Wakefield Museums and Castles

Romans are well known for being fond of their food.

Luckily, a few original recipes survive from this period, which is remarkable given that it was nearly 2000 years ago.

This recipe comes from a book called 'De Re Rustica'. It was written between 60-65 AD by Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella, a Roman farmer and writer.

His recipe simply translated into English reads as follows:

“Put into a mortar, savory, mint, rue, coriander, parsley, chives or green onion, leaves of lettuce, rocket, thyme and catmint, and fresh (new) cheese and salt.

Mix thoroughly and mix in a little pepper.

All these measures were ground in a like manner; this mixture is served with a little oil on the top.”

He calls it 'Moretum', after the Roman cooking vessel he uses to make it (a mortarium). This was quite similar to a pestle and mortar found in kitchens today.

Any little ones - make sure you have a grown up’s help.

You can also download a PDF printout of this recipe.

• A handful of chives
• 2 sprigs of thyme or savory (or both)
• 1-and-a-half garlic bulbs
• 200g pecorino cheese (or vegetarian equivalent)
• 250g ricotta
• 1 sprig of mint
• 3 small catmint tips
• A handful of lettuce or rocket

You'll also need:

• A blender (or a pestle and mortar - and a lot of energy!)

1. Peel the garlic and remove the woody stems from the thyme
2. Wash all fresh leaves in a sieve
3. Roughly chop your pecorino and ricotta
4. Add these to the blender. Blend until you have a fine, grained paste
5. Serve as a paté, toast for garlic cheesy bread, or use as a pasta sauce.