A Roman Burger made from a 1,500-year-old recipe © Photo: Dave Thompson / Route OnePhotography / English Heritage
Did Romans really invent the burger?
Rightly or wrongly, the Romans have been credited with bringing many things to Britain: from roads and pavements to heated baths and indoor plumbing. But an ancient Roman text gives them credit for a quintessentially American invention – the burger.
A recipe from the ancient Roman cookbook, Apicius, written by an unknown author during the late 4th or 5th century AD, details a dish called ‘Isicia Omentata’ made of minced meat, pepper, wine, pine nuts and a rich fish-based sauce (Garum), all formed into a patty.
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It has long been known that the Romans brought ‘fast food joints’ – or thermopolia as they called them – to Britain. In large towns people wanted access to quick food during their lunch break and vendors selling chicken legs, lamb chops and shellfish became commonplace.
Joe Jackson, dressed as a Roman Centurion, makes a Roman Burger at Birdoswald Roman Fort in Cumbria © Picture by Dave Thompson / Route OnePhotography / English Heritage
© Picture by Dave Thompson / Route OnePhotography / English Heritage
“We all know that the Romans left a huge mark on Britain, fundamentally altering the British diet forever,” says Food Historian Dr Annie Gray. “Street food became available en masse, and many of our favourite foods were introduced, including Isicia Omentata, what can be seen as the Roman forefather to today’s burger.”
According to Dr Gray, the Roman burger was “decidedly more upmarket” than many of today’s offerings, with a “richer and more complex” recipe than the plain beef version most common today.
“Since our ‘Roman Burger’, other similar recipes can be seen throughout history,” she adds. “There were the more flat or meatball-like Medieval ‘Pompeys’ or ‘Rissoles’, Georgian ‘Patties’ which popularised fried mince meat, and, by the end of the Victorian era, we see the first proper Hamburger. Burgers aren’t a modern invention – rather, a staple throughout the centuries that has evolved.”
More than 10,000 soldiers would have been based at forts such as Birdoswald at the peak of Roman occupation along Hadrian’s Wall. Having access to tasty, convenient food was vitally important as they patrolled the frontier and vendors serving fast food would have been commonplace in large towns.
The recipe (makes four Roman burgers):
500g minced meat
60g pine kernels
Three tsp. Garum (a salty fish sauce – you can use a fish based sauce found in the supermarket, or just regular salt)
Ground pepper
Handful of coriander
Juniper berries (optional)
Caul fat (optional)
Method
Grind up the pine kernels, and then mix in with the minced meat and other ingredients. Shape the mixture into patties, wrap this in Caul Fat if preferred. Cook over a medium heat or BBQ for five minutes on each side. Serve plain or in a flat bread bun.
venue
Birdoswald Roman Fort - English Heritage
Carlisle, Cumbria
Birdoswald Roman Fort stands high above a meander in the River Irthing, in one of the most picturesque settings on Hadrian's Wall. A Roman fort, turret and milecastle can all be seen on this excellent stretch of the Wall.
I shall make one and see what’s taste like yours Romvlvs
So…where is the recipe? One could trial-and-error the ingredients but it would no the recipe.
Hi Sol, we have now added the recipe. Caul Fat is optional – thankfully – but I would go for both the pine kernels and juniper berries. (editor)
Where exactly was this recipe found that hasn’t seen the light of day in 1,000 years when no archeological or historic sites merit mention?
The reinactment shows the patty being eaten between two buns and the recipe calls for a bread patty. Didn’t the Earl of Sandwich ???? invent this method of eating?
Sandwich was the first of the gentry to openly eat like a peasant in public
Interesting; now I wonder when the cheese and bacon was added and the patties doubled (was McDonalds responsible or did this too evolve)?
Excellence site – good layout and user friendly.
It no longer surprises me that people think that everything, eaten by everyone, for the last 100,000 years, comes in prepared and measured proportions – like some kind of bullshit frozen TV dinner. People had industries, and stores of victuals – preserved by drying, smoking and salting etc., but they also traded in food stuffs, as well as getting what was seasonally available – along with hunting, and gathering.
And since food was about nutrition AND energy, they made meals out of what they could get and what was available.
Eating meat, and bread and cheese – and getting herbs like garlic, seeds, and salted broths of all descriptions, spicing it up a bit….that is completely normal, and has been done by everyone, in every culture, in every land, from the year dot….
What is the source for the recipe? Would like to see the original recipe (in translation). The historical (original) recipe would make this article truly excellent.
One source for ‘Apicius: De Re Coquinaria ‘ seems a work in progress but a good starting point none the less.
Recipe 47 Another Kind of Kromeskis
Aliter Isicia Omentata
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Apicius/2*.html
“The original leaves us in doubt as to the kind of meat to be used…”
I like the folding-handle skillet: it looks like the practical sort of thing that a Roman soldier would carry.
Hull Museums published a Roman cookery book, although I don’t remember this recipe being in it. I must get another copy: I tend to give them away to friends.
The headline says “beef,” but do we know that this was made with beef? I read that the Ancient Romans didn’t like beef. The recipe just says “minced meat”–it doesn’t say beef.
I’ll let you have that one Scott. We have removed beef from the headline. 🙂
What meat would they have been likely to use 1,500 years ago?
Making an unstuffed version of this. Instead of stuffing jumbo shells with the hamburger mixture I have mixed the hamburger mixture with small shells and covered with the pasta sauce and cheese. hope it turns out good Thanks
Harold Burton
You can find this recipe in Apicius’ Cookbook which was compiled in the first century AD.
This looks amazing and fairly simple to do. I have never made stuffed anything but these look simple enough to try sometime. I love how you made garlic zucchini noodles to go with the dish. That’s my favorite way to eat zucchini noodles. I use my spiralizer weekly. Definitely one of the best birthday gifts I have received.
Ashley Jones
I have this cook book translated to English and the ingredients are totally different
Not really a burger though is it?
ALITER ISICIA OMENTATA
FINELY CUT PULP [of pork] IS GROUND WITH THE HEARTS OF WINTER WHEAT AND DILUTED WITH WINE.
FLAVOR LIGHTLY WITH PEPPER AND BROTH AND IF YOU LIKE ADD A MODERATE QUANTITY OF [myrtle] BERRIES ALSO CRUSHED, AND AFTER YOU HAVE ADDED CRUSHED NUTS AND PEPPER, SHAPE THE FORCEMEAT INTO SMALL ROLLS, WRAP THESE IN CAUL, FRY, AND SERVE WITH WINE GRAVY.