Apicius

Apicius refers to the author or at least the tradition surrounding De re coquinaria, a Latin collection of Roman cookery recipes preserved in later manuscripts. The name is traditionally linked to Marcus Gavius Apicius, a famed 1st-century Roman gourmand, but the actual compiler or editors of the cookbook are unknown; the work likely reflects multiple hands from late antiquity.

The text is commonly dated to the later Roman Empire, with scholarly consensus placing its compilation in the 4th or 5th century CE. It is organized into ten books and presents hundreds of recipes for sauces, meats, fish, vegetables, bread, and desserts. The recipes emphasize flavorings such as garum or liquamen (fish sauces), mulsum (honey-sweetened wine), and various spicing and cooking techniques. The entries are practical in tone, offering ingredients and steps that illuminate Roman culinary practice and daily life.

Authorship and dating remain matters of scholarly debate. The collection likely assembles earlier recipes and follows later editorial work, and the association with Apicius may reflect the prestige of the famed gourmand rather than a direct attribution to him as author.

Manuscripts and transmission: Apicius survives in several medieval Latin manuscripts and has been transmitted through the centuries. The work reached print in the late medieval to early modern period, and modern editions and translations are common in classical and culinary scholarship.

Significance: As the best-preserved primary source on ancient Roman cookery, Apicius offers insight into ingredients, kitchen technique, and dining culture. It has informed both scholarly understanding of Roman gastronomy and the study of later European culinary traditions.