Minutal Terentinum (Roman pork and fruit stew, Apicius)

Name: Minutal Terentinum (Roman pork and fruit stew, Apicius)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: 600 g pork shoulder or pork loin, cut into small 2cm dice; 150 g pitted dried prunes (dried plums), halved; 200 ml dry white wine (or a dry Roman-style wine such as Greco di Tufo); 200 ml chicken or pork stock; 2 tbsp good fish sauce (nam pla or Italian colatura di alici, this is the liquamen/garum substitute); 2 tsp coriander seeds, lightly toasted and ground; 1 tsp cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground; 0.5 tsp caraway seeds, lightly toasted and ground; 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 0.5 tsp ground ginger (laser/silphium substitute, the Romans used the now-extinct silphium; ginger is the best modern approximation); 1 tbsp honey; 1 tsp red wine vinegar; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp plain flour or cornflour, for thickening; Crusty bread or polenta (or, more authentically, soft flatbread), to serve

A Roman ragù from the world's oldest cookbook: pork and prunes in wine and fish sauce, fragrant with coriander and cumin

Origin: Ancient Rome, Italy

From the journey of Coriander/Cilantro.

This recipe is drawn directly from De Re Coquinaria (On Cookery), attributed to Marcus Gavius Apicius: the world's oldest surviving culinary text, compiled in its present form c. 4th century CE from earlier Roman sources dating back to the 1st century CE. Minutal Terentinum is a Roman-style 'mince' or ragù of diced pork, dried plums, wine, and fish sauce (liquamen, also called garum: the ubiquitous fermented fish condiment that functioned as Rome's salt and umami), abundantly spiced with coriander seeds, cumin, caraway, and ground pepper. The dish illustrates the Roman palate's characteristic embrace of sweet-savoury-salty complexity, and the central role coriander played in it: Apicius lists coriander in over one hundred recipes across the ten books of De Re Coquinaria, treating the seed as one of Rome's most important imported spices alongside cumin, pepper, and caraway. Rome spread coriander throughout its empire via trade and military movement; archaeological evidence of coriander seeds has been recovered from Roman sites across Britain, France, and Germany, confirming that soldiers and colonists carried the spice wherever the legions went. This adaptation maintains the spirit and the primary flavour relationships of the original while translating quantities and technique for a modern kitchen.

Ingredients

Meat

600 g pork shoulder or pork loin, cut into small 2cm dice

Fruit

150 g pitted dried prunes (dried plums), halved

Liquid

200 ml dry white wine (or a dry Roman-style wine such as Greco di Tufo)
200 ml chicken or pork stock

Seasoning

2 tbsp good fish sauce (nam pla or Italian colatura di alici, this is the liquamen/garum substitute)

Spice

2 tsp coriander seeds, lightly toasted and ground
1 tsp cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground
0.5 tsp caraway seeds, lightly toasted and ground
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
0.5 tsp ground ginger (laser/silphium substitute, the Romans used the now-extinct silphium; ginger is the best modern approximation)

Sweetener

1 tbsp honey

Acid

1 tsp red wine vinegar

Fat

2 tbsp olive oil

Thickener

1 tbsp plain flour or cornflour, for thickening

To serve

Crusty bread or polenta (or, more authentically, soft flatbread), to serve

Method

Heat the olive oil in a heavy casserole or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the diced pork in batches and sear until lightly browned on at least two sides, about 3–4 minutes per batch. Remove and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the ground coriander, cumin, caraway, black pepper, and ginger to the pan. Stir for 30 seconds until fragrant; the spices will bloom in the residual fat.
Return the pork to the pan. Add the wine, stock, fish sauce, and honey. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the prunes. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cover and braise for 30 minutes until the pork is tender and the prunes have begun to break down into the sauce.
Mix the flour with a tablespoon of cold water to form a smooth paste. Stir into the stew to thicken the sauce. Simmer uncovered for a further 5–8 minutes until the sauce is glossy and coating.
Add the red wine vinegar and taste carefully. Adjust the balance: more fish sauce for salt/depth, more honey for sweetness, more vinegar for sharpness. The final flavour should be complex; savoury, sweet, slightly tart, warmly spiced with the coriander as the clearest note.
Serve with crusty bread, polenta, or soft flatbread to absorb the sauce.

Notes

The original Apicius recipe calls for lucanian sausage and dates alongside the pork; these are entirely authentic additions if you wish to move closer to the Roman original. The fish sauce can be reduced in quantity by half for a milder version, compensating with a small pinch of salt. This dish reheats beautifully and is arguably better the following day. For the most historically accurate serving, present it with garum passed separately at the table (as the Romans did), allowing guests to adjust the saltiness themselves. De Re Coquinaria Book IV (Pandecter) is the source for the minutal recipes; Book V contains the fruit-based sauces that informed this preparation.

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