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Porcellum Farsilem Duobus Generis (Suckling Pig, Stuffed in Two Ways)

Porcellum Farsilem Duobus Generis (Suckling Pig, Stuffed in Two Ways) is a traditional Ancient Roman recipe for a classic dish of a whole suckling pig that's stuffed with Terentine stuffing in the ears and brain stuffing in the body cavity and which is roasted and served dressed in olive oil. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ancient Roman version of: Suckling Pig, Stuffed in Two Ways (Porcellum Farsilem Duobus Generis).

prep time

30 minutes

cook time

120 minutes

Total Time:

150 minutes

Serves:

10-12

Rating:

Tags : Pork RecipesFowl RecipesAncient Roman Recipes

Original Recipe

Porcellum Farsilem Duobus Generis (from Apicius' De Re Coquinaria) VIII, vii, 1

Porcellum farsilem duobus generis: curas, a gutture extenteras, a cervice ornas. antequam praedures, subaperies auriculam sub cutem, mittes impensam Terentinam in vesicam bubulam et fistulam aviarii rostro vesicae alligabis, per quam exprimes in aurem quantum ceperit. postea charta praecludes et infiblabis et praeparabis aliam impensam. sic facies: teres piper, ligusticum, origanum, laseris radicem modicum, suffundes liquamen, adicies cerebella cocta, ova cruda, alicam coctam, ius de suo sibi, <si> fuerit, aucellas. nucleos, piper integrum, liquamine temperas. imples porcellum, charta obduras et fiblas. mittes in furnum. cum coctus fuerit, exornas, perunges et inferes.

Translation

Suckling Pig, Stuffed in Two Ways: Prepare [the pig]. Gut from the throat and hang by the neck. Before you brown it, open the skin under the ears. Put Terentine stuffing into an ox-bladder and affix a bird-keeper's pipe to the opening, through which you squeeze as much stuffing as possible into the pig's ear. After this, cover with papyrus and fasten securely. Prepare another stuffing, as follows: pound pepper, lovage, oregano and a little laser root. Pour [over] stock and add cooked brains, raw eggs, boiled spelt and pork gravy. If you have them, add the meats of small birds. Mix with nuts, peppercorns and liquamen. Stuff the suckling pig [with this mixture], cover the opening with papyrus and fasten [securely]. Put into the oven. When cooked, remove the papyrus, anoint [with olive oil] and serve.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

1 whole suckling pig
200ml Terentine sauce

For the Main Stuffing:
1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1/2 tsp lovage seeds (or celery seeds)
1 tsp dried oregano, crumbled
generous pinch of asafoetida
500g cooked pig's brains (or substitute tinned corned beef)
4 eggs, beaten
300g bulgur wheat, boiled in water to a thick paste
200ml (about) pork stock
150g game bird meats, finely chopped
100g ground almonds
6 tbsp liquamen
2 tsp black peppercorns

extra-virgin olive oil, to dress

Method:

Take a whole suckling pig and gut it through the neck (so that the body cavity is whole for stuffing). Wash thoroughly then hang up to dry. In the meantime, prepare the Terentine sauce according to the recipe.

When the terentine sauce is done, prepare the stuffing for the body cavity. Pound together the black pepper, lovage (or celery) seeds, oregano and asafoetida in a mortar. Chop the brains (or corned beef) and work into the spices then mix in the eggs. Turn into a bowl and work in the cooked wheat and pork stock. Now add the game bird meats and ground almonds then add the liquamen and black peppercorns. Cover the bowl and set aside.

Take the pig and, using a sharp knife make an incision both the ears that extends down the back of the ear and along the skull. Take a turkey baster or similar instrument and fill with the Terentine sauce. Squeeze this into the ears of the pig to fill as much as possible. Fold over the ear flaps, cover with baking parchment and tie securely in place.

Now take the brain stuffing and spoon this into the body cavity of the suckling pig. Tie or clamp the opening securely then brush the outside of the pig with olive oil and sit on a tray in a roasting tin. Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 220°C and roast for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C and continue roasting for 50 minutes per kg, or until the skin is crisp and the meat is thoroughly cooked (check that the meat juices run clear by piercing in the thickest part of the roast).

Remove the pig from the oven, cover with foil and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with extra-virgin olive oil and serve.

Find more recipes from Apicius' De Re Coquinaria along with information on Apicius and his cookbook, all part of this site's Ancient Roman recipes collection.