Black Banquet Roman Patina with Jellyfish
Roman patina (frittata) with fish, colored black by cuttlefish ink, and topped with jellyfish
City/Region: Rome
Time Period: 1st Century
Emperor Domitian was not a popular guy with the upper classes of Roman society. He had a penchant for killing people in the latter years of his reign, which usually does some damage to one’s image. The story goes that around the year 90, Domitian threw what is known as the black banquet. The entire room was black, the dishes and food (the kind that was prepared for funerals) were black, each attendee had their own gravestone and the kind of lamp that was usually used in tombs, their personal servants were replaced by ghostly boys painted black, and Domitian talked only of death and slaughter. Say what you will, the man knew how to stick to a theme. Everyone actually lived through the dinner, but this kind of psychological torture was par for the course with Domitian.
This recipe comes from Apicius and I use period-appropriate cuttlefish ink to make it black. It’s a kind of frittata made with fish and is topped with jellyfish. Apicius goes so far as to say “at the table, no one will know what they are eating”. Sinister in and of itself. Though how they wouldn’t know is beyond me because the jellyfish has a terrible soft texture that I somehow wasn’t able to bite through, and the fishy flavor was made more pungent by the garum. 0/10. Do not recommend.
“Patina of Anchovies without Anchovies
Take flesh of roasted or boiled fish and flake, enough to fill a dish the size you want. Grind pepper and a little rue, soak with enough garum and mix in a little oil and break eggs and mix everything in the pan with the fish, so that it makes a smooth mixture. On top you gently place jellyfish so they do not mix with the eggs. Cook in steam so that the jellyfish cannot combine with the eggs, and when they are dry, sprinkle with ground pepper and serve. At the table, no one will know what they are eating.”
Ingredients:
- 1 pound (1/2 kg) white flaky fish, I used tilapia
- 4 to 6 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Plenty of black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon rue*, or celery leaf
- 1 tablespoon garum*
- Jellyfish or sea anemone
- Tiny spoonful of cuttlefish ink*, dissolved in an extra egg
*See notes below.
Instructions:
- Boil or roast the fish. To roast it like I did, preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C) and line a baking sheet with foil. Place the fish on the baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes or until done. Use two forks to pull it apart into flakes. Reduce the oven to 350° (180°C).
- Grind the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle, then add the chopped rue and grind until combined. Add these to a bowl with the oil and garum, and stir until everything is mixed.
- In a large bowl, combine the flaked fish, garum spice mixture, and eggs, and stir until well combined. Add the cuttlefish ink and stir until evenly distributed and appropriately nightmarish.
- Pour the mixture into a casserole or baking dish and gently arrange the jellyfish on top. Do your best to make sure it doesn’t sink into the eggs.
- Place the casserole into a larger baking dish or deep pan and fill it with hot water. Put the whole thing in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the eggs are nice and firm. The jellyfish will kind of liquefy, so wherever they are might look liquidy.
- Remove from the oven and serve it forth on a black plate in a black room with an evil laugh for extra authenticity.
Notes
- Rue is a bitter herb that was used in a lot of historical recipes. It's mildly toxic and should only be consumed in very small amounts, if at all. Do not eat rue if you are pregnant!
- Garum was a fermented fish sauce that was used in a lot of ancient Roman cooking. You can buy a modern equivalent or use an Asian fish sauce.
- Link for dried rue: https://amzn.to/3BMKf7B
- Link for modern garum: https://amzn.to/3f8HkOM
- Link for cuttlefish ink: https://amzn.to/3LLZVwy
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