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Porcellum Lacte Pastum Elixum (Suckling Pig à la Vitellius)
Porcellum Vitellianum (Suckling Pig à la Vitellius) is a traditional Ancient Roman recipe for a classic dish of a whole suckling pig that's dressed like wild boar, roasted and served with a spiced wine, stock and passum sauce. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ancient Roman version of: Suckling Pig à la Vitellius (Porcellum Vitellianum).
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
290 minutes
Total Time:
310 minutes
Serves:
8-10
Rating: 
Tags : Sauce RecipesSpice RecipesPork RecipesAncient Roman Recipes
Original Recipe
Porcellum Vitellianum: porcellum ornas quasi aprum, sale asparges, in furno assas. adicies in mortarium piper, ligusticum, suffundes liquamen, vino et passo temperabis. in caccabo cum oleo pusillo ferveat. et porcellum assum iure asperges, ita ut sub cute ius recipiat.
Translation
Suckling Pig à la Vitellius: Dress the pig as you would wild boar, sprinkle with salt and roast in the oven. Put in a mortar pepper and lovage, moisten with stock and blend with wine and passum. Boil in a pan with a drop of olive oil. Pour this sauce over the roast pig, allowing it to penetrate under the skin. [Serve.]
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
1 whole suckling pig
1 tbsp sea salt
3 tbsp ground cumin
For the Sauce:
1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
2 tsp
lovage seeds (or celery seeds)
360ml pork stock or chicken stock
2 tbsp honey
100ml red wine
40ml
passum
1 tbsp olive oil
Method:
Wash the piglet and pat dry then season inside and out with the salt and cumin. Cover and set aside to marinate for at least 2 hours. After this time, sit the pin on a rack 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 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 and lovage (or celery) seeds. 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 and cook for 30 minutes, or until thickened. Take off the heat then pour over the piglet about 20 minutes before it is due to be finished. Continue cooking the pig, basting occasionally with the sauce.
When done, remove the meat from the pan and allow to rest, covered with foil, for 20 minutes before carving. In the meantime, strain the stock from the pan into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve 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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