Ancient Pompeii Diet Consisted of Giraffe and Other "Exotic'" Delicacies 172
Philip Ross writes "New research into Pompeiians' daily lives is broadening our understanding of this ancient Roman culture, particularly their eating habits, before Mt. Vesuvius brought it all crumbling down nearly 2,000 years ago. Over the past decade, archaeologists excavating a row of building plots discovered remnants of food that would have been widely available and inexpensive in ancient Italy, like grains, fruits, olives, lentils, local fish, nuts and chicken eggs. They also uncovered evidence that Pompeiians enjoyed a variety of exotic foods, some of which would have been imported from outside Italy, including sea urchins, flamingos and even the butchered leg joint of a giraffe."
Typical Roman cuisine (Score:5, Insightful)
It didn't matter if it tasted good, the point was you were showing off your ability to buy meat from an animal that lived thousands of miles away.
maybe its good... (Score:5, Insightful)
i don't know why people here are assuming it doesn't taste good...we really have no idea. ...and let's not forget, different cultures have radically different preferences in taste.
it only takes one example, the Asian fondness for the to-our-western-palettes-horrific fruit Durian, to make this point.