There is an overabundance of scholarly production dedicated to various aspects of dining and conviviality in Rome (dietary regimes, health implications, food procurement and storage, food variety and nutritional values, food preparation, wine and gastronomy, recipes and condiments, sociability of the banquet, ideological, social and sexual conditioning of convivial practices) as well as to the kitchen tableware, the physical spaces of culinary activity and the environments in which food was actually consumed. This paper, on the other hand, is dedicated to the figure of the cook, a subject much less studied, but of great interest for the understanding of multiple aspects, such as the consideration enjoyed by this category of workers among the elites, their juridical status, the times and places in which these “workers” found themselves working, and the judgements and prejudices that characterised their professional profile.
Esiste una sovrabbondante produzione scientifica dedicata a svariati aspetti della cena e del convivium a Roma (regimi alimentari, implicazioni sanitarie, approvvigionamento e stoccaggio di cibo, varietà di alimenti e valori nutrizionali, preparazione delle pietanze, enogastronomia, ricette e condimenti, sociabilità del banchetto, condizionamenti ideologici, sociali e sessuali delle pratiche conviviali) nonché al vasellame da cucina, agli spazi fisici dell’attività culinaria e agli ambienti in cui effettivamente si consumava il cibo. Il presente contributo, invece, è dedicato alla figura del cuoco, tema assai meno studiato, ma di grande interesse ai fini della comprensione di molteplici aspetti, quali la considerazione della quale godette questa categoria di lavoratori presso le élites, il loro status giuridico, i tempi e i luoghi in cui questi “addetti ai lavori” si trovarono ad operare, i giudizi e i pregiudizi che ne connotarono il profilo professionale.
I cuochi a Roma fra tarda Repubblica e alto Impero: una categoria negletta?
Margherita Cassia
2024-01-01
Abstract
There is an overabundance of scholarly production dedicated to various aspects of dining and conviviality in Rome (dietary regimes, health implications, food procurement and storage, food variety and nutritional values, food preparation, wine and gastronomy, recipes and condiments, sociability of the banquet, ideological, social and sexual conditioning of convivial practices) as well as to the kitchen tableware, the physical spaces of culinary activity and the environments in which food was actually consumed. This paper, on the other hand, is dedicated to the figure of the cook, a subject much less studied, but of great interest for the understanding of multiple aspects, such as the consideration enjoyed by this category of workers among the elites, their juridical status, the times and places in which these “workers” found themselves working, and the judgements and prejudices that characterised their professional profile.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.