The Philosopher's Kitchen: Recipes from Ancient Greece and Rome for the Modern Cook

by Francine Segan, Tim Turner (Photographer)

“It is the culinary legacy of the ancients that inspired this cookbook. . . Re-creating the cuisine of the ancient Greeks and Romans helps us connect in some small but wonderful way to their time, teachings, and lives.”
–from the Introduction of The Philosopher’s Kitchen

“Pleasure is the beginning and end of living happily,” said the Greek philosopher Epicurus two thousand years ago. Certainly the dazzlingly varied, subtly seasoned cuisine of ancient Greece and Rome measured up to the highest standards of eating pleasure. The Philosopher’s Kitchen offers seductive, modern interpretations of these dishes using a variety of sources, from writings by Plato, Aristotle, Homer, and Cicero to the oldest known surviving cookbook.

Here is a rich array of culinary delights, ab ovo usque ab malum , or “from eggs to fruit,” as the Romans said. Mussels in Cumin Sherry Sauce, Chestnut-Mint Puree, Chicken Breasts with Hazelnut Pesto, Lamb with Pomegranate-Glazed Onions, and Walnut Cake with Fig Jam are just a few of the delicious, healthy, and gorgeous recipes in this book that will delight and surprise the modern cook.

Francine Segan also allows us a glimpse into the ancient world by putting each recipe in its cultural context, taking us to Greek feasts and Roman banquets and revealing customs, expressions, and superstitions that are still very much a part of modern life. She shares tips on entertaining, even including sample invitations a host can use to summon friends to a Roman spread of his or her own.

Organized for easy, efficient use and replete with Tim Turner’s stunning photographs, The Philosopher’s Kitchen is a glorious buffet for the senses, providing literal food for thought.

Genres: Cookbooks, History, Nonfiction, Food

272 pages, Hardcover

First published August 3, 2004

Reviews

[Suzanne Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this cook book! These recipes are not too far from what I would normally cook, but they have a different twist.

[Tuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty good adaptations of old recipes. fairly easy to make and not a lot of exotic ingredients. author tried to and gave up making garum, the roman salty fish sauce. so this isn't really "authentic" but fun stuff here.

[Rachel Atterholt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a book I’ll have to buy eventually. I’m not a big cook yet, but it’s something I’d like to get better in. I like a lot of these recipes and also as Greek and a Greek history buff I loved all the notes and details from Greece and Rome.

[Pat Padden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful way of reaching back in time to discover what made the Greeks and Romans tick is to consider what it was they ate. Francine Segan’s book, "The Philosopher’s Kitchen: Recipes from Ancient Greece and Rome for the Modern Cook" is a culinary history lesson about the pleasures of the ancient table. And what epicurean treasures they were: figs stuffed with mascarpone cheese, seafood stew with almond pesto crostini, roast chicken with olive stuffing, lamb with pomegranate-glazed onions, to name just a few of the earthly and earthy delights that awaited the Roman senator and the Greek philosopher at the end of the day. Beautifully illustrated, and with wonderful snippets of culinary history, Segan shows her readers an ephemeral side of everyday life in the Classical world, while at the same time telling modern readers how to recreate the tastes and smells that wafted through the streets of Pompeii as hungry families gathered on their dining couches to celebrate life.