In the 5th book of De Re Coquinaria, which contains ancient Roman recipes for legumes, there are several methods for peas, sometimes suggested as an alternative to fava beans. Conchos or conchicla is a typical ancient dish. The name, which means shell, probably refers to a specific cooking vessel, conchiclaris in the text.
In ancient sources, this term refers to a soup of legumes, generally peas or fava beans. In the Compositiones, a treatise on pharmacopoeia written in the 1st century, Scribonius Largus mentions fava beans prepared like conchos and cooked with a lot of cumin (faba quasi conchis multo cum cumino cocta). In an epigram written by Martial, a conchis inuncta (a greased conchis, which should be read as dressed with oil) is a humble dish compared to wild boar, hare, or oysters.
At the mere mention of conchos by a banqueter in Athenaeus’ Deipnosophists, everyone bursts into laughter, probably because it was a poor dish for the lowest classes, or perhaps because of some obscene meaning that has survived in the Latin concha.
The recipes of De Re Coquinaria are rather unclear and can be interpreted in many ways. Certainly, many preparations of conchicla show a luxurious course for a banquet, not a humble dish. This is nothing new: in this Roman cookbook, we often find traditional foods prepared in a completely different way that makes them refined and suitable for a rich table.
In the first recipe for conchicla, the author writes to cook the fava beans, then he describes a sauce, without specifying whether it must be used to dress the cooked legumes or whether everything must be cooked together to make some kind of soup. In addition to the legumes, we find many other ingredients, such as aromatic herbs, spices, but also sausages, ham, and meatballs.
The recipe we are preparing today is also unclear, although it seems plausible that it is a frittata. In fact, the author uses eggs to thicken a mixture of cooked peas, aromatic herbs, and spices diluted with some liquids.
The recommended quantity is four eggs for one sextarium of peas, which is half a liter. This amount of eggs is enough to thicken the peas anyway, but the ratio is very different from that of a modern frittata, although the outcome is quite similar. We chose to reduce the peas and use only three eggs, but in any case, there is a wide range of proportions to prepare this dish and obtain a good result. But as we always recommend, there are many ways to read and try the historical recipes, so we suggest experimenting with the ingredients until you find a satisfying way to prepare the recipes.
For a good outcome, we recommend a ratio of two parts wine to one part garum. If you prefer, you can substitute garum with a South-East Asian fish sauce, ancient muria, colatura di alici, or just salt. Instead of fresh dill, you can use the seeds. We substituted the dried onion with the greens of the shallots that we had in our garden. Lovage can be replaced with fennel, cumin, or anise seeds.
For more information about ancient cuisine, we suggest reading our book Ancient Roman Cooking. Ingredients, Recipes, Sources. Moreover, the full translation of De Re Coquinaria is available on Patreon, with further translations and articles on ancient and medieval cooking.
To know more about the transition between ancient and medieval cooking, check out our translation, commentary, and glossary of a beautiful 6th-century source, De Observatione Ciborum, written by the physician Anthimus to the king of the Franks Theuderic; if you are interested in late-medieval cuisine, we recommend Libro de la Cocina. Medieval Tuscan Recipes and Registrum Coquine. A medieval cookbook. If you are interested in recipes for vegetables from the Antiquity to the beginning of the Modern Era in Early Italian Recipes. Vegetables, fruit, herbs, and flowers available in English and Italian.
If you are interested in recipes with aromatic herbs from the Antiquity to the beginning of the Modern Era in Early Italian Recipes. Vegetables, fruit, herbs, and flowers available in English and Italian.
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Ingredients
peas
3 eggs
dill
shallot greens
spices (pepper, lovage)
garum
white wine
Method
Parboil the peas. Pound the spices in the mortar, mince the dill and the leaves of a shallot, and beat the eggs. Pour a good amount of oil into a frying pan and sauté the peas with the spices and herbs, adding two tablespoons of garum and a little wine. Cook for a couple of minutes over a low heat. Add the beaten eggs and cook for another two minutes until the eggs are set.
Original recipe
Pisam coques. Cum despumaverit, teres piper, ligusticum, anethum, cepam siccam, suffundis liquamen, vino et liquamine temperabis. Mittis in caccabum ut combibat. Deinde ova quattuor solves, in sextarium pisae mittis, agitas, mittis in Cumanam, ad ignem ponis, ut ducat, et inferes.
Translation
Cook the peas. When they have foamed, grind pepper, lovage, dill, and dried onion; add garum; and dilute with wine and garum. Pour the sauce into the pot to soak [the peas]. Then, beat four eggs for each sextarium of peas, pour into the pan cook them until they are thickened, and serve.
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Books
Libro de la Cocina by Anonimo Toscano. Medieval Tuscan Recipes
Early Italian Recipes. Vegetables, fruit, herbs, and flowers
De Observatione Ciborum by Anthimus. Early-medieval recipes at the court of the Franks.
Registrum Coquine by Johannes Bockenheim. A medieval cookbook
Ancient Roman Cooking. Ingredients, Sources, Recipes
Translations of Historical Sources
De Agri Cultura by Cato – first part (2nd century BCE)
De Re Coquinaria by Apicius (Ancient Rome)
Apicii Excerpta by Vinidarius (5th or 6th century)
De Observatione Ciborum by Anthimus (6th century)
Appendicula de Condituris Variis by Johannes Damascenus (8th or 9th century)
De Flore Dietarum (11th century)
Tractatus de Modo Preparandi et Condiendi Omnia Cibaria (13th or 14th century)
Liber de Coquina – first part (14th century)
Enseignemenz (14th century)
Opusculum de Saporibus by Mainus de Maineris (14th century)
Libro de la Cocina by Anonimo Toscano (14th century)
Anonimo Veneziano (14th century)
Registrum Coquine by Johannes von Bockenheim (15th century)
Libro de Arte Coquinaria by Maestro Martino – parts 1-4 (15th century)
Recipes
Pork Stew with Red Wine
Chicken with Green Sauce
Pork Chops – Ofellae
Chicken with Dill – Pullus Anethatus
Religious Offering to Mars Silvanus
Rabbit
Gourds – Gustum de Cucurbitis
Roast Pheasant
Tyropatina – Honey Pudding
Pork Shank with Apician Sauce
The Diet of the Legionaries – Soup with Mutton and Beans
Chicken with Dill
Beef Roast with Quinces
Chard with Mustard
Religious Offering to Carna – Puls Fabacia
Pork Stuffed with Pasta – Porcellus Tractomelinus
Gilt-Head Sea Bream
Moretum – A Religious Offering to Cybele
Patina Versatilis
Aristophanes’ Roasted Birds
Pork Roast with Myrtle Berries
Cabbage Rolls
Pork Collar
Chicken with Taro
Honey and Millet Libum
Ham in Crust
Encytum
The diet of the ancient Germans
The diet of the Franks
Kandaulos
Wild Boar
Hypotrimma
Oysters and Clams
Peas
Ancient Sicilian Sea Bass
Pork Roast and Lentils with Sumac
Scampi
Cuttlefish and Eggs
Gustum de Praecoquis – Appetizer with Apricots
Octopus and Cucumber Salad
Copadia Agnina – Lamb Stew
Apothermum – Spelt Cakes
Pullus Parthicus – Roast Chicken
Tisana Barrica – Barley Soup
Beef Roast and Shallots
Staitites – Ancient Greek Sweet
Chicken Meatballs and Mashed Peas
Sweet Fritters – Dulcia Domestica
Columella’s Moretum and Hapalos Artos
Ancient Roman Frittata
A Saturnalia Recipe – Roast with Saffron Sauce
Muria – Ancestor of Colatura di Alici
Globi – Ancient Roman Sweet
The Diet of the Roman Legionaries – Buccellatum, Lardum, and Posca
How to make garum
Fig Sweet
Ancient Roman Gourd and Eggs
Ofella – Ancient Roman Steak
Fruit salads – Melon and Peaches
Isicia Marina – Shrimp Cakes and Cucumber Salad
Sala Cattabia – Snow and Posca
Copadia – Beef Stew
Puls Punica – Phoenician Dessert
Farcimina – Spelt and Meat Sausages
Ova Spongia ex Lacte – Sweet Omelettes
Flatbread and Chickpea Soup
Chicken stew
Salted Fish with Arugula Sauce
Savillum – Cheesecake
Pasta and Meatballs – Minutal Terentinum
Venison Stew with Spelt Puls
Veal with Allec Sauce – Ius in Elixam Allecatum
Isicia Omentata – Meatballs Wrapped in Caul Fat
Placenta – Honey Cheesecake
Pork Laureate – Porcellum Laureatum
Mashed Chestnuts
Poppy Seed Bread with Ancient Dry Yeast
Cured Olives and Epityrum
Historical Italian Cooking 