How Trade Influenced Food

At its greatest extent under Emperor Trajan in the early 2nd century AD, the Roman Empire stretched all the way from Scotland to Southern Egypt, but also stretched to Mesopotamia in the east and Morocco in the West.

This enormity encompassed a variety of different cultures and traditions, each offering a unique addition to the empire itself. Trade networks arose when the Romans conquered various peoples; they would allow them to generally maintain their customs and practices, only if they offered some of their skills and exports to the Empire itself. Oftentimes in Apicius, this trade network is seen through the use of ingredients from areas around the Mediterranean, far from Rome.

A large variety of items were exchanged in this trade network, including minerals like gold and silver, pottery and textiles, beer and wine, along with a variety of other foods, animal products, and wood and glass, to name a few. Many of these goods were made as unique regional delicacies and crafts, with this trade network often driving the creation of specific factories and compounds in these areas to produce these goods. For example, in modern-day Libya, an olive oil factory was found capable of producing 100,000 liters of olive oil a year. Ancient wine facilities were also found in France that had cellars able to hold 100,000 litres of wine. (1) Different areas of the Empire each offered a distinct export to Rome and its people. North Africa was known as the breadbasket of the Empire, feeding almost all of Rome with the grain that was exported. Britannia (Modern-day Britain) was rich in natural resources like tin, gold, and silver. Gallia (modern-day France) was a hub of wine production and known for its vast vineyards. This trade network boosted commerce all around the Mediterranean while simultaneously creating cities along these trade routes, like Palmyra, a city founded at the end of the Silk Road. (2)  

Cities like Palmyra exemplify the other part of ancient Roman trade, which is the trade that occurs outside of the Empire. The Romans often traded with civilizations that were not encompassed in their rule, including India, Persia, China, and other areas of Southeast Asia. Oftentimes, these empires' goods would be imported into bustling harbour cities like Alexandria, Antioch, and Babylon, then transferred to Rome via ship or road. Chinese silk was a luxury in Rome, however plentiful among the upper class. Premium goods such as ivory, pepper, and other spices (cloves, cinnamon, and ginger), along with perfumes and colored marble. Often these goods would follow along the established Silk Road, but sometimes ships would also just sail across the Indian Ocean. 

Pliny, a Roman historian at the time, discusses silk in his Historia Naturalis, the first encyclopedia of the world. Although it was filled with many accurate beliefs, it also held widely inaccurate misconceptions, like that there was a race of people with backward feet and 16 toes, or that silk is a fleece from trees in the exotic land of the Seres ( the Roman name for the Chinese). Despite Pliny being incorrect about the production of silk, Pliny's writing about it shows the true extent of these trade networks. 

As seen in my first recipe, Alexandrine Fish Sauce, which called for Damascene prunes, these trade networks had a huge importance in Roman food culture. These trade networks allowed Apicius to have all the wild recipes that it has, using ingredients from faraway places and empires. Whether that be pepper only found in India, Oysters from Britannia, or Foie Gras from Egypt, it was only possible thanks to the extensive trade networks of the Roman Empire and its deep multiculturalism.

___________________

1. Cartwright, Mark. “Trade in the Roman World - World History Encyclopedia.” World History Encyclopedia, April 12, 2018. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/638/trade-in-the-roman-world/.

   
   

2. Palmyra in modern-day Syria was a Roman trading outpost created upon the Silk Road leading into Europe. The city steadily grew in size as trade with India, China, and Persia expanded over time. The city sits in the middle of the Syrian desert on an oasis with a variety of beautiful ancient Roman buildings that still stand today.

___________________

Bibliography

1. Land, Graham. “Trade and Transport at the Height of the Roman Empire | History Hit.” History Hit, August 9, 2018. https://www.historyhit.com/trade-and-transport-at-the-height-of-the-roman-empire/.

2. Hanley, Karter. “Tales of the Seres and Silk: Roman Perceptions of the Far East and Silk within the Empire | Inquiry Journal.” Univeristy of New Hampshire, 2025. https://www.unh.edu/inquiryjournal/blog/2025/04/tales-seres-silk-roman-perceptions-far-east-silk-within-empire.