Big Maximus? Burgers fit for Caesar at Hadrian’s Wall this weekend

Did the Romans foresee the posh burger craze more than 1,500 years in advance?

Roman Centurian enthusiast Joe Jackson at Hadrian’s Wall in Gisland eating a burger made from a 1500 year old recipe. Image by Lynne Cameron/PA Wire

Visitors to Hadrian’s Wall this weekend will be able to judge for themselves whether the ‘umble burger should stand alongside Latin achievements like the Colosseum and decent roads.

English Heritage is laying on samples of a Roman dish called Isicia Omentata, which it says bears a strong resemblance to the fast-food favourite, at Birdoswald Roman Fort near Carlisle on Saturday.

But this is no cheap, own-brand collection of gristle, this is a burger fit for Caesar himself, based on a recipe taken from the anonymous Roman cookbook Apicius which dates to the 4th or 5th century AD.

Burgers made from the recipe from the ancient Roman cookbook, Apicius, which was written by an unknown author in the late 4th or 5th centuries AD will be served at Hadrian’s Wall on Saturday for visitors to try. Image by Lynne Cameron/PA Wire

The Roman original contained minced meat, pepper, wine, pine nuts, and the Roman’s beloved garum, a type of rich fish-based sauce. And the modern versions that will be available will follow it closely, before being cooked over an open fire.

Food historian Dr Annie Gray said: “We all know that the Romans left a huge mark on Britain, fundamentally altering the British diet forever.

“Street food became available en masse, and many of our favourite foods were introduced, including Isicia Omentata, what can be seen as the Roman forefather to today’s burger. This ‘burger’ was decidedly more upmarket than many of today’s offerings, and is richer and more complex than the plain beef version most common today.”

(Press Association)