Roman Feast

Well on Friday we went to a Roman Feast. Low tables, cushions, everyone in costume....It was fun. The food was all authentic and very interesting....For the first course we had fresh fruit (figs, grapes, pears, apples, pomegranetes, pistachio nuts), bread, and a warm melon dish. And we mustn't forget the new wine! The next course was lamb, chicken (with a fig syrup sauce), ground beef patties, a carrot dish, an asparagus/grilled artichoke heart dish, and rolls....Now these don't sound terribly exotic but that's because I don't have the recipes. The flavors were incredibly interesting because everything contained combinations of spices that we normally wouldn't have. Hardboiled eggs with a sweet but tangy dressing. Everything contained pepper, and other dishes contained anything from anise, cumin, pine nuts to fig syrup. It was all rather savory flavor. Dessert was a pear souffle that was sweet with the honey in it, but again savory with cumin and pine nuts, and pancake/crepes. It was really an interesting feast time. My friend researched all these recipes on the internet and I'm highly impressed. And after what we came across in our studies of Rome, I'm thankful for the lack of peacock brains and dormice. That would have put me over the edge for sure. As it was, it was fun to have a place to try new things, dress in costume, and discuss what we've learned about Rome. We still have a few projects to finish here but those were due Friday so we're starting our new unit now. (Did she not believe me that they were due Friday? Does it not matter because she doesn't feel like grades are relevant? The consequence is no middle school group or other extra activities until it's done. Hopefully there is some motivation in that.)
So starting this week, it's on to "Barbarians and Missionaries".