1892 The flowing bowl when and what to drink (1892, c1891)

OUR ANCESTORS.

80

cabbages were grown, with turnips, artichokes, pump- kins and cucumbers, peas and beans, mushrooms and and many plants and herbs used for flavoring. Nor did the Roman table lack rare and choice wines, kept in jars or bottles of baked clay. They were prized in proportion to their age; and each jar bore a label, showing in whose consulship the wine had been made. Campania furnished the best Italian wines, of which the Caecuban held the first rank, the Falernian the next, while the third place was claimed by several vintages; but whoever was forced to drink the Vatican was an object of general commiseration. Greek wines, too, had their place in the Roman cellars. As, with the increasing luxury the customs at the table were more and more fashioned after those of the Greeks, though incompar- ably more luxurious, so, like the Greek, the Roman rarely drank wine undiluted. He mingled it with water, and cooled it with snow; while for the winter he had a warm drink the calda, made of wine, water, honey, and spice, for preparing which there was a special ves- sel, the caldarium, with a small furnace of charcoal in the interior, on the principle of the Russian samovar. Still another beverage, called mulsurn, which was drunk at breakfast, was prepared of must, honey, and spices. The Roman table was thus liberally provided, and though many dishes seem to us of questionable taste, the achievements of Romans in the culinary line truffles, still,

Even in Caesar's time, at a pon-

do them high credit.