THE BOOK

Many dishes listed in Apicius are named for various celebrities who
flourished at a later date than the second Apicius. It is noteworthy,
however, that neither such close contemporaries as Heliogabalus and
Nero, notorious gluttons, nor Petronius, the arbiter of fashion of the
period, are among the persons thus honored. Vitellius, a later
glutton, is well represented in the book. It is fair to assume, then,
that the author or collector of our present Apicius lived long after
the second Apicius, or, at least, that the book was augmented by
persons posterior to M. Gabius A. The book in its present state was
probably completed about the latter part of the third century. It is
almost certain that many recipes were added to a much earlier edition.

PROBABLY OF GREEK PARENTAGE

We may as well add another to the many speculations by saying that it
is quite probable for our book to originate in a number of Greek
manuals or monographs on specialized subjects or departments of
cookery. Such special treatises are mentioned by Athenaeus (cf.
Humelbergius, quoted by Lister). The titles of each chapter (or book)
are in Greek, the text is full of Greek terminology. While
classification under the respective titles is not strictly adhered to
at all times, it is significant that certain subjects, that of fish
cookery, for instance, appear twice in the book, the same subject
showing treatment by widely different hands. Still more significant is
the absence in our book of such important departments as
desserts--_dulcia_--confections in which the ancients were experts.
Bakery, too, even the plainest kind, is conspicuously absent in the
Apician books. The latter two trades being particularly well
developed, were departmentalized to an astonishing degree in ancient
Greece and Rome. These indispensable books are simply wanting in our
book if it be but a collection of Greek monographs. Roman culture and
refinement of living, commencing about 200-250 years before our era
was under the complete rule of Hellas. Greek influence included
everybody from philosophers, artists, architects, actors, law-makers
to cooks.

"The conquered thus conquered the conquerors."

Humelbergius makes a significant reference to the origin of Apicius.
We confess, we have not checked up this worthy editor nor his
successor, Dr. Lister, whom he quotes in the preface as to the origin
of our book. With reference to Plato's work, Humelbergius says: