In the cookbook conventionally attributed to Apicius, we find two kinds of pasta used in different ways, lagana and tractae. Lagana are originally Greek and used for layered patinae, in a similar way as lasagne are prepared since the Middle Ages. We find scarce information about the tractae in various passages of this cookbook: we know, for example, that they are dried (in a few cases, Apicius specifies it; usually, he writes to break the tractae) and that at least one kind of tracta has a little circular shape (the word he uses is orbiculi). There is no description about the way to prepare the dough, but in Cato’s De Agri Cultura we find a simple recipe: tracta is simply a dough sheet made kneading flour with water, exactly the same method we use still today to prepare pasta. Cato describes two different kinds of tractae we used to prepare the placenta, an ancient Roman cheesecake. There are many recipes with tractae in Apicius’ cookbook: in many cases they are paired with meatballs or fish cakes, but also with meat. They are even used to make a puls with milk and to prepare a dessert. Today we prepare a minutal recipe with spicy and aromatic isicia. Below, you will find the original source with our English translation, the video of the recipe with subtitles in English and Italian, and a note about the method and ingredients. Enjoy!
TRACTA
Ingredients for 16 tractae 300 gr white wheat flour water sea salt
Method Knead the flour with warm water until it reaches a smooth consistency. Divide the dough into 16 pieces and roll them into little circular sheets. Let them dry overnight. Cato uses siligo, superfine white wheat flour.
ISICIA
Ingredients 400 gr pork tenderloin bay laurel berries black pepper asafoetida rue grapes garum extra virgin olive oil
Method To prepare the caroenum, destem and pound the grapes to obtain the juice. Filter it with your hands or a sift and boil it down until it reduces by one-third. Let it cool down. Mince the meat and pound it well in the mortar. Mince the rue and pound in the mortar one bay laurel berry and black pepper, adding a bit of grated asafoetida. Mix the meat, spices, a few drops of extra virgin olive oil, garum, and caroenum, shaping little meatballs.
Note about the method and ingredients In the original recipe, the author refers to an isicia recipe absent from the manuscripts of De Re Coquinaria. The adjective Terentinum, however, appears in other occasions, associated to a sauce, meatballs, and a filling for wild boar ham. The only recipe survived is the last one. We used the ingredients of this filling to prepare the isicia, but you can choose also different recipes, for example isicia amulata or isicia omentata, skipping the sauce in which they are cooked. This is the text about the filling for the ham: teres piper, bacam lauri, rutam; si volueris, laser adicies, liquamen optimum, caroenum et olei viridis guttas (pound pepper, bay laurel berry, rue; if you want, add laser, excellent garum, caroenum, and drops of extra virgin olive oil). In any case, the isicia have to be very little: isiciola valde minuta. In Apicius’ text, the optional ingredients appears to be just laser. The liquid ingredients are essential for a good outcome of the recipe. Laser was a spice widely used by the ancient Mediterranean populations, described in detail by many Greek and Roman authors, for example, Theophrastus, Dioscorides, and Pliny. Whereas the laser Cyrenaicum, the most prized variety, is no longer produced, the laser Parthicum is still used by many Eastern populations and called asafoetida. Caroenum was one of the preparations of reduced grape must that ancient Romans used as a sweetener. You find this recipe in Palladius’ agricultural book. Garum was an ancient Mediterranean fish sauce. We wrote more about its production in this article. You can substitute it with a South-East Asian fish sauce, prepared in the same way as garum, or add a pinch of salt.
MINUTAL TERENTINUM
Ingredients 8 tractae isicia leeks black pepper lovage oregano white wine raisin wine olive oil garum
Method Mince the leeks and cook with olive oil, garum and a good amount of water. When it boils, add the isicia and boil for about ten minutes, until they become tender. In the meantime, prepare the sauce: mince the oregano and pound black pepper and lovage in the mortar, adding white wine, raisin wine, olive oil, and garum. Add the sauce to the meatballs. Once the broth resumes boiling, break the tractae into pieces and cook them for about ten minutes. Serve sprinkling with ground black pepper.
Note about the method Adjust the quantity of pasta and meat to your taste. We prepared this quantity (400 gr of meat and 8 tractae) for two people. The cooking time of the tractae depends on the size and the thickness of the sheet. The cooking method is completely different from the one common today in Italy: the pasta is cooked directly with the meatballs and needs to absorb the most part of the liquids. In this way, it results particularly savory. For this reason, pay attention not to add an excessive quantity of garum. Lovage and pepper together are quite intense, and pepper is used three times for this recipe. If you do not like excessively spicy foods, pay attention to use a moderate quantity of pepper each time.
Original text Minutal Terentinum: concides in caccabum albamen de porris minutatim, adicies oleum, liquamen, cocturam, isiciola valde minuta, et sic temperas ut tenerum sit. Isicium Terentinum facies: inter isicia confectionem invenies. Ius tale facies: piper, ligusticum, origanum, fricabis, suffundes liquamen, ius de suo sibi, vino et passo temperabis. Mittes caccabum. Cum ferbuerit, tractam confringes, obligas. Piper asparges et inferes.
Translation Minutal Terentinum: mince finely in a pan the white part of the leek and add oil, garum, water, little isicia, and cook until they become tender. Make isicia Terentina: you find the recipe among the methods to prepare isicia. Prepare the sauce in this way: pound pepper, lovage, oregano; dilute with garum, cooking broth, wine, and raisin wine. Pour in the pan. When it boils, break the tractae and mix. Sprinkle with pepper and serve.
Buy me a coffee Patreon Ancient Roman Recipes Playlist Ancient Greek Recipes Playlist Medieval Recipes Playlist YouTube Channel Merchandise Books Early Italian Recipes. Cereals, bread, pasta, and pies 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 Plebeian Mushrooms Beef Skewers Stuffed Chard Shrimp Frittata with Peas – Conchicla Commodiana Tuna 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
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