This is a nice simple dish to balance more elaborate or unfamiliar presentations for feasts or everyday at home. I have left the quantities vague as I rarely measure anything for this dish and you can adapt it to the number you need to feed.

Carrots (either sliced or chunked carrots or whole baby carrots)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Ground Cumin

salt and pepper to taste.

Cook carrots in water until tender, drain

Drizzle with 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil and 1/4-1/2 tsp ground cumin for each serving. (You might choose to leave the cumin seed whole for a more rustic appearance. If so, take the time to toast the cumin seeds first.) Return to heat for a few minutes, stirring, to meld the flavors. (can substitute butter for oil)

Salt and pepper (that constant Roman spice) to taste.

While not called for in the original, we often add a little honey to glaze the carrots.

 notes: if you can get purple, white or yellow carrots, do use them for this recipe. Our familiar orange carrots were bred by the Dutch in the 1600's. (I have seen some evidence of an earlier date, but only by decades.  The Romans certainly did not have orange carrots.)

Original Source material: from de re Coquinaria, Roman era. (extant copies from the 7th century but certainly earlier, perhaps as early as first century.)

I have worked from Apicius  Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome, Edited and Translated by Joseph Dommers Vehling, published 1936 by Walter M Hill, Chicago, reprinted 1977 by Dover Publications, Inc, NY  This translation has been criticized on a number of, valid, points. Several other translations into English have been published more recently. However, as a Dover reprint, the Velling is perhaps the easiest to obtain and a close reading of the introductory materials will help you identify a number of his personal prejudices and work around them.

Our  honeyed carrots are bee approved

I have served this dish or a variant of it at several feasts including

Candlemas Cena

and Last Chance 2006

Other Roman recipes

• Hazelnut Saffron Sauce

• Herbed Barley

• Melon Salad 

• Minted Cucumber Salad

• Mushroom Patina

• Parsnips Apician

• Roman Sausages with spelt and pine nuts.

• Sauce a la Matius

Other Vegetable recipes

• Armored Turnips

• Chard Pie

• Genovese Tart

• Lentil Cucumber Salad

• Marinated Mushrooms ala May

• Onions in Sauce