Laridum
Boiled lardo garnished with olive oil and salt with Posca, part of a Roman legionnaire’s complete diet
City/Region: Rome
Time Period: 1st Century
Roman legions often supplemented their rations with food from home, or if they were on campaign outside of Roman territory, with raiding the local villages. Other times, all they might have would be their portions of fat, hardtack (clack clack), and sour wine.
The lardo was really good. It was quite salty and I didn’t care for the fatty texture, but the flavor was reminiscent of bacon and I got a little bit of the dill coming through. Find some lardo for this, not bacon. The lardo is pretty much all fat and what this would have been. I have no idea why you would want to drizzle some cooked fat with some liquid fat, so feel free to leave off the olive oil.
“Cooked lard:
Boil covered in water with plenty of dill, drizzle a little oil and a little salt.”
Ingredients:
- Italian lardo (smoked fatty pork, not bacon)
- A large handful of dill
- Olive oil
- Salt
Instructions:
- Add the lardo and dill to a pot of boiling water. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until it’s nice and soft.
- Slice, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and serve it forth with some Posca for a true Roman legionnaire meal.