RIHLA #8

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Housing and food and mealtime customs for the various classes

Housing:
-Poor Romans lived in insulae, which consisted of six to eight three-storey apartment blocks, grouped around a central courtyard. The ground floors were used by shops and businesses while the upper floors were rented as living space. They were dirty, noisy and unhealthy places to live.

-Rich Romans lived in a single-storey dwelling called a domus, which was very grand villa with marble pillars, statues, plaster or mosaic walls and mosaic floors.

Food:

~Breakfast:
-Roman Slaves: piece of bread and water.
-Wealthy Romans: They had eatin fish, fruit, meat, vegetables, cheese, olives and honey. They would have dipped their bread in wine.

~Lunch:
-Wealthy Romans: often eaten around 11am and consisted of cold food items. Some of the meal was comprised of bread, salad, olives, fruit, nuts, cheese and cold meat that was prepared for the previous night's dinner (not all Romans ate lunch)

~Dinner:
-Roman Slaves: consisted of porridge(oatmeal) or bread with meat and vegetables if available from previous night.
-Wealthy Romans:
Divided into three courses:
1st- an appetizer made simple of eggs, fish shellfish, and raw vegetables known as gustatio or promulsis.
2nd-main course that consisted of cooked vegetables and meats, sea urchins, raw oysters, and mussels.
3rd-a desert of fruit, pastries, figs, dates, nuts, pears, grapes, cakes, cheese, and honey.

~Wealthy Romans reclined on couches at dinner parties, or ate outside in gardens.
~Roman Slaves sat at wooden tables with tableware consisted of coarse pottery.
~All Romans mostly at with their hands.
~The main Roman drink was vino(wine). It was mosly bitter and was often diluted with water, milk, or honey. Wine is still popular today.

*I believe that Roman food has left an influence on culture today because wine drinking, fish and meat as main courses, cheese, and bread are still eatin in ways that Romans did and people still follow many traditions that Romans used during their meal time.

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