De re coquinaria

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De re coquinaria (Latin, "On the subject of cooking") was the Latin title given in early printed editions to the Roman cookbook now best known as Apicius.

Between 1483 (the date of the first printed edition) and 1936 (the date of Joseph Dommers Vehling's translation and bibliography of Apicius), there were 14 editions of the Latin text (plus one possibly apocryphal edition). The work was not widely translated, however; the first translation was into Italian, in 1852, followed in the 20th Century by two translations into German and French.

Vehling made the first translation of the book into English under the title Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome. It was published in 1936. The translation is still in print, having been reprinted in 1977 by Dover Publications. It is now of historical interest only, since Vehling's knowledge of Latin was not always adequate to the difficult task of translation, and several later and more reliable translations now exist (see the bibliography section of the article Apicius).

[edit] References

  • Vehling, Joseph Dommers. (1936) Cookery and dining in imperial Rome. (1977 reprint, Dover: New York. ISBN 0-486-23563-7.)