Dining Like a Roman

Finger Food!  Before food was served, it was cut into small pieces, and eaten with fingers or a spoon. There were usually no table knives and no forks, but the Romans had spoons. They were made of bronze, silver, and bone for sipping liquids with a pointy handle to extract shellfish.

Plebeians made due with cereals, bread, and vegetables, but patricians ate quite well.  They feasted on exotic foods from all over the empire eaten in several courses and, unlike their Greek counterparts (see Ancient Greeks & Wine Consumption ), drank wine in generous amounts.  Like their Greek counterparts though, Romans drank diluted wine.  They considered not doing so barbaric.

The male head of the household would recline while dining.  The women and children sat on couches or the floor.