Roman lentils with cumin

A recreation from Apicius's De re coquinaria: lentils dressed with cumin, coriander, mint, and vinegar from the Roman kitchen of the 1st century CE

Origin: Rome, Italy

From the journey of Cumin.

The De re coquinaria (a Roman cookbook attributed to Marcus Gavius Apicius and compiled in the 4th century CE) contains multiple lentil preparations, all of which feature cumin as the primary spice. Romans treated cumin as a table condiment kept beside salt and pepper, and used it in a remarkable range of preparations from lentils to roasted meats to spiced wines. This recipe follows the Apician method closely: lentils braised with aromatics, then dressed with liquamen (the ubiquitous Roman fermented fish sauce), cumin, and vinegar. The combination of umami, earthiness, and acid was characteristic of Roman flavour balance.

Ingredients

Lentils

  • 300 g green or brown lentils, rinsed

Cooking

  • 1 small onion, halved
  • 1 bay leaf

Dressing

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 0.5 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1.5 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce (garum substitute) or 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Method

  1. Place the lentils in a pot with the halved onion, bay leaf, and enough cold water to cover by 5cm. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20–25 minutes until the lentils are tender but still holding their shape. Drain, discarding the onion and bay leaf.
  2. While the lentils cook, heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Cook the diced onion for 8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
  3. Add the ground cumin, ground coriander, and black pepper to the onion and garlic. Stir for 1 minute to bloom the spices in the oil.
  4. Add the drained lentils to the pan and stir to combine with the spiced oil.
  5. Add the white wine vinegar and fish sauce (or salt). Stir through and cook for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust; the lentils should be boldly seasoned with cumin as the dominant note, with a clean acidic finish from the vinegar.
  6. Remove from heat. Stir in the chopped mint and fresh coriander. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Garum, the fermented fish sauce that appears in virtually every Apician recipe, has a modern equivalent in Thai fish sauce or Vietnamese nuoc mam, which are both available widely. A few drops provide the characteristic umami depth without an obvious fish flavour. Omit entirely and use salt if preferred. This dish is excellent with flatbread and a drizzle of good olive oil; exactly as a Roman would have eaten it.

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