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Porcellum Lacte Pastum Elixum (Suckling Pig Crowned with Bayleaves)
Porcellum Laureatum (Suckling Pig Crowned with Bayleaves) is a traditional Ancient Roman recipe for a classic dish of a whole suckling pig that's boned, marinated with wine, roasted in the oven, topped with bayleaves, roasted until done and served with a spiced wine and passum sauce thickened with starch. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ancient Roman version of: Suckling Pig Crowned with Bayleaves (Porcellum Laureatum).
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
260 minutes
Total Time:
280 minutes
Serves:
8-10
Rating: 
Tags : Sauce RecipesSpice RecipesHerb RecipesPork RecipesAncient Roman Recipes
Original Recipe
Porcellum laureatum: porcellum exossas, quasi oenogaratum ornas, praeduras. laurum viridem in medio franges satis, in furno assas, et mittes in mortarium piper, ligusticum, careum, apii semen, laseris radicem, bacas lauri. fricabis, suffundes liquamen, et vino et passo temperabis. adicies in caccabo cum olei modico, ut ferveat. obligas. porcellum lauro eximes et ius ab ossa tanges et inferes.
Translation
Suckling Pig Crowned with Bayleaves: Bone the suckling pig and prepare as you would for wine sauce. Cook [in the oven] until browned. Take enough fresh bayleaves, break in half and use to decorate the pig, roast in the oven. Put in a mortar, pepper, lovage, caraway, celery seeds, laser root and bay berries. Pound and moisten with stock and blend with wine and passum. Place in a pan with a little olive oil and bring to a boil. Thicken with starch. Remove the bayleaves from the cooked piglet, coat all over with the sauce and sere.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
1 whole suckling pig, boned
plenty of bayleaves, torn in half
For the Marinade:
200ml red wine
350ml pork stock
3/4 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
3 tsp
lovage seeds (or celery seeds)
1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
For the Sauce:
1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
2 tsp lovage seeds (or celery seeds)
generous pinch of caraway seeds
1 tsp celery seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida
4 laurel (bay) berries (or substitute juniper berries)
360ml pork stock or chicken stock
100ml red wine
40ml
passum
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp cornflour blended to a slurry with 2 tbsp water (originally wheat starch [anmulum] would have been used)
Method:
For the marinade, pound together the black pepper, lovage seeds and coriander seeds in a mortar. Work in the red wine and stock. Arrange the boned piglet in a roasting tin and pour over the marinade. Turn the meat to coat evenly then refrigerate to marinade for at least 4 hours. After this time, drain the meat and sit on a rack in a roasting tin then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 220°C and roast for 30 minutes. Remove the piglet then cover with the bayleaf halves. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C and continue roasting for 50 minutes per kg, or until the skin is crisp and the meat is thoroughly cooked (check that the meat juices run clear by piercing in the thickest part of the roast).
In the meantime, pound together the black pepper, lovage (or celery) seeds, caraway seeds, celery seeds, asafoetida and laurel berries in a mortar. Work in the red wine and passum. Turn into a pan and whisk in the pork or chicken stock and olive oil. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to a simmer and whisk in the cornflour slurry. Cook until thickened
When cooked through, remove the piglet from the oven (take off the bayleaves) and allow to rest, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. Crown the piglet with a wreath made from bayleaves and serve the sauce to accompany the pork.
Find more recipes from Apicius' De Re Coquinaria along with information on Apicius and his cookbook, all part of this site's Ancient Roman recipes collection.
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