The oil produced from olive trees in Spain's Castellón Province was once consumed by Roman soldiers.
Olive oil was also a big hit. It made up at least 12% of calories consumed at Herculaneum, and perhaps much more. The find supports historical sources indicating the average Roman consumed 20 liters of oil each year, and that the oil was one of the most significant fat sources in the Roman diet.
As an important commodity, the Romans made many improvements in olive tree cultivation, olive oil extraction and olive oil storage. Olive oil was used for not only food and cooking, but also lighting, sacrificial offerings, ointment, and ceremonial anointment for priestly or royal office.
Soaps were not around in the times of the Roman Empire. Instead when Romans went to bathe they rubbed olive oil all over their bodies and then scraped it off with a strigil, carrying away all the dirt and grime with it and leaving the skin silky and moisturized.
Thanks to authors such as Martial, Horace, Petronius, and others, we know that olives were usually served at the beginning of the dinner (and sometimes at the end), as appetizers with the other dishes of the gustatio: for example, eggs and vegetables.
There are similarities, but some key Italian ingredients and dishes were not found in ancient Roman cuisine—no pasta (introduced later) and no foods from the Americas, including tomatoes!
Caesar likely enjoyed dishes like roasted boar, venison, or bird. These are accompanied by various vegetable dishes, often including lentils, beans, or cabbage. Cabbage and onions were a dish that upper class Romans might have enjoyed!
The Romans didn't use soap: they cleaned themselves with olive oil and some sand to remove dead skin cells. Soap supposedly is a Gallic or Germanic invention.
Greeks and Romans used olive oil to condition their hair, prevent split ends, and promote hair growth. Olive oil was applied to the hair and scalp, then massaged gently to promote blood flow and stimulate hair follicles. The Greeks and Romans also believed that olive oil prevented premature graying of the hair.
Roman citizens came to expect high standards of hygiene, and the army was also well provided with latrines and bath houses, or thermae. Aqueducts were used everywhere in the empire not just to supply drinking water for private houses but to supply other needs such as irrigation, public fountains, and thermae.
The Greeks referred Extra Virgin Olive Oil as liquid gold! Lots of people in the Mediterranean drink about 1 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil every morning. Drinking a small amount of extra virgin olive oil is all it takes to prevent Alzheimer's, heart disease, stroke, and several different types of cancer.
Poseidon, god of the sea, and Athena, goddess of wisdom, were to find the most precious gift to offer to mankind. Poseidon gave a horse and Athena gave an olive tree. Athena chose the olive tree because of all its possible uses: olives and olive oil for food and its therapeutic properties, wood as a source of heat.
It was used as sustenance when other foods were not available or could not be afforded. Greeks used what the land gave them: and that was olives, olive oil and plants. Olive oil was added to various vegetables and greens in order to provide calories and satiety.
Lard (Strutto): Although it is disappearing, lard was widely used in traditional Italian cooking, especially among the poor and in regions where there was little olive oil production.
Until the age of refrigeration, very little fresh drinking milk was consumed in the Middle East. In Rome, due to the inevitability of spoilage, and because fresh milk was available only on farms, it was consumed mostly by the farmers' children and by peasants who lived nearby, often with salted or sweetened bread.
Butter was mostly disdained by the Romans, but was a distinguishing feature of the Gallic diet. Lard was used for baking pastries and seasoning some dishes.
According to mythology, Elais was the goddess of olive oil, one of the Oenotropae (who changed materials into wine) and a favourite granddaughter of the god Dionysus. In fact, it was Dionysus who gave her the power to change water into wine and any other liquid into olive oil.
4The Greeks, Etruscans and Romans used strigils as a tool to clean the skin. They were used before effective soaps had been invented and didn't even require water – bathing was for pleasure rather than for washing. Perfumed oil was applied to the skin, which was then scraped off along with the dirt.
Rome: Drench hair in hot or cold water at a public bath (and then maybe apply and scrape away some oil) Who needs soap when you've got some of the world's first publicly available bathing facilities? Considering that it was the first century BC, the baths were a pretty sweet deal.
Based on the writings of Herodotus, Ancient Egyptians used many healthy hygiene habits, such as washing, and laundry. They also knew to use mint to make their breath fresh. According to Ancient History Online Encyclopedia, Ancient Egyptians always tried to make their bodies clean.
The ancient Romans also practiced dental hygiene.
They used frayed sticks and abrasive powders to brush their teeth. These powders were made from ground-up hooves, pumice, eggshells, seashells, and ashes.
To most Romans, personal cleanliness was a matter of pride and bathing a daily ritual. The city now had 200 public baths of varying sizes and degrees of luxury – places to relax, socialise and wash off the day's dirt.
Cheese was eaten and its manufacture was well-established by the Roman Empire period. It was part of the standard rations for Roman soldiers and was popular among civilians as well. The Emperor Diocletian (284–305 CE) fixed maximum prices for cheese.
Cleopatra's diet was full of vegetables, legumes, fruit and meats such as pigeon and mutton and of course seafood. Olive oil, honey, cheese and cereals also featured prominently.
The Soldiers
Essential elements of a soldier's diet were wheat and bread, meat, cheese, vegetables, berries, nuts, olive oil (or lard), beer and wine. Soldiers used basic culinary equipment, including cooking pots, and cooked for themselves in their barrack rooms, where, at Vindolanda, there is evidence for hearths.