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For our french toast, we decided to use a sourdough bread since it was similar to the Roman bread. We made a mixture of milk and egg, similar to what the Romans used. However, we added honey to the mixture because Romans used honey in many of their foods. So we substituted honey for vanilla which is used in modern recipes because the Romans did not have vanilla. Once the bread was soaked, we fried it in butter. After the toast was finished frying, we drizzled some more honey on for flavor since the Romans would not have maple syrup. Finally, we garnished the dish with some fruit that the romans had such as apples and grapes.

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According to the Apicius, a collection of recipes from the early 5th century AD, the dish we now know as the French toast existed as early as the age of the Roman Empire. In their style of French toast, called Pan Dulcis, Romans would soak bread in milk (and sometimes also egg) mixture, then fry it in oil or butter.

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The process of making wine began immediately after the harvest with treading grapes. The grapes were usually crushed by foot by slaves. Then, the mixture was crushed further by a wine press and a stone weight lowered by a tree trunk. The juice was highly prized and kept separate from what was created later from pressing the grape. The juices flowed to a waiting pool where it was scooped out and placed in clay pots that held about 105 US gallons. They were packed with honey, thyme, pepper and other spices. Workers mixed the brew with broomsticks wrapped in fennel (herb). After 6 days to 3 weeks in a clay fermentation tub the mixture turned into a foamy red liquid with about 12% alcohol. The wine was drinkable for about 10 days before it went bad.

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Etiquipedia, Sterling. “Etiquipedia.” Etiquette of Roman Empire Dining, 1 Jan. 1970,        etiquipedia.blogspot.com/2014/03/dining-etiquette-in-roman-empire.html.
“Reclining and Dining (and Drinking) in Ancient Rome.” The Getty Iris, 28 June 2017, blogs.getty.edu/iris/reclining-and-dining-and-drinking-in-ancient-rome/.
Wine and Rome, penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/wine/wine.html.
Roman Food, www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/romans/food.html.
Ancient Roman Meals, www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/roman-life/ancient-roman-meals.htm.
“Winemaking – Do As The Romans Do.” Rome Across Europe, 20 July 2015,       www.romeacrosseurope.com/?p=2248#sthash.fr00SxgF.dpbs.
Santoso, Alex. “French Toast Isn't French - Here's How It Got Its Name.” Neatorama, www.neatorama.com/neatolicious/2013/10/17/French-Toast-Isnt-French-Heres-How-It-Got-Its-Name/.

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 Between courses, guests were entertained by poets, conjurers, clowns, or musicians. After dinner, there would often be games. For example the host would pick a number and everyone would have to swallow that number of drinks. 

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Instead of cooking at home, people usually bought hot foods, such as pie, sausages and stews, from snack bars in street.

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A full Roman banquet was made up of seven courses and could last as long as ten hours.

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The food would be eaten from plates with the fingertips and spoons, the ligula and the smaller cochlear.

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Greedy guests would induce vomitting so they could continue eating. The writer Seneca was disgusted by guests who indulged in this, and wrote scornfully about it.

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If they were too full to finish their food, they could wrap the leftovers in a napkin to take home

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To show that they had enjoyed the meal, guests would belch loudly.

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Started with cold courses, such as sardines, mushrooms, and eggs. They could include flamingoes' tongues, doormice in honey, or even elephants' trunks. Appearance of food was important as taste so, chefs disguised one type of food to make it look like another. The writer Petronius boasted that his chef could make a pig's belly look exactly like a fish.

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Only slaves and children sat on chairs while eating. Women and men ate together, with up to nine people lounging around a table. People ate straight from serving dishes as opposed to using plates, and between courses slaves washed the guests' hands.

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In town, few people cooked their own food. Most people lived in apartments with wooden beams and floors, and it was forbidden to light cooking fires inside.

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Food was boiled, fried, grilled, stewed, or roasted on a spit. To keep food fresh, it had to be smoked, pickled or salted. Rich Romans loved spicy food, and most of their meals were well seasoned or eaten with a strong sauce. One of the most popular sauces was a thick, salty concoction called liquamen, made from pickled fish.

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A Roman kitchen had many of the same utensils that we use today; saucepans, cheese graters, and strainers. These items were usually made of bronze, which could affect the foods taste, so some pans were coated with silver.

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In the early days of the Republic, women were forbidden to drink wine, but during the Empire this rule was dropped. Other popular drinks included grape juice and goat's milk, and people could also drink water from public fountains.

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The Romans drank lots of wine, and people in Rome could choose from around 200 types which were made all over the Empire. Wine was often spiced, or sweetened with honey, and it was usually diluted with water -- drinking it undiluted wasn't considered respectable.

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Poorer Romans and slaves had to live on basic food, such as bread, porridge and stew, but wealthier people had a more varied diet. For breakfast, they ate a snack of bread or wheat biscuits with honey, and lunch was a simple meal of eggs, cheese, cold meat and fruit.

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 "I can do nothing sober, but when I drink, fifteen poets will come to my aid" (Epigrams, XI.6).

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The clothing worn at ancient Roman meals differed from that in use on other occasions, and consisted merely of a loose robe of a slight texture which was generally white.

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Everything that could not be eaten such as shells, bones and fruit stones were thrown onto the floor where it was swept away by slaves.

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Rich Romans reclined on couches, around a table, with each person facing in towards the table. For the poor, or informal meals, food was eaten from normal tables and chairs.

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At first Romans rarely ate meat, and wine was unknown. Had no luxuries. When other nations were conquered, riches were introduced to Rome. Also, Roman culture developed due to influences from other conquered nations.

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After each course slaves washed peoples fingers and used napkins to wipe the mouth.

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A description of  Roman Food served at a supper feast held by Petronius (ca. 27–66), a Roman writer, is as follows:
"A large round tray is brought in, with the signs of the zodiac figured all round it, upon each of which the artist had placed some appropriate viand (delicious dish). A goose on Aquarius, a pair of scales with tarts and cheesecakes in each scale on Libra. In the middle was placed a hive supported by delicate herbage. Four slaves come forward dancing to the sound of music taking away the upper part of the dish beneath which appeared all kinds of dressed meats. A hare with wings, to imitate Pegasus in the middle and four figures of Marsyas (satyrs) at the corners. Then pouring hot sauce over the fish, that were swimming in the Euripus (the Euripus was a strait on the Aegean Sea) below. Finishing with the porcus Trojanus (a huge sort of pudding stuffed with the flesh of other animals)"

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Libum was a sacrificial cake sometimes offered to household spirits during Rome's early history. The recipe below comes from the Roman consul Cato's agricultural writings, which included simple recipes for farmers. Libum, sometimes served hot, is a cheesecake he included.

Ancient Roman Libum Recipe
Libum to be made as follows: 2 pounds cheese well crushed in a mortar; when it is well crushed, add in 1 pound bread-wheat flour or, if you want it to be lighter, just 1/2 a pound, to be mixed with the cheese. Add one egg and mix all together well. Make a loaf of this, with the leaves under it, and cook slowly in a hot fire under a brick.

Modern Roman Libum Recipe (serves 4)
1 cup plain, all purpose flour
8 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
bay leaves
1/2 cup clear honey

Sift the flour into a bowl. Beat the cheese until it's soft and stir it into the flour along with the egg. Form a soft dough and divide into 4. Mold each one into a bun and place them on a greased baking tray with a fresh bay leaf underneath. Heat the oven to 425° F. Cover the cakes with your brick* and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden-brown. Warm the honey and place the warm cakes in it so that they absorb it. Allow to stand 30 minutes before serving.

*The Romans often covered their food while it was cooking with a domed earthenware cover called a testo. You can use an overturned, shallow clay pot, a metal bowl, or casserole dish as a brick.