Ancient Rome's Dinner of Death

[Shel_B]

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-to-make-death-dinner-black-banquet?

 

It’s the year 89. A group of Roman senators has arrived at a banquet hosted by Emperor Domitian. Instead of a warm, convivial scene of free-flowing wine and comfortable couches, they find a totally black room, from the walls to the dishes. At each of their seats stands a personalized tombstone. Boys, naked and painted black, enter “like phantoms” and dance about the room. And the food? Not only is it black as well, but the menu consists of foods typically offered to the dead.

 

According to the third-century historian Dio Cassius, who provides the sole account of the dinner in his Roman History, the effect was pure terror. As they tucked into their meal, their host talked “only upon topics relating to death and slaughter.” Each senator, Dio writes, “feared and trembled and was kept in constant expectation of having his throat cut the next moment.”

 

[gfweb]

40 minutes ago, Shel_B said:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-to-make-death-dinner-black-banquet?

 

It’s the year 89. A group of Roman senators has arrived at a banquet hosted by Emperor Domitian. Instead of a warm, convivial scene of free-flowing wine and comfortable couches, they find a totally black room, from the walls to the dishes. At each of their seats stands a personalized tombstone. Boys, naked and painted black, enter “like phantoms” and dance about the room. And the food? Not only is it black as well, but the menu consists of foods typically offered to the dead.

 

According to the third-century historian Dio Cassius, who provides the sole account of the dinner in his Roman History, the effect was pure terror. As they tucked into their meal, their host talked “only upon topics relating to death and slaughter.” Each senator, Dio writes, “feared and trembled and was kept in constant expectation of having his throat cut the next moment.”

 

 

Were you scared at the time, Shel?

[Shel_B]

23 hours ago, gfweb said:

Were you scared at the time, Shel?

Many times I have looked Death in the eye, and Death blinked. I have, however, always feared my mother's cooking <shudder>  Her notorious "Smoke Alarm Meatballs" brought terror to the residents our quiet neighborhood.

 

 

 

Edited December 7 by Shel_B
Smoother flow (log)

[ElsieD]

@Shel_B  If only I had some cuttlefish ink, I'd make the bread.  Thanks for an interesting article.

[Shel_B]

20 hours ago, ElsieD said:

@Shel_B  If only I had some cuttlefish ink, I'd make the bread.  Thanks for an interesting article.

@ElsieD Is there any difference between cuttlefish ink and octopus ink for cooking purpses?

[ElsieD]

18 minutes ago, Shel_B said:

@ElsieD Is there any difference between cuttlefish ink and octopus ink for cooking purpses?

I don't know.  I've never used either of them.  It did occur to me that I could make that bread with black food coloring.

[liuzhou]

48 minutes ago, Shel_B said:

Is there any difference between cuttlefish ink and octopus ink for cooking purpses?

 

I've never heard of anyone using octopus ink; only squid and cuttlefish. Also, not all octopuses have ink sacs.

[Shel_B]

2 hours ago, liuzhou said:

I've never heard of anyone using octopus ink; only squid and cuttlefish. Also, not all octopuses have ink sacs.

Thanks for that. I checked my recipe files and, indeed, all  the ink recipes call for squid. Don't know why I was thinking octopus other than, perhaps, because I recently watched a documentary about an octopus (My Octopus Teacher, Netflix).

 

 

 

[TdeV]

Please report if you do make the bread @ElsieD or @Shel_B.

[Nancy in Pátzcuaro]

14 hours ago, Shel_B said:

Thanks for that. I checked my recipe files and, indeed, all  the ink recipes call for squid. Don't know why I was thinking octopus other than, perhaps, because I recently watched a documentary about an octopus (My Octopus Teacher, Netflix).

 

 

 

That Netflix movie is the reason I no longer eat octopus. 

[Shel_B]

Have you seen the PBS show, Octopus: Making Contact from a few years back. A teacher in Alaska brought an octopus into his home and the show examines the creature's relationship with his family, especially his daughter.

 

https://weta.org/watch/shows/nature/can-teenager-befriend-octopus-67gdhs

 

 

 

[YvetteMT]

On 12/5/2024 at 6:11 PM, Shel_B said:

Many times I have looked Death in the eye, and Death blinked. I have, however, always feared my mother's cooking <shudder>  Her notorious "Smoke Alarm Meatballs" brought terror to the residents our quiet neighborhood.

 

 

 

Yours and mine must be kin somewhere along the line!! My father has always joked that the smoke alarm is my mothers kitchen timer.  I called my mother a couple years ago and when she answered, the alarm was going off. I asked what she was cooking as burnt offering this time as I could hear the "timer", a few uncharacteristic 4 letter words from her and she hung up on me.

[Shel_B]

7 hours ago, YvetteMT said:

Yours and mine must be kin somewhere along the line!! My father has always joked that the smoke alarm is my mothers kitchen timer ...

The saddest part of Mom's beef cooking was that she'd get a great custom blend from our butcher (Neck and Tenderloin), and through years of cooking and experimentation, devised a way to ruin it in just a few minutes under the broiler.

 

I remember when the food columnist from the local fish wrap wrote a story about Mom's meatballs, the newspaper's insurance carrier required that the fire department be in attendance.  Seeing a 1955 American La France pumper parked in front of our house caused quite a stir with the neighbors.  Mrs. Dworkin, from across the street, calmed the nervous neighbors by assuring them that it was "just Mrs. B making her meatballs again."

 

 

 

Edited 12 hours ago by Shel_B (log)

[gfweb]

2 hours ago, Shel_B said:

The saddest part of Mom's beef cooking was that she'd get a great custom blend from our butcher (Neck and Tenderloin), and through years of cooking and experimentation, devised a way to ruin it in just a few minutes under the broiler.

 

I remember when the food columnist from the local fish wrap wrote a story about Mom's meatballs, the newspaper's insurance carrier required that the fire department be in attendance.  Seeing a 1955 American La France pumper parked in front of our house caused quite a stir with the neighbors.  Mrs. Dworkin, from across the street, calmed the nervous neighbors by assuring them that it was "just Mrs. B making her meatballs again."

 

 

 

 

We may be related,Shel.

Except mom never made anything so foreign as a meatball.

[Shel_B]

10 hours ago, YvetteMT said:

Yours and mine must be kin somewhere along the line!! 

 

24 minutes ago, gfweb said:

We may be related,Shel.

 

Over the years, I've discovered that my mom had many relatives, all over the country. I even found a Mom-clone at The Malemute Saloon in Ester, Alaska back in '92.