Translating Street-Latin isn't the easiest thing to do and this translation by Barbara Flower Elisabeth Alföldi-Rosenbaum was, for its time, a worthy attempt. It is however, rooted in the time that it was translated and as time goes by, it becomes more and more obvious how poor the translation really is. Just as the perception of 'authenticity' is deeply rooted in the time of interpretation and as more information is gained, so our perception changes. It would do to remember that when this book was translated, people thought it was authentic for vikings to have horned helmets!

A greated deal of authenticity should be expected from translation, than interpretation, however Street-Latin does require a greater level of interpretation than would be required of classical texts. As a consequence, although a valiant attempt at the time, this translation is showing more and more inaccuracies. ( )

Latin on the left page, translation on the right. This. Copy is good, no dust jacket, and some Chile took a light crayon to a couple of pages. ( )

An exceptional resource. Drawings. ( )

Who would have thought that a Roman cookery book would have come down through the ages when so much other great literature has been lost? I see that my copy was awarded as a school prize for ancient history - no doubt my choice raised eyebrows.
This book is worth a look for any cook - and a number of the recipes are feasible. The principal problem for the modern cook is reproducing those great staples of the Roman kitchen - liquamen (or garum) and defrutum. When I first followed these recipes I substituted anchovy sauce for liquamen but that really did not capture the taste of the original. Now that Asian travel has broadened our minds and palates, I suggest that nam pla (Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce) is a much more realistic substitute - the method of manufacture follows that of the Romans fairly closely. Similarly, it is now fairly easy to buy a substitute for defrutum - reduced unfermented grape juice. Fench or Californian bottled verjus is readily obtainable. The nam pla and verjus can be combined to make the Romans' table condiment - oenogarum.
The recipes show that the Romans liked their food highly spiced and seasoned. Apart from the ubiquitous liquamen, defrutum and vinegar, various pungent herbs and spices were all pressed into service: lovage, asafoetida, thyme, rue, pennyroyal, etc.
The determined Roman gourmet may find her local butcher's eyebrows raised at some of the requests for these recipes: cow's udders, wombs and dormice (glires) do not commonly adorn the carnal remains on the display shelves. ( )

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