flipMoretum: cheese paste with garlic and herbs
Moretum: cheese paste with garlic and herbs
Why this dish? Before Actium and during his long campaigns, Augustus shared the common soldiers' fare: this moretum, a cheese paste ground with garlic and herbs, kept well, traveled easily, and was eaten on bread. It was the robust food of soldiers and peasants, which the frugal emperor never disdained.
A rustic paste made by grinding dry cheese, garlic, fresh herbs, salt, vinegar, and oil in a mortar, finished with a dash of garum. Green, pungent, and savory, it is spread on bread and keeps for several days: the legionary's snack.
Before I brought peace at Actium, I knew the camps, the dust, and the hard bread of soldiers. There, we ground cheese in the mortar with garlic, wayside herbs, a little salt and vinegar, until the paste turned green and bit the tongue. Spread it on your bread, and you will stand a day's march; it keeps, travels, and requires neither oven nor cook. A prince who has eaten this knows what he owes to those who carry his eagles.
- •Dry sheep's cheese — a good piece (base of the paste)
- •Garlic cloves — a few (pungency)
- •Fresh herbs (coriander, celery, a very small amount of rue) — a handful (freshness and color)
- •Salt — a pinch (seasoning and preservation)
- •Vinegar — a splash (acidity, aids preservation)
- •Olive oil — a splash (binder)
- •Garum (liquamen) — a few drops (fermented umami depth)
Moretum: cheese paste with garlic and herbs
A rustic paste made by grinding dry cheese, garlic, fresh herbs, salt, vinegar, and oil in a mortar, finished with a dash of garum. Green, pungent, and savory, it is spread on bread and keeps for several days: the legionary's snack.
Why this dish? Before Actium and during his long campaigns, Augustus shared the common soldiers' fare: this moretum, a cheese paste ground with garlic and herbs, kept well, traveled easily, and was eaten on bread. It was the robust food of soldiers and peasants, which the frugal emperor never disdained.
Before I brought peace at Actium, I knew the camps, the dust, and the hard bread of soldiers. There, we ground cheese in the mortar with garlic, wayside herbs, a little salt and vinegar, until the paste turned green and bit the tongue. Spread it on your bread, and you will stand a day's march; it keeps, travels, and requires neither oven nor cook. A prince who has eaten this knows what he owes to those who carry his eagles.
Ingredients (period version)
- Dry sheep's cheese — a good piece (base of the paste)
- Garlic cloves — a few (pungency)
- Fresh herbs (coriander, celery, a very small amount of rue) — a handful (freshness and color)
- Salt — a pinch (seasoning and preservation)
- Vinegar — a splash (acidity, aids preservation)
- Olive oil — a splash (binder)
- Garum (liquamen) — a few drops (fermented umami depth)
Ingredients
- Pecorino or dry grated sheep's cheese — 150 g (base of the paste)
- Garlic — 2 cloves (pungency)
- Coriander and celery leaves — 1 generous handful (freshness and color)
- Salt — 1 pinch (seasoning)
- White wine vinegar — 1 tsp (acidity)
- Olive oil — 2 tbsp (binder)
- Fish sauce (instead of garum) — 4-5 drops (fermented umami depth)
Method
- Pound the garlic in a mortar with the salt until it becomes a paste (or chop very finely).
- Add the chopped herbs and continue grinding to release their fragrance.
- Incorporate the grated cheese and mash everything into a paste.
- Loosen with vinegar, oil, and fish sauce, working until smooth and homogeneous.
- Shape into a ball, cover, and refrigerate. Serve spread on bread; keeps for 3 to 4 days.
How it was made : The *moretum* is celebrated in a short poem from the *Appendix Vergiliana*, which describes a peasant grinding garlic, cheese, herbs, salt, oil, and vinegar in a mortar for his morning meal. It was a popular, nourishing, and long-lasting preparation typical of rural and military Roman life. Rue (a bitter herb) was used in many ancient dishes but is used cautiously today.
The contemporary twist : A 'Caesar's pesto' before its time: roll the ball in chopped herbs and serve on breadsticks, as a shareable ancient appetizer.
Sources : *Appendix Vergiliana*, *Moretum* (ancient poem) · Columella, *De re rustica* (cheese preparations)
Augustus · Charactorium
