Binging (or “bingeing”) is the act of excessive or compulsive consumption of things like food or alcohol. Purging is “to get rid of something” and, in the context of food, refers to the act of someone forcing themselves to throw up the contents of their stomach. Eating disorder is a psychological disorder that affects the way a person eats. Anorexia and bulimia are common examples of eating disorders and are often a result of a desire to be thin. Anorexia nervosa (“an”-without, “orexia” -appetite, desire) is characterized by the refusal to maintain a

body weight at the minimum normal weight for a person’s age and height coupled with an intense fear of

weight gain and distorted body image (Vogler 1993). The symptoms typically include significant weight loss,

intense fear of weight gain, preoccupation with low-fat and low-calorie foods, specific eating rituals and

habits, excessive exercise, and social and emotional withdrawal. Anorexia nervosa (also known as the “rich

girl’s syndrome”) is present in certain members of all populations around the world and existed throughout

history even before the intense media focus on thinness (Gordon 2000).

Bulimia nervosa (“bous”-ox, “limous”-hunger) entered the English language in 1977. It is a disorder

characterized by the rapid consumption of food followed by attempts to purge the body of the food via

vomiting, laxatives, or excessive exercise.

The two definitions above were copied from http://www.randomhistory.com/2008/08/08_eating.html

Read http://www.ehow.com/about_5468275_history-bingeeating-disorders.html and answer the

following questions.

1. What is Binge-eating disorder, or BED?

2. Describe the characteristics of binge eating.

3. Did bulimia exist in ancient times? Take notes.

4. What are “vomitoriums” and what were they used for?

5. Eating disorders today are often caused by a person’s desire to be thin. Was bulimia in the ancient

world the same as it is today? In other words, did people in ancient times binge and then purge to

become thin?

6. What are the differences between bulimia and BED?

7. What are the differences between anorexia and BED?

8. What are some of the health concerns of BED?

____________________________________________________

Eating disorders have existed for a long time and have been documented worldwide. The frequency of self-starvation and purging behaviors vary greatly across certain periods of history, indicating that certain combinations of social and economic factors often facilitate or inhibit these behaviors.

Historical evidence suggests that anorexia and bulimia have existed since at least the first century. During the time of Caesar (700 B.C.), rich ancient Romans overindulged at lavish banquets and then relieved themselves by vomiting so they could return to the feast and continue eating. Ancient Egyptians drew hieroglyphics that depicted their use of monthly purges to avoid illness. Persian medical manuscripts, and Chinese scrolls originating in early dynasties also describe ailments that are very similar to modern eating disorders. The vast body of tribal lore from Africa contains several stories concerning adults who fasted during times of extreme famine in order to save food for their children, and then continued to restrict their diet and were in danger of dying even after the famine was over.

Wealthy Roman ladies of the post-pagan Christian era acting under spiritual direction sometimes starved themselves in order to depreciate (show contempt for) the body, which was considered evil. Copied from https://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=11747&cn=46

Write down the definitions from www.m-w.com:

Gluttony Overeating Do you eat too much or too little? This question is hard to answer unless you have a clear idea of how

many calories you consume. One of the school’s ESLRs addresses the issue of making healthy food

choices. Therefore, for a Social Studies project, you will keep a food log of everything you eat for one

week. You will have to find the caloric value (i.e., find the number of calories) for all the food you eat

during this time. A lot of packaged food lists the number of calories in it. You can also use the internet

to help you find the caloric value of the foods you eat. For example, www.calorieking.com is a popular

website that has a search engine where you can look up the caloric value of the food you eat. There are

many other websites. In fact, if you find a good website, email it Mr. William. There are websites in

Thai that will help you find the calories for phat thai, etc. and I am sure there are other websites in other

languages that will help you search for the number of calories in different ethnic dishes.

Milk 2-3 Servings (per

day)

Meat/Nuts 2-3 Servings

(per day)

Fruit 2-4 Servings

(per day)

Vegetables 3-5 Servings

(per day)

Bread / Cereals / Rice / Pasta 5-9 Servings

Egg 70 (no oil)

Tofu 90 per ½ cup

S-L Banana 50-100 each

Carrot 60 per cup

Bread 70+ per slice

1 Fried egg 100+

Tofu (firm) 180 per ½ cup

S-L Orange 70-100

Bamboo Shoots 30 per cup

Muffin 100-400+

1 Cheese slice 50-110+

Tuna+water 90 per ½ cup

Apple 80

Bean Sprouts 50 per cup

Cereal:

Butter 100 Tbsp.

Fish+water 130 (4oz)

Dragon Fruit 100

Broccoli 45 per cup

Steamed Rice 180 per cup

Margarine 30 tsp.

Chicken 50 (1 oz)

Peach 50 - 70

Cauliflower 30 per cup

Fried Rice 220 per cup

Milk 1 L-S Shrimp 20-10

Chomphu 30

Green Beans 40 per cup

Noodles 200 cup

Mayonnaise Bacon 40 slice

Raisins 130 per ¼ cup

Asparagus 40 per cup

Salad Dressing Beef 200+ (3oz)

Grapes 100 cup

Cabbage 30 per cup

Pork 220+ (3oz)

Strawberries 50 per cup

Spinach 40 per cup

Ham 345 (3oz)

Mangosteen 140 Mustard Greens 15 per cup

Hotdog + sauce 310+

Pomelo / Cherries 70

Oriental Radish 20 per cup

Peanut Butter 100 Tbsp

Mango 100

Mushrooms 20 per cup

Nuts: Watermelon 70 per wedge

Potato 120 per cup

Pineapple 40 per slice

Lettuce 10 / Head 60

Instructions: On a Google Doc, log what you ate RIGHT AFTER EATING IT, what date/time you ate it, and how much calories it was. By the end of each day, add up how many calories you have consumed throughout the day. I strongly suggest you carry a notebook around with you at all times. Do not try to remember what you ate at the end of the day because you will often forget what you ate AND DRANK. Do not forget to add what you drink to your food log. Here is a model to follow:

October 6, 2012 BREAKFAST (6:00 a.m.) 2 pieces of toast +130 3 Tbsp. peanut butter +300 Orange juice +80 = 520 calories

SNACK (9:30 a.m.) Granola Bar +190 Oreos +130 = 320 calories = 840 TOTAL SO FAR

LUNCH (12:30 p.m.) etc. Once you eat something, type it on your Google Doc! You must type everything you ate by the end of the day!

1. Skim this article on the internet or below to see how serious eating disorders can be: http://www.nytimes.com/1981/10/20/science/an-eating-disorder-of-binges-and-purges-reported.html 2. Read “A Strange but Interesting Look at How Gluttony was Handled in History” at http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/324675/weird_history_revealed_vomitoriums_.html?cat=37 (or on the PDF below) and then click “2” or “Next Page” to continue reading the article. 3. Then check out the source that is listed at the bottom of the above article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_eating_and_drinking that can now be found in the PDF below or at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Roman_cuisine and on the PDF below. Skim through the article quickly. Does the article that the author used as a source of information say anything about vomitoriums? Circle either YES or NO. 4. Then read another Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vomitorium. (It is also on the PDF below.) Then answer the following questions: 1. What does the Wikipedia “Vomitorium” article say about the existence of vomitoriums? What does

the article say is a vomitorium? (2 marks)

2. Did the person who wrote “A Strange but Interesting Look at How Gluttony was Handled in History” (see above) do a good job citing the Wikipedia source about vomitoriums? Give reasons for your answer. (2 marks)

3. Critical Thinking: Give two reasons why it is important to cite your sources correctly. (2 marks)

4. Do you think that vomitoriums, where people would vomit up their food, really existed in ancient

Roman times? Do a brief internet search and then give reasons for your answer. (2 marks) 5. Critical Thinking: If there is such disagreement on the internet, what does that tell you about either

the study or teaching of history today? (1 mark) What does it tell you about the reliability of information in general that you find on the internet? In other words, can you believe what you read on the internet? (1 mark)

AN EATING DISORDER OF BINGES AND PURGES REPORTED

Published: October 20, 1981

WIDESPREAD By JANE E. BRODY

THE Roman orgy, a prolonged feast interspersed with periodic purging to make continued

gorging possible, was an occasional event among the wealthy in ancient Rome. But today this

binge-and-purge behavior has become a daily affair for growing numbers of young women,

threatening their health and interfering with their lives.

For some, the syndrome, known as bulimia (from the Greek, meaning ''ox hunger''), has evolved

into a $50-to-$100-a-day food habit that has forced them into bankruptcy, stealing and even

prostitution. Victims may consume up to 55,000 calories in an hour or two, then induce vomiting

and repeat the behavior as often as four times a day. Others take laxatives - as many as 300 a

week - to prevent their bodies from retaining the enormous amounts of food they consume.

Psychotherapists at eating disorders clinics around the country say the secretive phenomenon,

which nearly always starts with a stringent diet to lose weight, is now epidemic on college

campuses. A single newspaper article on bulimia in Los Angeles brought 50 calls from desperate

victims. A news service article emanating from the Eating Disorders Clinic at Massachusetts

General Hospital two weeks ago brought 50 referrals in one day. And a program on bulimia

broadcast on British television drew 10,000 letters from people who wanted help.

In Seattle, nearly 4 percent of students who visited the University of Washington Psychiatric

Clinic sought help for bulimia. Therapists there, who referred to the 4 percent as a ''striking

frequency,'' said they believed this number represented the tip of the bulimia iceberg.

Binge eating is apparently extremely common, experts report. Through publicity and exposure to

friends, some binge-eaters discover they can avoid the caloric consequences of their behavior by

purges. Various studies indicate that 15 to 20 percent of college women occasionally purge after

binges, but for some it becomes habitual behavior.

A survey of 500 bulimics who, in response to publicity, contacted the Anorexia Nervosa Project

at Psychosomatic and Psychiatric Institute of Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago showed that

victims wait an average of five and a half years before seeking help. Many had thought they were

the only ones with this problem and were too ashamed to reveal it to their physicians.

Yet, according to Dr. Craig Johnson, director of the project and editor of the new International

Journal of Eating Disorders, early detection and intervention is important to sucessful treatment

of bulimia. ''The longer it goes on, the more entrenched the behavior and the harder it is to

intercept,'' he said in an interview.

The survey indicated that the typical bulimia victim is a single white woman (only about 5

percent are men) from the middle and upper classes who has had some college education. Most

are of normal weight, and started the binge-and-purge behavior at the age of 18 after completion

of a diet.

Other researchers report that bulimics are typically upwardly mobile, achievement-oriented

perfectionists who, despite their accomplishments, have little self-esteem and measure their

worth through the eyes of others. They also commonly fear intimacy with others and have

conflicts between aggressive tendencies and their submissive role as women.

Dr. Anita Siegman of the University of Southern California sees the eating disorder in part as

growing out of the stress of trying to be perfect. ''Eating becomes a form of release, the only

thing they can completely control,'' she remarked. ''Food temporarily relieves the anger and

depression most of these women feel.''

Though it may seem hard to believe, Dr. Richard Pyle of the University of Minnesota Hospitals

and Clinics says that guilt-ridden victims are so careful to hide their disorder that those who live

with them may not know it exists. One woman managed to keep her daily binges secret from her

husband of 20 years.

In its most severe form, the syndrome precludes a normal social and working life. ''So many

hours are spent eating and vomiting that nearly all social contact is cut off,'' Dr. Pyle said. ''Many

patients said all they did was work, sleep and binge.''

The disorder can also have potentially serious, and possibly fatal, medical complications. Most

commonly, victims develop severe tooth decay from destruction of the tooth enamel by acidic

vomitus. One bulimic patient sought help only after all her teeth had been capped twice, at a cost

of $20,000. Other side effects include a constant sore throat, esophageal inflammation, swollen

glands near the cheeks, liver damage, nutrient deficiencies and, in those who use laxatives, rectal

bleeding. Life-threatening complications include rupture of the stomach and disruption of the

body's electrolyte and fluid balance, which can cause heart rhythm abnormalities.

Bulimia is related to, but distinct from, another eating disorder, anorexia nervosa, the self-

induced ''starvation disease'' which is also now being seen in increasing numbers of young people.

Whereas most bulimics are at or near a normal weight for their height, anorexics drop 25 percent

or more below normal weight. About half of anorexics periodically experience binge-and-purge

behavior, and this group is considered hardest to treat. Bulimics and anorexics share a morbid

fear of weight gain and a fear of losing control over their eating. Binges in Obese People

http://www.nytimes.com/1981/10/20/science/an-eating-disorder-of-binges-and-purges-

reported.html

(Page 2 of 2)

Going on binges without purging is often found among obese people. However, according to Dr.

Susan Wooley of the department of psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center,

the obese tend to consume far less food in a binge than do bulimia patients.

Whereas an obese person might count a half a pizza and two brownies as a binge, a typical binge

for a bulimic may begin with two packages of cookies and a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk and a

half gallon of ice cream and conclude with a basket of fried chicken, fistfuls of candy and

pastries.

In an editorial to be published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, Dr. Wooley and

her husband, Dr. Orland Wayne Wooley, note that the currently popular ''Beverly Hills Diet,''

which emphasizes consumption of large quantities of fruit, has many earmarks of bulimia.

''The author accidentally struck upon a system that mimics bulimia by producing purges through

diarrhea caused by the excessive ingestion of roughage,'' Dr. Wooley said. ''She, like the bulimic,

is very sensitive to small weight changes and changes in water balance. Her 'cure' for binges is to

eat food that causes diuresis (excessive urination) and diarrhea.''

The author of the Beverly Hills Diet, Judy Mazel, is traveling in Europe and, according to her

literary agent, unavailable for comment. Experts disagree on how to characterize bulimia. While

most view it as a form of substance abuse, akin to drug addiction and alcoholism, others say it is

an obsessive-compulsive disorder like compulsive hand-washing.

Dr. Johnson, who considers bulimia an addiction, said bulimics use food to regulate tensions.

''They latch onto food, instead of alcohol or drugs, because they are basically a bunch of good

girls, not lawbreakers, and food has no apparent moral, legal or medical consequences,'' he said.

Cultural Factors Involved

Cultural factors that place a premium on slimness also play a role, the experts believe. In some

people, the effort to be thin results in a state of chronic self-induced starvation. As Dr. Wooley

put it, ''One hundred percent of the people want to be in the bottom 10 percent of a bell-shaped

curve of normal weight distribution. This is especially true for women, many of whom try to

maintain a weight that is below their normal set point.''

She cited studies of starvation showing that people of normal weight who lose a significant

amount of weight start going on binges as soon as they are given access to unlimited quantities

of food. This phenomenon may explain why bulimia commonly starts at the conclusion of a diet.

Dr. Wooley believes that binges get worse with time because the repeated purges impair the

body's ability to detect satiation; this results in a need for ever-greater quantities of food to

appease ''hunger.''

Dr. Johnson said his survey revealed that ''the binging per se is not a gratifying experience'' but

rather is associated with feelings of disgust, helplessness, guilt and panic. The purge, on the other

hand, is a source of relief for most victims.

Based on such observations and on their belief that bulimia is a compulsion, Drs. James Rosen

and Harold Leitenberg, psychologists at the University of Vermont, begin treatment by

preventing the purges.

''The driving force of the disorder is the vomiting, not the binging,'' Dr. Rosen said. ''Some

bulimics report that they binge only to make it easier to vomit. Once someone has learned that

vomiting reduces anxiety, rational fears no longer inhibit overeating.''

Thus, he starts by showing victims they can live through the anxiety provoked by eating. As fear

diminishes, more normal eating habits evolve, the Vermont researchers said in a report that will

soon be published. They say they have completely stopped the bingeand-purge syndrome in a

dozen patients treated thus far, with minimal weight gain afterward, but further studies are

needed to determine the treatment's long-term value. Various Types of Treatment

Dr. Pyle of the University of Minnesota Hospitals believes the key to treatment lies in learning to

eat three meals a day, planning ahead so as to reduce anxiety about food. This is coupled with a

program of exercise and relaxation, behavior modification techniques and psychotherapy.

At Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. David B. Herzog and his colleagues take an

interdisciplinary approach to treatment, including psychotherapy, nutrition, social work and

dentistry among the specialties consulted. Dr. Herzog, among others, has found that group

therapy is helpful to many bulimics, who generally feel isolated and alienated.

Some who are severely depressed may benefit from antidepressant drugs, preliminary studies

indicate. A Stanford University study suggested that perhaps a third of bulimics might be helped

by treatment with the anti-epileptic drug, Dilantin, though other specialists disparage this

approach.

Dr. Herzog has found that not all bulimics who ask for help are able to accept it. ''They are very

frightened and it takes a while to achieve a therapeutic relationship,'' he said.

Dr. Siegman says the treatment of bulimia tends to be prolonged and may succeed only in

suppressing the syndrome, rather than curing it. Like the formerly obese person who must

constantly control overeating, many bulimics may have to fight the urge to binge-andpurge for

the rest of their lives.

http://www.nytimes.com/1981/10/20/science/an-eating-disorder-of-binges-and-purges-

reported.html?pagewanted=2

Weird History Revealed: Vomitoriums

A Strange but Interesting Look at How Gluttony was

Handled in History

While often regarded as a myth or something that was created to entertain the mass of Saturday

Night Live fans (circa 1980), the vomitorium of Roman history was indeed a factual entity. A

vomitorium was a place where people could vomit between courses so they could continue

eating without having to pass on delicacies. Vomitoriums are still in place in modern theaters

however they aren't used as vomit pits but are there for symbolic reasons.

While the act of vomiting may not have been the most popular of activities in the Roman times,

if you were wealthy enough to have a vomitorium in your dwelling back then, it was the

equivalent of having a BMW or Mercedes Benz in your driveway today. Vomitoriums

represented the ultimate in snobbery; while others were starving and begging for scraps of food,

the elite and wealthy were gorging on massive amounts of food then purging to make room for

more.

How exactly was it done? Most vomitoriums had hard stones and wooden beams that one would

lay over, the pressure of the body over the beam or stone would cause whatever was in the

stomach to be forced upwards and out. This goes against the grain of the modern day binge and

purge cycle that often require a finger or implement to be forced down the throat to produce a

gagging effect which then leads to vomiting.

Was this something that was exclusive to the Romans? No, the Greeks also practiced the binge

and purge cycle but not to the degree of their Roman counterparts. Most of the vomitoriums were

built outside the main area of the home, this kept the smell to a minimum but I would hate to

have to be the person that had to clean out the troughs. Vomitoriums that were built inside

private eateries were usually out of plain sight as to not cause a public barrage of food expulsion.

. What happened to all the vomit? Most was collected and used in tannery pits to remove fat and

muscle from animal skins.

The act of vomiting was not to lose weight; they expelled food with the express purpose of being

able to eat more. In the Roman times "weight" was not an issue, the larger you were the

wealthier you were so the skinny little supermodels of today would not have faired very well in

classical Roman and Greek times. It was done by the elitists and those wealthy enough to afford

the absolute best of the best.

Would a vomitorium be something that modern society would be able to embrace? Personally, I

highly doubt it. Vomiting tends to set off a china reaction of gagging and retching, one of the

main reasons why vomitoriums were never built directly next to a dining hall or area.

Vomitoriums are still in place within modern theaters thought they are symbolic, not functional.

The term vomitorium can also refer to the how large structures were built, in the Coliseum in

Rome the outlets were referred to as vomitoriums because of the way they allowed mass number

of patrons to excite the facility in quick order. The term vomitoria is Latin for 'rapid discharge'

which eventually transformed into the modern English word, vomit.

Sources Cited:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_eating_and_drinking

http://voices.yahoo.com/weird-history-revealed-vomitoriums-461061.html

Ancient Roman cuisine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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This article is part of the series

Italian cuisine

Cucina italiana

History[show]

Regions & cities[show]

Foods[show]

Dishes[show]

Desserts[show]

Wines[show]

Beverages[show]

See also[show]

Italy portal

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This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources

remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by

introducing more precise citations. (April 2009)

Ancient Roman cuisine changed over the long duration of this ancient civilization. Dietary

habits were affected by the influence of Greek culture, the political changes from kingdom to

republic to empire, and empire's enormous expansion, which exposed Romans to many new,

provincial culinary habits and cooking techniques. In the beginning the differences between

social classes were not very great, but disparities developed with the empire's growth.

Contents

1 Meals

o 1.1 Cena

2 Table culture

3 Entertainment

4 Typical dishes

o 4.1 The starter

o 4.2 Main Dish

o 4.3 Dessert

5 Alcoholic drinks

6 Sources for recipes and menus

o 6.1 Early texts

o 6.2 Modern recipe collections

7 See also

8 Notes

9 References

10 External links

Meals

Apicius: De re coquinaria, frontispiece of 1709

Traditionally in the morning, a breakfast called the ientaculum,[1]

was served at dawn. At around

11am, Romans ate a small lunch, and in the evening, they consumed the cena,[2]

the main meal

of the day. Due to the influence of the Greeks and the increased importation and consumption of

foreign foods, the cena increased in the size of the portion and diversity and was consumed in the

afternoon. The vesperna,[3]

a light supper in the evening, was abandoned, and a second breakfast

was introduced around noon, the prandium.

In the lower strata of society, the old routine was preserved, because it corresponded more

closely to the daily rhythms of manual labor.

Originally flat, round loaves made of emmer (a cereal grain closely related to wheat) with a bit of

salt were eaten; among the upper classes, eggs, cheese, and honey, along with milk and fruit

were also consumed. In the Imperial period, around the beginning of the Christian era, bread

made of wheat was introduced; with time, more and more wheaten foods began to replace emmer

bread. The bread was sometimes dipped in wine and eaten with olives, cheese, crackers, and

grapes. They also ate wild boar, beef, sausages, pork, lamb, duck, goose, chickens, small birds,

fish, and shellfish.

Cena

Main article: Cena

Among the members of the upper classes, who did not engage in manual labor, it became

customary to schedule all business obligations in the morning. After the prandium, the last

responsibilities would be discharged, and a visit would be made to the baths. Around 2:00 pm.,[4]

the cena would begin. This meal could last until late in the night, especially if guests were

invited, and would often be followed by a comissatio (a round of drinks).

In the period of the kings and the early republic, but also in later periods (for the working

classes), the cena essentially consisted of a kind of porridge, the puls. The simplest kind would

be made from emmer, water, salt and fat. The more sophisticated kind was made with olive oil,

with an accompaniment of assorted vegetables when available. The richer classes ate their puls

with eggs, cheese, and honey and it was also occasionally served with meat or fish.

Over the course of the Republican period, the cena developed into 2 courses: a main course and a

dessert with fruit and seafood (e.g. molluscs, shrimp). By the end of the Republic, it was usual

for the meal to be served in 3 parts: 1st course (gustatio), main course (primae mensae), and

dessert (secundae mensae).

Table culture

Silver containers (piperatoria) for serving pepper as a table condiment, from Roman Britain

From 301 BC, Greek customs started to influence the culture of higher class Romans. Growing

wealth led to ever larger and more sophisticated meals. Nutritional value was not regarded as

important: on the contrary, the gourmets preferred food with low food energy and nutrients.

Easily digestible foods and diuretic stimulants were highly regarded.

The dinner was consumed in a special dining room, which later was to be called triclinium. Here

one would lie down on a specially designed couch, the lectus triclinaris. Around the round table,

the mensa, three of these lecti were arranged in the shape of a horseshoe, so that slaves could

easily serve, and a maximum of three diners would recline at each lectus. During the kingdom

and early republic, the only people allowed a place on a lectus were men. By the late republic

and imperial times, and especially among the aristocracy, women were permitted to recline

during meals. Traditionally, women would dine sitting upright across from their husbands or

fathers in chairs. More tables for the beverages stood beside the couches. All heads were oriented

towards the central table, with left elbows propped on a cushion and feet at the outside of the

dinnercouch. In this fashion at most nine people could dine together at one table. Further guests

had to sit on chairs.[citation needed]

Slaves normally stood.

Feet and hands were washed before the cena. The food would be taken with the fingertips and

two kinds of spoons, the larger ligula and the smaller cochlear with a needle-thin grip, which

was used as a prong when eating snails and molluscs, in practice substituting for the modern

fork. At the table, larger pieces would be cut up to be served on smaller plates. After each course

the fingers were washed again and napkins (mappae) were customary to wipe one's mouth.

Guests could also bring their own mappae to take home the leftovers from the meal or small gifts

(the apophoreta). Everything that could not be eaten (e.g. bones and shells) was thrown onto the

floor, whence it was swept away by a slave.

In summer, it was popular to eat outside. Many houses in Pompeii had stone couches at a

particularly beautiful spot in the garden for just that purpose. People lay down to eat only on

formal occasions. If the meal was routine, they ate while seated or even standing.

Entertainment

During a dinner for guests, musicians, acrobats, poets or dancers would perform and dinner

conversation played an important role. Dances were not usual, as it was considered improper and

would not mix well with table manners, although during the comissatio this habit was often

disregarded. To leave the table for bodily functions was considered inappropriate and restraining

oneself was considered good manners. After the main course, during a pause, an offering was

made to the Lares, the spirits of the house. This offering normally consisted of meat, cake and

wine. The cake was usually colored with saffron.

Typical dishes

The starter

Boy holding a platter of fruits and what may be a bucket of crabs, in a kitchen with fish and

squid, on the June panel from a mosaic depicting the months (3rd century AD)[5]

This part of the meal was called gustatio or promulsis. It generally consisted of light, appetizing

dishes. The usual drink was mulsum (a mixture of wine and honey). At large feasts several starter

dishes were served one after another.

The usual salad and vegetable plants were:

Pulses such as fava beans, chick peas, peas and lupins, although these were only

appreciated by peasants, smiths, legionaries and gladiators; the upper class preferred

lentils imported from Egypt.

Several kinds of vegetables were usually enjoyed with vinegar, kale was cooked in salt

and both the green and the white parts of chard were used.

The leaves of many shrubs and weeds were cooked to a mush and strongly spiced;

examples are elder, mallow, orache, fenugreek, nettles and sorrel.

Pickled fruit and vegetables such as escarole, olives, chicory, chard, cardoons, mallows,

broccoli, asparagus, artichokes, leeks, carrots, turnips, parsnips, beets, peas, green beans,

radishes, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuces and field greens, onions, cucumbers, fennel,

capers and cress[disambiguation needed]

were called acetaria and were thought to be appetising.

Spinach and eggplant were not known until the 9th century. Tomatoes were not available.

Mushrooms, such as boletus, field mushroom and truffles.

Stewed and salted snails, raw or cooked clams, sea urchins and small fish.

After the Republican period, light meat dishes were also served as starters. One example

is dormice, which were bred in special enclosures before being fattened-up in clay pots

called gliraria. Small birds like thrushes were also served.

Often, an intermediate dish was served before the real caput cenae which was the dinner. The

decoration of this dish could be more important than the actual ingredients.

Main Dish

The main dish usually consisted of meat.[citation needed]

The most common dishes were:

Pork was the most usually eaten and best liked meat. All parts of the pig were eaten, and more

unusual parts like the breasts and uteruses of young sows were considered specialities. Pigs' ears

were also a delicacy.

Beef was not very popular. Cattle were working animals, used for such tasks as ploughing or

pulling carts, so their meat was usually very tough and had to be cooked for a long time to make

it edible. Even calf meat was unpopular, with only a few recipes for it being known.

Geese were bred and sometimes fattened. The technique of force-feeding was already known,

and the liver of force-fed geese was a special delicacy, as it is today. Chicken was more

expensive than duck. Other birds like pavones (peacocks) and swans were eaten on special

occasions. Capons and poulards (spayed hens) were considered specialities. In 161 BCE the

consul C. Fannius prohibited the consumption of poulards, though the ban was ignored.

Sausages, farcimen, were made of beef and pork according to an astonishing diversity of recipes

and types. Particularly widespread was the botulus, a blood sausage somewhat like black

pudding, and which was sold on the streets. The most popular type of sausage was the lucanica,

a short, fat, rustic pork sausage, the recipe for which is still used today.

For special effects, whole pigs were stuffed with sausages and fruit, roasted and then served on

their feet. When cut, the sausages would spill from the animal like entrails. Such a pig was called

a porcus Troianus ("Trojan pig"), a humorous reference to the Trojan Horse.

Hares and rabbits were bred, the former with little success, making them as much as four times

more expensive than rabbits. Hares therefore were regarded as a luxury; shoulder of hare was

especially favoured. Newborn rabbits or rabbit fetuses, known as laurices, were considered a

delicacy.

Buying bread, on a wall painting from Pompeii

Fish was served only in earlier periods, and it remained more expensive than simpler meat types.

Breeding was attempted in freshwater and saltwater ponds, but some kinds of fish could not be

fattened in captivity. Among these was the most popular, mullus, the goatfish. At a certain time

this fish was considered the epitome of luxury, above all because its scales exhibit a bright red

color when it dies out of water. For this reason these fish were occasionally allowed to die slowly

at the table. There even was a recipe where this would take place in garo, in the sauce. At the

beginning of the Imperial era, however, this custom suddenly came to an end, which is why

mullus in the feast of Trimalchio (see the Satyricon) could be shown as a characteristic of the

parvenu, who bores his guests with an unfashionable display of dying fish.

There were no side dishes or accompaniments in today's sense, although bread was consumed by

all classes following the introduction of wheat. Thereafter only the poorest, with no access to an

oven, had to continue eating puls. Bread, which existed in a large number of different varieties,

quickly became exceptionally popular and public bakeries were established in Rome from 270

AD.[dubious – discuss]

Garum, also known as liquamen, was the universal sauce added to everything. It was prepared by

subjecting salted fish, in particular mackerel intestines, to a very slow thermal process. Over the

course of two to three months, in an enzymatic process stimulated by heating, usually by

exposure to the sun, the protein-laden fish parts decomposed almost entirely. The resulting mass

was then filtered and the liquid traded as garum, the remaining solids as alec - a kind of savoury

spread. Because of the smell it produced, the production of garum within the city was banned.

Garum, supplied in small sealed amphorae, was used throughout the Empire and totally replaced

salt as a condiment. Today similar sauces are produced in Southeast Asia, usually sold abroad

under the description "fish sauce", or nam pla.

Spices, especially pepper, but hundreds of other kinds too, were imported on a large scale and

used copiously. One very popular spice was silphium; however, as it could not be cultivated it

finally became extinct through overcropping of the wild plant. The inherent flavours of

vegetables and meat were completely masked by the heavy use of garum and other seasonings. It

was considered an indication of the highest achievement in culinary art if a gourmet could tell

neither by sight, nor smell, nor taste what the ingredients of a dish were.[citation needed]

Dessert

Still life with fruit basket and vases (Pompeii, ca. A.D. 70)

Among fruits, grapes were the most preferred. The Romans distinguished between grapes for

wine-making and grapes as food. Raisins were also produced. After grapes, figs and dates played

a major part and pomegranates were eaten in many varieties. Quinces, figs, dates, grapes,

pomegranates, various types of apples, apricots, peaches, cherries, pears, plums, currants,

strawberries, blackberries, medlars, elderberries, mulberries, azaroles, citron, raspberries, and

melons were grown. Lemons were known from the 1st century AD, but not cultivated

extensively. The Romans ate walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, chestnuts and pine nuts. Roman

bakers were famous for the many varieties of breads, rolls, fruit tarts, sweet buns and cakes.

Cold clams and oysters (bred on a large scale), which were originally dessert dishes, later

became starters.

Cakes, made of wheat and usually soaked in honey, played a big part. Certain kinds of nuts were

also available, and they were thrown at festivals much as sweets are today.

Alcoholic drinks

See also: Ancient Rome and wine

A modern re-creation of Conditum Paradoxum

A re-creation of the Moretum recipe

Wine was normally mixed with a liquid resembling vodka immediately before drinking to raise

the grade, since the fermentation was not controlled and the alcohol grade was low. Wine was

sometimes adjusted and "improved" by its makers: instructions survive for making white wine

from red and vice versa, as well as for rescuing wine that is turning to vinegar. Wine was also

variously flavored. For example, there was passum, a strong and sweet raisin wine, for which the

earliest known recipe is of Carthaginian origin; mulsum, a freshly made mixture of wine and

honey; and conditum, a mixture of wine, honey and spices made in advance and matured. One

specific recipe, Conditum Paradoxum, is for a mixture of wine, honey, pepper, laurel, dates,

mastic, and saffron, cooked and stored for later use. Another recipe called for the addition of

seawater, pitch and rosin to the wine. A Greek traveler reported that the beverage was apparently

an acquired taste.[6]

Beer (cervesa) was known but considered vulgar. Sour wine mixed with

water and herbs (posca) was a popular drink for the lower classes and a staple part of the Roman

soldier's ration.

Sources for recipes and menus

Early texts

Apicius, a Roman cookery book

Athenaeus of Naucratis, [Deipnosophistae] (The Deipnosophists=The Banquet of the

Philosophers). Written in Rome in the early 3rd century AD.

Cato: De Agri Cultura ("On Farming") with recipes for farm products

Columella: De Agricultura book 12, with recipes for conserves

Moretum, poem containing a recipe

Petronius: "Cena Trimalchionis" (The feast of Trimalchio), a section of the Satyricon:

satirical sketch of a feast at the home of a rich former slave in the early imperial period

Vinidarius: brief late Roman recipe collection

Modern recipe collections

Dalby, Andrew; Grainger, Sally (1995), The Classical Cookbook, London: British

Museum Press, ISBN 0-7141-2208-4

Patrick Faas, Around the Roman Table. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003;

paperback, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, ISBN 978-0-226-23347-5.

Mark Grant, Roman cookery: ancient recipes for modern kitchens. London: Serif, 1999.

[1]

Ilaria Gozzini Giacosa, A Taste of Ancient Rome. Chicago: University of Chicago Press,

1992, ISBN 978-0-226-29032-4.

Sally Grainger, Cooking Apicius: Roman recipes for today. Totnes: Prospect Books,

2006.

Grocock, Christopher; Grainger, Sally (2006), Apicius. A critical edition with an

introduction and an English translation, Totnes: Prospect Books, ISBN 1-903018-13-7

[includes Vinidarius]

Eugenia Salza Prina Ricotti, Dining as a Roman emperor: how to cook ancient Roman

recipes today. Rome: L'Erma di Bretschneider, 1995.

See also

Food portal

Notes

1. ^ Artman,John:"Ancient Rome- Independent Learning Unit",page 26, Good

Apple, 1991.

2. ^ Artman,John:"Ancient Rome- Independent Learning Unit",page 26, Good

Apple,1991.

3. ^ Artman,John::"Ancient Rome- Independent Learning Unit",page 26, Good

Apple,1991.

4. ^ Guy,John:"Roman Life",page 8, Ticktock Publishing LTD,1998.

5. ^ J. Carson Webster, The Labors of the Months in Antique and Mediaeval Art to

the End of the Twelfth Century, Studies in the Humanities 4 (Northwestern University

Press, 1938), p. 128. In the collections of the Hermitage Museum.

6. ^ Erdoes, Richard. 1000 Remarkable Facts about Booze. New York: The

Rutledge Press, 1981, p. 88.

References

Roman Dining: A Special Issue of American Journal of Philology - Google Books

Around the Roman Table: Food and Feasting in Ancient Rome - Patrick Faas - Google

Books

Famine and Food Supply in the Graeco-Roman World: Responses to Risk and Crisis -

Peter Garnsey - Google Books

Jacques André, L'alimentation et la cuisine à Rome. Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 1981.

N. Blanc, A. Nercessian, La cuisine romaine antique. Grenoble: Glénat, 1992.

Dalby, Andrew (2003), Food in the ancient world from A to Z, London, New York:

Routledge, ISBN 0-415-23259-7

Dalby, Andrew (2000), Empire of Pleasures, London, New York: Routledge, ISBN 0-

415-18624-2

Antonietta Dosi, François Schnell, A tavola con i Romani antichi. Rome: Quasar, 1984.

L. Hannestad, Mad og drikke i det antikke Rom. Copenhagen, 1979.

Nico Valerio, La tavola degli antichi. Milan: Mondadori, 1989.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_eating_and_drinking

Vomitorium

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and

removed. (July 2009)

A vomitorium

A vomitorium is a passage situated below or behind a tier of seats in an amphitheatre or a

stadium, through which big crowds can exit rapidly at the end of a performance. They can also

be pathways for actors to enter and leave stage.[1]

The Latin word vomitorium, plural vomitoria,

derives from the verb vomeo, vomere, vomitum, "to spew forth." In ancient Roman architecture,

vomitoria were designed to provide rapid egress for large crowds at amphitheatres and stadiums,

as they do in modern sports stadiums and large theatres.

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, for instance, has vomitoria in two of its theatres, the outdoor

Elizabethan Stage and the Angus Bowmer Theatre. The voms, as they are called, allow actors to

mount the stage from halls cut into the amphitheatre. The Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis,

Minnesota has two permanent voms, one at stage left and one at stage right, of its thrust stage.

The Circle in the Square Theatre, designed to reflect the theatres of ancient Greece and Rome, is

the only Broadway theatre that has a vomitorium. The vomitorium is still used in many of their

productions as an entrance and exit for the actors.

The Cockpit Theatre, built in London in the 1960s, is one of the very few purpose built theatres

in the round in London and features four voms as corner entrances between four banks of raked

seating arranged in a square.

In addition the Mark Taper Forum, one of the three theatres making up the Los Angeles Music

Center, has two vomitoria. It has a strong thrust stage such that the audience sit in an

amphitheatre type array.

Misinterpretation of the term

See also: List of common misconceptions

A vomitorium at the Roman amphitheatre in Trier

There is a common misconception that ancient Romans designated spaces called vomitoria for

the purpose of actual vomiting, as part of a binge and purge cycle.[2]

According to Cicero, Julius

Caesar escaped an assassination attempt because he felt ill after dinner. Instead of going to the

latrine, where his assassins were waiting, he went to his bedroom and avoided assassination.[3]

This may be the origin of the misconception. The term vomitorium does not appear until the 4th

century AD, about 400 years after Caesar and Cicero.[4]

Other sources say that Aldous Huxley was the first to use the misinterpretation in his book Antic

Hay[5]

in 1923, in the sentence: There strode in, like a Goth into the elegant marble vomitorium

of Petronius Arbiter, a haggard and dishevelled person.

References

1. ^ "Vomitorium". Oxford Dictionary. Oxford Dictionaries. Retrieved 2 December

2010.

2. ^ Radin, Alice P. (8 January 2003). "Fictitious facts: The case of the

vomitorium". APAClassics.org. American Philological Association. Archived from the

original on 2003-03-20.

3. ^ Anna (May 08, 2005). "Roman Vomit Collectors". Fascinating History blog.

4. ^ McKeown, J.C. (2010). A Cabinet of Roman Curiosities: Strange Tales and

Surprising Facts from the World’s Greatest Empire. Oxford University Press. pp. 153–

154. ISBN 978-0-19-539375-0.

5. ^ BTconnect

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vomitorium

100 B.C. The ancient Romans – perhaps civilization’s first bulimics: History tells of the Romans purging

between courses to make room for seconds. Even Julius Caesar was documented in taking part in this

gluttonous tradition. Contrary to modern day bulimics, it doesn’t appear they were concerned so much

about weight as they were about consuming as much food as humanly possible. It is often mistaken that

Roman Vomitoriums were the site of these less than savoury actions, but the name is more of a

coincidence. Vomitoriums were really just large doorways in public buildings that allowed mobs to be

‘vomited’ into the streets after events.

http://digitallydelicious.wordpress.com/2008/10/20/still-crazy-fad-diets-throughout-history/