Eat as the Romans Do: Grade 6 Latin Students Celebrate with Annual Cena

Favreau believes that to understand Latin, you need to understand the ancient Romans themselves. The recipes, costumes, and personae all set the scene for the students to really engage in the story. 

The recipes come from an ancient recipe book, so it is plausible that the ancients might have recognized the dishes. The traditional bread called panis quadratus, for example, was found preserved in the excavation of Pompeii. The students spent time a few weeks ago sculpting panis quadratus out of Play-Doh; their results were dried for display on the windowsill of the classroom. Other offerings included raw cucumbers and carrots, which served as palate-cleansers, apples with honey, grapes, olive oil for dipping, and Roman meatballs. 

Before entering the banquet hall, or Prince B, guests took time selecting tunicas, togas, and stolas to wear to the feast from an ample selection of clothing Favreau has collected over the years. This helps them get into character, as an important part of the activity is role-playing, with each student assuming the identity of a fictional but particular person. The premise is that “the master of the house is throwing a dinner party, and a bunch of different friends are coming over for dinner,” says Favreau. 

Upon entering the banquet room, the guests took their place at a single, low table by lying on their left sides, according to Roman custom. Caecilius, the host of the party, stood up and gave a speech to welcome the guests. 

Then, it was feasting time, with food served in particular courses, starting with “gustatio”, or appetizer, before moving on to more main courses. 

Students were asked to write a letter to a friend to describe their cena experience.

“I sat the closest to Caecilius because I was the most important person there.… My personal favorite dish was the Roman French toast. This was my favorite because I loved the taste of the honey and that soft feeling in the food,” wrote one student.

Another guest shared rave reviews. 

“My time at Caecilius’s dinner party was delightful. For our gustatio, we had many sorts of bread that we dipped in olive oil. We also had apples with cinnamon, which were delicious, The cucumbers with salt were also really good. They had a salty taste when you bit into them, but then you could taste the delicious cucumber.”

Until the next time, Caecilius, and best of luck in your business affairs.