Literary Feast  ·  Read the passage. Cook the meal.
A bill of fare

The Roman Traitor, Vol. 1

by Henry William Herbert

THE ROMAN TRAITOR, VOL. 1HENRY WILLIAM HERBERT
Our binding, not the publisher's

“And now, to the melody of Lydian lutes, two slaves introduced a huge silver dish, loaded by the vast brawn of the Umbrian boar, garnished with leaves of chervil, and floating in a rich sauce of anchovies, the dregs of Coan wine, white pepper, vinegar, and olives. The carver brandished his knife in graceful and fantastic gestures, proud of his honorable task; and as he plunged it into the savory meat, and the delicious savor rushed up to his nostrils, he laid down the blade, spread out his hands in an ecstacy, and cried aloud, "ye Gods, how glorious!"”

From a cookbook of 1845

A cook of roughly the same moment, setting down the same dish.

1845  ·  Acton
OXFORD BRAWN SAUCE

Mingle thoroughly a tablespoonful of brown sugar with a teaspoonful of made mustard, a third as much of salt, some pepper, from three to four tablespoonsful of very fine salad-oil, and two of strong vinegar; or apportion the same ingredients otherwise to the taste.

Sources: The passage is from Henry William Herbert, The Roman Traitor, Vol. 1, free to read in full at Project Gutenberg. The recipe is from Acton, Modern cookery for private families of 1845, also free in full. Both are in the public domain in the United States. The binding above is ours — moss cloth, grapes stamp.

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