314, [13] index pp, [1] printer's device of a Griffyn (because the printer was Sebastianus Gryphius, 1493-1556). Printer's devices on t.p. and x4v; initials. Includes index. Signatures: a-u⁸ x⁴. Original vellum with vellum ties and original hand-titled spine. First Edition.
The foods described in Apicius, commonly considered the first cookbook, are useful for reconstructing the dietary habits of the ancient world around the Mediterranean, but the recipes are geared for the wealthiest classes, and a few contain what were exotic ingredients at that time (e.g., flamingo). Thought to have been written in manuscript form in the late 4th-5th centuries, descriptions of herbs and spices not only show what was being used in cooking at the time, but also give the reader a picture of what was being grown and traded then. Vicaire p.31, Bitting p.13.
