The grand Roman meal unfolds in three stages: gustatio (savory appetizers—eggs, olives, salted meats, served with honeyed wine), mensa prima (main courses—fish, meats, vegetables dressed with garum), and mensa secunda (fresh and dried fruits, honey sweets). In the home of a wealthy man like Apollodorus, a Greek from Syria living in Rome, this Roman framework gladly welcomes the products of his native East—dates, dried fruits, and spices from the Damascus road.

Fermented fish sauce, the king condiment of all Roman cuisine: a salty, umami drop that was slipped into almost every dish, from the humblest to the most festive. Apollodorus, who oversaw building sites and banquets across the Empire, found its familiar taste from Rome to the banks of the Danube.