Let’s Try History: Tasting of Roman Cuisine

The program “Let’s Try History: Tasting of Roman Cuisine” organized on the occasion of the closing of the exhibition “Femina Balcanica: Mater, Matrona, Augusta, Dea. Woman on the Balkans in Antiquity”, of the National Museum of Serbia, will be held in the Gallery of the National Museum Kraljevo, on Friday, April 19th, 2024, starting at 6 p.m. The audience will have the opportunity to enter the world of Roman cuisine and food culture with the author of the exhibition, Deana Ratković, museum advisor of the National Museum of Serbia, and try some of the ancient recipes that the Romans had on their tables.

The production and preparation of food, as well as its serving, was one of the most important productive spheres that women engaged in during the Roman period as part of their main obligation to be the mistress of the house and mother. Depending on the social identity, material and social status of the family, the woman performed these tasks herself, or if she was from the middle class of society, she organized and supervised the preparation of food, while in the wealthiest ones these tasks were performed by slaves or specialized cooks, and the main the dinner meal was a social event. However, men also cooked, so the most famous book of recipes of that time was written by Apicius, which is known as “On Cooking”. Many people were involved in the process of food production and preparation, and women were certainly the most important link. At the exhibition “Femina Balcanica: Mater, Matrona, Augusta, Dea. Woman on the Balkans in Antiquity” also exhibits that were used for storing, preparing, and serving food, such as ceramic, bronze and silver vessels are exhibited.