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Porcellum Traianum (Suckling Pig à la Trajan)
Porcellum Traianum (Suckling Pig à la Trajan) is a traditional Ancient Roman recipe for a classic dish of a piglet that's part-roasted in a sauce, hot smoked to cure and then finished by boiling in highly-salted water. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ancient Roman version of: Suckling Pig à la Trajan (Porcellum Traianum).
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
250 minutes
Total Time:
270 minutes
Serves:
8-10
Rating: 
Tags : Sauce RecipesPork RecipesAncient Roman Recipes
Original Recipe
Porcellum Traianum sic facies: exossas porcellum et aptabis sicuti oenococtum et ad fumum suspendes, et adpendeas, et quantum adpendeas, tantum salis in ollam mittes. et elixas ut coquatur, et siccum in lance inferes pro salso recente.
Translation
Suckling Pig à la Trajan is Made Thus: Bone and prepare as for Suckling Pig Stewed in Wine [11], and hang up in woodsmoke [to cure]. Weigh it and put its weight in salt into a deep pan. Cook [the cured suckling pig] in the boiling [salted] water. [When done] dry and serve in place of fresh saltfish.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
1 whole suckling pig
2 tbsp olive oil
120ml pork or chicken stock
120ml red wine
120ml water
1 bouquet garni made from leek leaves and
coriander leaves
40ml
defritum
salt for boiling
Method:
Place the piglet in a roasting tin then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 220°C and roast for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C. Whisk together the olive oil, stock, red wine and water. Pour this over the piglet, add the bouquet garni and continue roasting for 50 minutes per kg. When the meat is half done, pour over the defritum to colour the meat. Remove from the roasting tin, dry the meat then place in a hot smoker and hot smoke over night (see this article on how to make a home-made hot smoker).
When the piglet has been smoked, weigh it then measure out an equal weight of salt. Place 1/3 of the salt in a deep pan, sit the piglet on top then pour over the remaining salt. Cover with water, bring to a boil and cook for 150 minutes, or until the piglet is very tender and the salt has penetrated through the meat.
Use pork prepared this way in place of saltfish or stockfish.
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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