According to a well-known proverb, "We are what we eat." Therefore, before Greece was incorporated into the Roman empire, early ancient Romans would have been labelled as porridge-eating barbarians by the Greeks. Things became more challenging after 146 BC. New recipes and flavours were frequently added to ancient porridge (or pulses), whether they were beans, spelt, or lentils. Greek cooks, along with Greek schoolteachers, rhetoricians, and even doctors, were frequently brought to Rome as slaves. This led to the creation of a new gap between the wealthy who owned kitchens and the poor who were dependent on the 150 thermopolia found in the Pompeii archaeological area.
In a normal day, the Romans would eat three meals. Breakfast was referred to as the Ientaculum, or first meal. It typically consisted of bread and sometimes some fruit and was consumed around daybreak. The Prandium was the name of the subsequent meal (lunch). The Prandium was a very small meal eaten around 11 AM. The Cena was the main meal of the day. In the afternoon, it was consumed. Due to the lack of kitchens in most homes, the ancient Romans used to have lunch at thermopolia, or fast food establishments.
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Both wealthy and poor individuals, including slaves, would frequently sip wine throughout the day. But for women, it was strictly forbidden. Since there are many different types of wine and most of them have a rather strong flavour, they are frequently diluted with water and combined with spices, culinary herbs, or honey. The Posca, for instance, was a cheap beverage made of water and sour wine that was incredibly popular among regular people and legionnaires.
