Bryn and Maddie’s Blog Post - Dinner in Rome

 Today, we led a discussion on a reading that explored bread and olive oil and their significance in the history of dining in Rome. As we’ve traveled through different regions of Italy, bread and oil have been constant in almost every meal. This reading dives into understanding the cultural importance of these staples and what they symbolize beyond food. 

 Grain was staple to ancient Roman societies, not only for its role in feeding the population, but also as a factor in trade, acquiring of land, and keeping peace between classes. In Italy today bread is at almost every meal as the one of the first things set on the table. Breads vary from region to region in Italy but the tradition stays the same everywhere.

    Grain in ancient Rome was important to keeping the masses of citizens fed. When armies and lower class citizens had food they were much less likely to rebel against the government or elites. This meant that grain had to remain constant, which encouraged the need for a strong trading system and acquiring of land from the places Rome conquered. Acquiring land was something that set Rome apart from other places in battle as others would only pillage and then leave. The Roman empire would instead use the land especially for more grain cultivation, while also influencing those who lived there, especially elites, into taking a part of roman culture. 

    We saw evidence of this grain cultivation while visiting Pompeii, which was a part of the Roman Empire. The pictures below show the ruins of old grain silos (in the back), and an example of a large oven that was in a bakery.

    Even after ancient times bread became an integral part of religious practices throughout Italy. Italian churches debated which bread was best for communion and sabotaged other churches' bread if they didn’t agree. Grain today is still an important part of Italian culture and their carb heavy diets. As many other foods in Italy it's staple and simple and allows for modification and addition. 

  

  As well as grain and bread, olive oil has been a staple in Mediterranean cuisine for thousands of years. It represents quality and craftsmanship and a strong sense of hospitality. In ancient times, olive oil was essential and used in daily life for things such as lighting lamps, medicine, and personal care. Because of its many uses, olive oil became a valuable product in trade and an important part of the Mediterranean economy.

    

    As discussed in the reading, olive oil is a central ingredient in everyday Italian cooking, and this is still visible today. Along with bread, olive oil is often served as one of the first things on the table, emphasizing its role in tradition, hospitality, and daily life.

    This became clear during our visit to the Bartolomei olive oil refinery. They presented us with multiple types of olive oil in a vast variety of dishes, allowing us to better understand the differences in flavor, quality and use. They also walked us through the refinery process and how it has evolved over the years, while still maintaining traditional methods. This demonstrated how historical practices and local environments continue to shape olive oil production today, reinforcing its long standing cultural and economic importance in Italy.