a teen ever since! (She's 87 and it's time I got the recipe!!)

[Msbleachprincess]

I think you should try growing asafoetida. Not only is it the closest living relative to silphium but I noticed that a lot of the roman recipes that require silphium want it fresh or even the juice of the silphium, and as most asafoetida is only available dry having it fresh would expand your options when recreating roman dishes.

[thebeast]

"If Pliny the Elder can be trusted, which he usually can't" might be the best line in the entire episode. Almost missed it and had to go back to double check haha

[evelinharmannfan]

Rue is such a special herb, I had it in my garden for years. The smell can be qite strong and kind of refreshing in summer. But on sunny days, you should be careful not to touch it with bare skin Because the sun increases the output of essential oils on the leaves. It can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight, you could get a rash or even sunburn.
Traditionally rue was planted on borders to keep animals or nasty neighbours out. It can grow rather big, and won´t transplant easily. It is a plant that teaches you to stand your ground. That´s why some people say, if you plant rue, you are looking for a fight. But I never regretted planting it, I loved the smell. You just have to be respectful, it´s not a spinach or cabbage after all.

[qza]

If there's any chance the cats, Jaime and Cercei, could get into the garden, it could be worth running the list of herbs by a veterinarian specializing in toxicology (such as ASPCA poison control. That way, you would have the pertinent information incase an emergency were to occur.

[matheusbatista]

I had to google what Rue is, and honestly I had a laugh. This plant is very, very common here in Brazil, to the point where it grows everywhere without much care. I had no idea it could be used for cooking! We use it for teas, medicinal practice, and I believe in some religious cerimonies

[gigitastic]

As a child my grandmother had three kinds of mint in her garden and I remember trying to eat the pineapple and chocolate varieties thinking they would taste exactly like candy. They did not and I was just sitting there eating handfuls of leaves.

[tremorsfan]

I would love to see you make authentic natural Marshmallows. Like most people I didn't know they were plants.

[seraiharper]

My dad was a hick from southern Spain, and he taught me to eat artichokes raw. Yes, you can. Cut off the stem, snap off the first few leaves (which usually don't have much of a base), and then scrape the leaves just as you would cooked ones. The taste is fresh, green, woody, and unique. I like it WAY more than cooked artichokes, myself. :)

P.S. I've been eating raw artichokes most of my life and I've never had my fingers turn black. I've never seen any effect on my hands from handling the artichokes, so I'm not sure where this idea got started.

[Lauren.E.O]

Having access to a greater variety of fresh herbs will be great! Congrats on your new garden 🪴

[angiewright]

You won't be disappointed by planting rue, it's turned out to be quite the hardy perennial for me. Getting ready to harvest the seeds to see if I can get them propagated. I love how you've highlighted many herbs I've planted in this video!

[Moccashio]

As another latinoamerican (Argentina) I was surprised when you mentioned Rue as a weird thing... I mean, in my house alone we have like 4 o 5 plants just randomly everywhere lol
They supposedly protect against bad vibes and shit like that if you plant them in front of your house, and we drink Caña con Ruda the 1st of August for the same reason. I didn't know you could use it for regular cooking.
Old people also say they only thrive in "good energy" places bc they suck up the bad vibes, you know. So a healthy Rue means a healthy house.

[breadcrumbhoarder]

After googling Priapus I have to say my favorite thing about how he was depicted was how he would use his… extra limb… to help carry bundles of fruits and vegetables haha. Creative way of tying his areas of expertise together!

[damienpadilla]

I know this is an old video, but if you keep up with your comments, I want to say thank you for growing rare herbs. You are keeping them alive for other generations. Also, your old picture of you in college is sooo cute! Stay well, my favorite history chef.

[crypticscholar]

Evidently I spent too much time in "The South" as a child, I was listening to Max while writing some database queries and I had to stop and go back as my poor, poor brain processed " . . . honey, pepper, add passum, garum, and a little oil" as " . . . honey, pepper, add *possum*, garum, and a little oil" and I had to suddenly be concerned that Max had found a cookbook from *Rhome, Texas" instead of "Rome, Italy"

[achillea]

I adore the Getty. I've gone pretty often while getting a PhD in classical languages. It's kept me going through grad school, just to remember what beautiful spaces and things the Greeks and Romans had.

[steffellis]

Thanks again. I work in a Roman museum in Wales and we have a garden with rue, borage, lovage, artichokes, fennel etc. I have used some of it when following your Roman recipes. So thanks for yet another idea!

[theoneacsu]

I find the fact that lovage is rare in the US so interesting. I am Romanian and we use it in a LOT of foods (especially stews and soups) out here
.

[Northfan]

My husband is Italian and he can assure you that you have a genuine Roman garden; it's full of concrete. As the ancient saying goes, "I came, I saw, I concreted."