Moretum is an herb cheese spread that the Ancient Romans ate with bread.[1] A typical moretum was made of herbs, fresh cheese, salt, oil, and vinegar. Optionally, different kinds of nuts could be added. The ingredients were crushed together in a mortar, for which the dish is named.
 Moretum in the mortar | |
| Type | Spread |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Ancient Rome |
| Main ingredients | Herbs, fresh cheese, salt, oil, vinegar |
Recipes
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A recipe can be found in the poem of the same name in the Appendix Vergiliana.[2] De re rustica, book XII of Columella contains further recipes for moretum. The variant with pine nuts is considered to be a precursor of pesto.[3]
See also
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References
edit- ^ Grant, Mark (1999). Roman Cookery: Ancient Recipes for Modern Kitchens. London: Serif. ISBN 1-897959-39-7.
- ^ "Appendix Vergiliana in English translation".
- ^ Scarpato, Rosario. "Pesto Genovese: an Ageless Benchmark of Great Italian Cuisine". Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
External links
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Media related to Moretum at Wikimedia Commons- Appendix Vergiliana in Latin
- Columella at The Latin Library
- Columella Books I–IV in English translation at LacusCurtius