Ancient Rome

The Romans were probably the first people to really match together hard-drinking with finger-food, not surprising really when you consider they were the first to think of many things). During some of the Roman booze bouts, bones, shells and fruit cores would be thrown haphazardly to the floor, the scraps would later be swept up and sold to the local peasants. When the scraps had been flung to the floor, the Romans would wash their hands in ewers of scented water, drying them on the hair of slave boys, before the eating would begin again.

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Here are some types of ‘bar-food’ favoured in Ancient Rome.

Tortoise: No need for a plate for this ancient meal for one, it was baked (and served) in its own shell.

Dormice: Rolled in honey and poppy seeds, stuffed and then roasted before being served to any hungry drinker.

Sow udders: It was normal for the pig to have been fattened on a diet of figs before being slaughtered, cooked and served.

Songbirds: These birds were served usually with a delightful asparagus sauce.

Raw Hyena glands: Only because they were said to have medicinal properties.

Medieval Europe

It was the time of the Black Death, the Hundred Years War. There was also a chance of beheading for the daftest of reasons. It was a miserable existence for everyone. The peasants made do with drinking beer and wine, snacking on spices and jelly. For the ‘kings’ of the ale-houses though, bar snacks were an all too different matter; ‘soltetie’ and ‘entremets’ were mini-courses served between platters of meat and cheese and they were sculpted into distinct dishes such as:

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Fishcakes: Not as you would imagine a cake shaped fish dish, it was in fact a fish shaped cake dish. Basically, nothing more than your run-of-the-mill sponge cake baked then glaze into a fish shape.

The Cockentrice: Basically a dish that consisted of two different meats merged together to create a new imaginary creature. For example; the head and legs of a pig merged with the body of a goose. Much hilarity ensued.