Lucanicae

Meats & FishRoman, c. 4th-5th century ADApicius, De Re Coquinaria, Book IICrown Hospitality SpreadCurrent project — cooking pending

Original

The Latin text and multiple English translations are widely available online. From the Grocock & Grainger critical edition (Prospect Books, 2006), as cited by Coquinaria.nl and Historical Italian Cooking:

LVCANICAE: Teritur piper, cuminum, satureia, ruta, petroselinum, condimentum bacae lauri, liquamen, et admiscetur pulpa bene tunsa, ita ut denuo bene cum ipso subtrito fricetur. Cum liquamine admixto, pipere integro et abundanti pinguedine et nucleis inicies in intestinum perquam tenuatim productum, et sic ad fumum suspenditur.

Translation

Translation (paraphrased from Grocock & Grainger): Grind pepper, cumin, savory, rue, parsley, bay berry seasoning, and liquamen. Mix in well-pounded meat so it absorbs the spices. Stir in liquamen, whole peppercorns, plenty of fat, and pine nuts. Fill a casing stretched very thin, and hang in smoke.

My Redaction

Coquinaria.nl (Christianne Muusers) provides a detailed tested redaction with full method, including smoking guidance. She consulted her local Dutch butcher for sausage-making technique. The sausages were treated as metworst (Dutch-style cured sausage). Source: coquinaria.nl/en/lucanian-sausages/

Give It Forth provides a simplified grilled version using ground meat patties (no casings needed) with bulgur, spices, pine nuts, and fish sauce. Practical for event cooking without sausage-stuffing equipment. Source: giveitforth.blogspot.com/2025/06/lucanicae-grilled-sausages.html

For hospitality service: Make ahead, slice cold on a platter. For the no-casing version, shape into small patties, grill, and serve at room temperature. Substitute Asian fish sauce for liquamen. Omit rue if unavailable (or use sparingly — it is very bitter).