My life as a slave farmer in Ancient Rome
The hot sun beat down on my back as sweat poured over my shoulders. The porridge I had eaten for breakfast churned in my stomach. I tied an ox to the plow and walked down the field to turn the soil over. The other slaves, like myself, were planting wheat, olives and grapes and some were plowing the fields. I could feel the angry eyes of the vilicus, who was the manager, watching my every move. I wondered if this was how the rest of my life would be. After I finished plowing, I started use the new reaping machine to harvest grains. My hands ached from plowing and splinters from the plow bit into my rough skin. My eyes and nose followed a donkey pulling a rumbling cart of freshly pressed oil and wine from the hand picked olives and grapes and the scent was so strong I could almost taste it.
“ Get back to work!”, the vilicus snapped at me. The other slaves who were also watching turned back to their own work, trying to forget their hunger. We were poorly treated because some of the slaves were prisoners of war, sailors who were sold to Romans or taken from outside Roman territory. My eyes reluctantly wandered back to the machine which was separating the chaff or the outer layer of the grains. The grains were thrown into the air to let the lighter chaff drift away and the heavy grains fall back down. I sighed and wished I could be like the lighter chaff and sail away. I knew that some of the slaves that were freed became successful. I hoped one day I would be freed and get a job to become wealthy. It was a one of the happiest thoughts I could hold on to. After working in the fields I brought some fine and wheat flour, cheese, and eggs back to my home to make libum, known as Ancient Roman cheesecake.
“ Get back to work!”, the vilicus snapped at me. The other slaves who were also watching turned back to their own work, trying to forget their hunger. We were poorly treated because some of the slaves were prisoners of war, sailors who were sold to Romans or taken from outside Roman territory. My eyes reluctantly wandered back to the machine which was separating the chaff or the outer layer of the grains. The grains were thrown into the air to let the lighter chaff drift away and the heavy grains fall back down. I sighed and wished I could be like the lighter chaff and sail away. I knew that some of the slaves that were freed became successful. I hoped one day I would be freed and get a job to become wealthy. It was a one of the happiest thoughts I could hold on to. After working in the fields I brought some fine and wheat flour, cheese, and eggs back to my home to make libum, known as Ancient Roman cheesecake.
Libum (Ancient Roman Cheesecake)
Ingredients
Ancient Roman Recipe Modern Adapted Recipe 2 pounds of cheese 1 cup of flour sifted into a bowl
1 pound wheat flour 8 ounces of best quality ricotta possible
1/2 pound fine flour 1 egg, beaten
1 egg 8 fresh bay leaves
1/2 cup of clear honey
Directions
Ancient Roman Method:
Bray 2 pounds of cheese thoroughly in a mortar; when it is thoroughly macerated, add 1 pound of wheat flour, or, if you wish the cake to be more dainty, 1/2 pound of fine flour, and mix thoroughly with the cheese. Add 1 egg, and work the whole well. Pat out a loaf, place on leaves, and bake slowly on a warm hearth under a crock.
Modern Adapted Method:
Ancient Roman Recipe Modern Adapted Recipe 2 pounds of cheese 1 cup of flour sifted into a bowl
1 pound wheat flour 8 ounces of best quality ricotta possible
1/2 pound fine flour 1 egg, beaten
1 egg 8 fresh bay leaves
1/2 cup of clear honey
Directions
Ancient Roman Method:
Bray 2 pounds of cheese thoroughly in a mortar; when it is thoroughly macerated, add 1 pound of wheat flour, or, if you wish the cake to be more dainty, 1/2 pound of fine flour, and mix thoroughly with the cheese. Add 1 egg, and work the whole well. Pat out a loaf, place on leaves, and bake slowly on a warm hearth under a crock.
Modern Adapted Method:
- Place the ricotta in a fine-meshed sieve or colander lined with several layers of cheesecloth, place it over a bowl, and then set it aside to drain for an hour or two.
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Beat the drained ricotta until it becomes soft and airy and then beat in the egg.
- Adding in thirds, fold the flour into the beaten ricotta.
- Form the resulting soft dough into a round and then divide it into 4 equal parts. Mold each quarter into a rounded bun shape and then place them on an oiled sheet pan, tucking 2 bay leaves underneath each one.
- Put the cakes in the oven, covered with a testo, and bake them for 35-40 minutes until golden-brown.
- Warm the honey and then spoon it repeatedly over warm cakes so that it is absorbed.
- Allow the libum to rest 30 minutes before serving.
Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Libum_Four_Sweet_Cheesecake_buns..._they_go_in_the_oven!_(8411937776).jpg
Source: http://cdn.coolinarika.net/image/libumrimski-zrtveni-kruh-694b9eb79508c17f4634e3ebe53f7818_view_l.jpg