Exciting discovery in the Cotswolds: ancient Roman recipe for banana bread

[Justin Swanton]

Video here by the National Trust that revolutionises our understanding of Roman dietary habits in Antiquity.

[Imperial Dave]

locally grown presumably....

[Justin Swanton]

locally grown presumably....

Evidently not. But it shows the impressive extent of imperial trade networks. Suck it up, Leif Eriksson!

[Imperial Dave]

no local bananas? in this climate? madness I tell you

[Jim Webster]

locally grown presumably....

Evidently not. But it shows the impressive extent of imperial trade networks. Suck it up, Leif Eriksson!

Actually the descendants of Lief Eriksson are (or were at one point) self sufficient in home grown bananas, Iceland is (or at one point was) self sufficient in bananas because they were growing them using free geothermic heat 

[Imperial Dave]

 

[Swampster]

Presumably the variety grown in Cirencester were not Cavendish but Stultus aprilis?

[Justin Swanton]

locally grown presumably....

Evidently not. But it shows the impressive extent of imperial trade networks. Suck it up, Leif Eriksson!

Actually the descendants of Lief Eriksson are (or were at one point) self sufficient in home grown bananas, Iceland is (or at one point was) self sufficient in bananas because they were growing them using free geothermic heat 

I didn't know that. Another interesting fact about Lief and co. is that they were almost certainly the inventors of the barbecue. Why bother keeping up a smokey hearth indoors when you could just braai your meat outdoors on some nice cooling lava nearby? A possible etymology for "barbecue" is "bearded" (=barbarian) + "to cook" (coquere in Latin), i.e. "barbarian cuisine". Fascinating the little facts one picks up. Almost as interesting as doing Livy or Polybius. 

Edit: the ancient Viking cooking tradition is still practised today.