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Frontinianum Porcellum (Suckling Pig Stewed in Wine)
Porcellum Oenococtum (Suckling Pig Stewed in Wine) is a traditional Ancient Roman recipe for a classic dish of a whole suckling pig that's roasted in a wine sauce with leeks and coriander and served with a second wine sauce made from the pan juices, wine, meat stock and spices. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ancient Roman version of: Suckling Pig Stewed in Wine (Porcellum Oenococtum).
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
280 minutes
Total Time:
300 minutes
Serves:
8-10
Rating: 
Tags : Sauce RecipesSpice RecipesPork RecipesAncient Roman Recipes
Original Recipe
Porcellum oenococtum: porcellum praeduras, ornas. adicies in caccabum oleum, liquamen, vinum, aquam, obligas fasciculum porri, coriandri, media coctura colorabis defrito. adicies in mortarium piper, ligusticum, careum, origanum, apii semen, laseris radicem, fricabis, suffundes liquamen, ius de suo sibi, vino et passo temperabis, exinanies in caccabum, facies ut ferveat. cum ferbuerit, amulo obligas. porcellum compositum in patina perfundes, piper asparges et inferes.
Translation
Suckling Pig Stewed in Wine: Brown [the pig in the oven] and prepare. Put in the pan [with the pig] oil, stock, wine, water and a bouquet garni of leeks and coriander. When half-cooked add defrutum to colour. Put in a mortar pepper, lovage, caraway, oregano, celery seeds and laser root. Mix then pour over stock and pan juices [from the pig]. Blend with wine and passum. Pour [this sauce] into a pan and bring to a boil and when it boils thicken with starch. Arrange the stewed suckling pig on a serving dish and pour over the sauce. Serve sprinkled with pepper.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
1 whole suckling pig
2 tbsp olive oil
120ml pork or chicken stock
120ml red wine
120ml water
1 bouquet garni made from leek leaves and
coriander leaves
40ml
defritum
For the Sauce:
1 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1 tsp
lovage seeds (or celery seeds)
generous pinch of caraway seeds
1/2 tsp dried
oregano, crumbled
1 tsp celery seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida
200ml pork stock or chicken stock
100ml red wine
60ml
passum
1 tbsp cornflour blended to a slurry with 2 tbsp water (originally wheat starch [anmulum] would have been used)
freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Place the piglet in a roasting tin then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 220°C and roast for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C. Whisk together the olive oil, stock, red wine and water. Pour this over the piglet, add the bouquet garni 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). When the meat is half done, pour over the defritum to colour the meat.
When cooked through, remove the piglet from the oven and allow to rest, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. Pound together the black pepper, lovage (or celery) seeds, caraway seeds, oregano, celery seeds and asafoetida in a mortar. Work in the pork stock and red wine then pour into a pan. Strain the pan juices from the piglet into the same pan then add the passum. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and whisk in the cornflour slurry. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened. Serve the sauce to accompany the pork, which should be sprinkled with black pepper.
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.
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