Among 3rd-century Romans, one distinguishes the ientaculum (light breakfast of bread and cheese), the prandium (cold midday meal eaten standing), and the cena (main evening meal, structured into gustatio, primae mensae, and sweet secundae mensae). But Aurelian, the Illyrian soldier-emperor, primarily lives by the rhythm of the annona militaris: the ration distributed to the legionary—grain to grind oneself, salted pork, vinegar to dilute, salt, and oil. His imperial table remains frugal, except on triumph days when sweets and fruits from the East are displayed.

Garum, a fermented fish sauce, is the universal umami of Roman cuisine: it salts and enhances everything, from the common soldier's porridge to the imperial banquet. With Aurelian, it combines with another signature—Illyrian sobriety, where maximum flavor is extracted from almost nothing.