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Aper ita conditur (Seasoned Wild Boar)

Aper ita conditur (Seasoned Wild Boar) is a traditional Ancient Roman recipe for roast pork served with a highly-aromatic and spiced sauce. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ancient Roman version of: Aper ita conditur.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

120 minutes

Total Time:

140 minutes

Serves:

4

Rating:

Tags : Sauce RecipesHerb RecipesPork RecipesGame RecipesAncient Roman Recipes

This recipe is actually derived from two of Apicius' recipes. One for how to roast the meat and the other for the sauce. Both are given below:

Original Recipe

Aper ita conditur (from Apicius' De Re Coquinaria)

Aper ita conditur: spongiatur, et sic aspergitur ei sal, cuminum tritum, et sic manet. alia die mittitur in furnum. cum coctus fuerit, perfunditur piper tritum, condimentum aprunum, mel, liquamen, caroenum et passum.


Aliter in apro: teres piper, ligusticum, origanum, apii semen, laseris radicem, cuminum, feniculi semen, rutam, liquamen, vinum, passum. facies ut ferveat. cum ferbuerit, amulo obligas. aprum intro foras tanges et inferes.

Translation

Wild Boar is Prepared Thus: It is cleaned; sprinkled with salt and crushed cumin and thus left. The next day it is put into the oven; when done season with crushed pepper. Asauce for boar: honey, broth, reduced wine, raisin wine.

Another Sauce for Boar: Crush pepper, lovage, oregano, celery seed, laser root, cumin, fennel seed, rue, broth, wine, raisin wine; heat, when done tie with roux; cover the meat with this sauce so as to penetrate the meat and serve.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

Large joint of pork (or wild boar, if you can get it)
2–3 tsp cumin seeds
pinch of black peppercorns
1/2 tsp dried oregano crumbled
large pinch of lovage seeds (or celery seeds)
large pinch of rue
pinch of caraway seeds
pinch of fennel seeds
1/2 tsp celery seed
pinch of fresh chopped rosemary
drop of asafoetida essence
150ml pork or chicken stock
100ml Red wine
1 tbsp honey
25ml butter or olive oil
Flour
2 tsp of ground celery seed

Method:

Prepare the pork by wiping the meat clean and sprinkling it with ground cumin several hours before cooking. Roast the pork, uncovered in an oven at 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4) for one hour per kilo plus 55 minutes.

Meanwhile, place all the herbs and spices in a mortar and grind together with a pestle. Blend this in a bowl with the stock, red wine and olive oil and honey. Pour this sauce into a bowl, bring to the boil then allow to simmer for 25 minutes. Thicken the sauce with a tablespoon of flour and allow to simmer for a further five minutes.

When done, take the roast pork from the oven, sprinkle with the celery seed and allow to rest for ten minutes. Carve the meat and serve immediately with the sauce.

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.