Romans Couldn't Cook At Home, So They Ate This

Why couldn't poor Romans cook at home? Because their apartments were literal death traps.In ancient Rome, the working class didn't live in marble villas, they lived in cramped, wooden insulae that caught fire constantly. Open flames were banned, landlords like Crassus profited from the fires, and emperors from Augustus to Nero tried to fix it. The solution? Roman fast food: The thermopolium. In this episode of Reheated History, Chef Benny recreates the ultimate budget staple of the Roman poor: Vitellius Peas (Pulmentum) a savory pea mash named after Rome's most gluttonous emperor. Recipe: • 2 cups dried Yellow Split Peas (or green split peas), soaked overnight • 3 cups Water or vegetable stock • 1 large Leek, finely chopped • 1 tbsp Roman Garum (GAH-rum) (or fermented fish sauce) • 1 tbsp Honey • 1 tbsp White Wine Vinegar • 1 tsp ground Cumin and 1 tsp cracked Black Pepper • 1 handful fresh Mint and Parsley, finely chopped • 2 tbsp Olive Oil Start by draining the soaked yellow split peas and adding them to a heavy pot with three cups of water or vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low, cover, and simmer for 30–40 minutes until soft and creamy. After about 20–30 minutes, heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and cook the chopped leek until soft and translucent. In a small bowl, mix the honey, white wine vinegar, cumin, black pepper, and garum. Once the peas are soft, mash them into a rustic purée. Stir in the leeks, garum mixture, fresh mint, and parsley. Simmer on low for five minutes to let the flavors combine. Review: I give it a 7/10, it was split pea soup with more flavor. The family was less enthused with it, but overall didn't hate it. 6/10 average from them. 0:00 - Intro - Welcome to Reheated History 0:46 - This Month: Roman Fast Food & The Pompeii Thermopolium 1:11 - The Dark Reality of Roman Housing (Insulae) 3:27 - The Real Villain: Marcus Crassus & His Fire Brigade Scam 4:54 - Why Fast Food Was a Necessity in Rome 5:26 - The Roman Pantry: What You Ate When You Couldn't Cook 6:47 - The King of Street Food: Vitellius Peas (Pulmentum) 7:20 - The Emperor Who Ate 4 Banquets a Day 8:26 - Ingredients for 1st Century Roman Peas 8:54 - Cooking the Vitellius Peas 9:59 - Taste Test & Review 11:39 - Final Thoughts: Rome Ran on Peas, Not Flamingo Tongue 12:11 - Next Week: Season Finale in Pompeii Image & Video Attributions By Unknown artist / Photo by Jastrow (2008), CC BY 2.5: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3416048 Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. (http://www.cngcoins.com), CC BY-SA 2.5: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=125856381 Flamingos and Ducks: https://www.pexels.com/video/flamingos-and-ducks-on-riverbank-11326330/ The Last Days of Pompeii (1913) [English intertitles] / Gli ultimi giorni di Pompei: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SvHxR1Y7No&t=4874s Quo Vadis? (1912): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88FeCs0bt5Q Cabiria (1914): https://archive.org/details/Cabiria Caius Julius Caesar (1914) [English intertitles], dir. Enrico Guazzoni: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVIZBnDL6p4 Pompei, lo straordinario Termopolio affrescato apre finalmente al pubblico: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVDfna_fnbg Termopolio di Pompei, Osanna: "Dagli scavi dati eccezionali per ricostruire la dieta del tempo": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-4nhcDARKy SCOPERTE / Pompei, dagli scavi riemerge quasi intatto un termopolio, la "tavola calda" antica: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDqcj-vIfpI