author
Apicius
Best known as the name attached to the oldest surviving Roman cookbook, this shadowy figure sits at the crossroads of food history, legend, and literary mystery. The recipes linked with "Apicius" offer a vivid glimpse of imperial Roman tastes, from elaborate sauces to everyday kitchen techniques.
2 Audiobooks
About the author
The name Apicius is usually connected with De re coquinaria, the famous collection of ancient Roman recipes that survives today. But the authorship is uncertain: modern reference works and scholarly summaries note that the cookbook was probably compiled centuries after the life of Marcus Gavius Apicius, the wealthy Roman gourmet who lived in the early 1st century CE under Tiberius.
That uncertainty is part of what makes Apicius interesting. Marcus Gavius Apicius became famous in Roman tradition for luxury, extravagant dining, and an almost legendary devotion to fine food. Over time, his name seems to have become attached to a culinary tradition, so the book known as Apicius may reflect a broader collection of recipes and kitchen knowledge rather than the work of one clearly identifiable author.
Even so, the text remains one of the most important windows into ancient cooking. It preserves recipes, flavor combinations, and techniques that help modern readers imagine what elite Roman dining may have looked like, and why the name Apicius still carries such weight in the history of food writing.