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Porcellum Iscellatum (Sauce for Suckling Pig)

Porcellum Iscellatum (Sauce for Suckling Pig) is a traditional Ancient Roman recipe for a classic sauce of spices and laurel berry with leeks in a stock, passum, wine and olive oil base that's served with pork. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ancient Roman version of: Sauce for Suckling Pig (Porcellum Iscellatum).

prep time

10 minutes

cook time

30 minutes

Total Time:

40 minutes

Serves:

4

Rating:

Tags : Sauce RecipesSpice RecipesVegetable RecipesAncient Roman Recipes

Original Recipe

Porcellum Iscellatum (from Vinidarius' Apici Excerpta) xxvi

Porcellum Lasaratum: Mittes in mortario piper, ligusticum aut anesum, coriandrum, rutam, bacam lauri, fricabis, suffundis liquamen, porrum, passi sive mellis modicum, vinum modicum, olei aliquantum. cum coxeris, amulo obligabis.

Translation

Sauce for Suckling Pig: In a mortar, bruise together pepper, lovage or aniseed, coriander, rue and bay berry. Pour over liquamen, add leeks, a little passum or honey, a little wine and some olive oil. When [the sauce is] cooked thicken with starch.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1/8 tsp aniseed
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp dried rue (or rosemary)
1 laurel (bay) berry or 1 juniper berry
2 tbsp liquamen (fish sauce)
220ml pork stock
1 leek, white part only, finely shredded
60ml passum
60ml red wine
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cornflour (originally, amulum, wheat starch, would have been used)

Method:

Roast or braise the pork. When almost cooked, prepare the sauce.

Pound together the black pepper, aniseed, coriander seeds, rue and laurel berry in a mortar. Moisten with the liquamen, passum and red wine then turn into a saucepan. Add the pork stock, olive oil and leek then bring to a boil.

Cook for 10 minutes, or until the leek is tender. Whisk the cornflour to a smooth slurry with 2 tbsp water. Whisk this into the sauce, bring back to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes more, or until thickened.

Serve to accompany roast pork.

Find more recipes from Vinidarius' Apici Excerpta on this site's page dedicated to the Vinidarius Excerpts from Apicius with Translations.