The identification of ἀσφάραγος in botanical works by Theophrastus and its usage in ancient Roman cuisine

The main aim of this paper is to present the classification and identification of the plant known in Classical Greek as ἀσφάραγος and in Latin asparagus. The interest in plants in ancient times was rather big and in consequence led to splitting the botany as a separate scientific category, which finally materialised in the works of Theophrastus of Eresos.
He was the first amongst the Greek philosophers to treat the plant science independently, excluded from Medicine or Pharmacy, performed for itself.
Theophrastus in his Enquiry into Plants mentions four times the Greek name ἀσφάραγος. In this paper I will focus on what pieces of information about the plant the Greek author gives and how these can be related to modern botany.
To present the history of asparagus in antiquity in full perspective I will also get some pieces of information from Pliny the Elder’s Natural History.
This action of identifying the plant will allow me to perform the second part of the paper, which includes reconstruction of recipes preserved in Apicius’ De re coquinaria. The usage of asparagus in culinary art is well known as per nowadays, but this is not the invention of the modern times that the asparagus found its place in the culinary tradition.
Over the centuries the Greek and Latin authors like Discurides, Galen and others appreciated the plant, but as the Apicius’ cookbook is the only ancient culinary book preserved to our times, I will focus mainly on the recipes placed there.
All in all this shall give the image, how the plant could have been used and the reconstructions of the recipes will allow to the ancient Rome a bit.

XV International Asparagus Symposium

M. Helbig

asparagus, Theophrastus, archeobotany, Roman cuisine, Apicius, History of Botany

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2023.1376.34