flipMoretum, fresh herb and garlic cheese spread
Moretum, fresh herb and garlic cheese spread
Why this dish? A simple and nourishing daily staple of Roman life, moretum was spread on the white bread that Agrippina ate soberly, true to her reputation for temperance, far from the ostentatious feasts she despised.
A green, fragrant paste made by pounding fresh cheese, garlic, herbs, salt, and a little oil and vinegar in a mortar. Spread on bread: the snack of Romans of all ranks.
They praise my austerity, and rightly so: why burden a table with a thousand meats when a piece of bread and this moretum suffice? I have it pounded in the mortar before my eyes—cheese, garlic, garden herbs, a drop of vinegar—until the paste turns green and fragrant. It is the food of honest folk, and mine as much as my servants'.
- •Fresh sheep's milk cheese — a block (base)
- •Garlic — a few cloves (bite)
- •Fresh herbs (coriander, rue, celery, mint) — a handful (flavor)
- •Salt — a pinch (seasoning)
- •Olive oil — a drizzle (fat binder)
- •Vinegar — a few drops (acidic edge)
Moretum, fresh herb and garlic cheese spread
A green, fragrant paste made by pounding fresh cheese, garlic, herbs, salt, and a little oil and vinegar in a mortar. Spread on bread: the snack of Romans of all ranks.
Why this dish? A simple and nourishing daily staple of Roman life, moretum was spread on the white bread that Agrippina ate soberly, true to her reputation for temperance, far from the ostentatious feasts she despised.
They praise my austerity, and rightly so: why burden a table with a thousand meats when a piece of bread and this moretum suffice? I have it pounded in the mortar before my eyes—cheese, garlic, garden herbs, a drop of vinegar—until the paste turns green and fragrant. It is the food of honest folk, and mine as much as my servants'.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fresh sheep's milk cheese — a block (base)
- Garlic — a few cloves (bite)
- Fresh herbs (coriander, rue, celery, mint) — a handful (flavor)
- Salt — a pinch (seasoning)
- Olive oil — a drizzle (fat binder)
- Vinegar — a few drops (acidic edge)
Ingredients
- Fresh sheep's milk cheese or fresh pecorino — 200 g (base)
- Garlic cloves — 2 small (bite)
- Fresh coriander — 1 small bunch (flavor)
- Celery leaves — a few leaves (flavor)
- Fresh mint — 4 leaves (freshness)
- Salt — 1 pinch (seasoning)
- Olive oil — 2 tbsp (fat binder)
- Wine vinegar — 1 tsp (acidic edge)
- Rustic white bread — for serving (base)
Method
- Peel the garlic and pound it in a mortar with a pinch of salt until it forms a paste (or chop very finely).
- Add the chopped herbs and continue pounding to release the flavors.
- Add the fresh cheese and mash everything into a homogeneous paste.
- Gradually incorporate the olive oil and vinegar until spreadable.
- Shape into a ball, refrigerate for 30 minutes, and serve on bread slices.
How it was made : The poem Moretum, from the Appendix Vergiliana, describes step by step a peasant preparing this paste at dawn: garlic, cheese, herbs, and salt pounded in a mortar. It was a universal food, from the humblest to the richest, and rue (ruta) often featured among the herbs.
The contemporary twist : Replace rue (toxic in large doses) with a bit more mint and celery; roll the moretum ball in chopped herbs, like a modern fresh cheese.
Sources : Appendix Vergiliana, Moretum
Agrippina the Elder · Charactorium
