Theodosius at the table

At the court of Constantinople, a distinction is made between the ariston (light meal of the day) and the deipnon (the grand evening meal). The feast takes place reclining on couches (triclinium inherited from Rome), in several courses: the gustationes (savory and spicy appetizers), meat and fish dishes drizzled with liquamen and spiced wine, then honey dulcia to finish. The Christian Lent, strictly observed by Theodosius II, also imposes meatless fast days where fish, vegetables, and legumes dominate the table.

This fermented fish brine, inherited from Rome and still queen of the kitchens of Constantinople in the 5th century, salts and brings umami to almost everything. It is readily combined with honey, reduced wine (defrutum), and Eastern spices such as long pepper and nard, imported along the routes the Empire controls.