Category: Roman empire

According to the Roman writer Pliny the Elder, butter was considered the "choicest food among barbarian tribes," reflecting a widespread Roman prejudice against certain dairy products. The question, 'Did Romans eat dairy?' reveals a complex story, distinguishing between their love for aged cheeses and their surprising disdain for fresh milk and butter.

While archaeological evidence shows that the Roman diet was primarily plant-based, did the ancient Romans eat meat is a question with a complex answer. Meat was a marker of wealth and status, enjoyed frequently by the elite and only occasionally by the poor. This class divide shaped everything from the type of animals consumed to the ways they were prepared.

Contrary to the lean, meat-eating ideal often depicted in films, archaeological and historical evidence reveals that Roman gladiators followed a primarily plant-based, high-carbohydrate diet. Nicknamed the *hordearii* or "barley-eaters," their physique was not defined by chiseled muscle, but by a strategically cultivated layer of fat.

While the modern image of Roman feasts is one of decadence, the core of their diet was far more humble and based on staples like grains and legumes. The answer to what was the main diet of the Romans lies in a stark contrast between social classes, with the vast majority subsisting on simple, hardy fare.

Archaeological analysis of gladiator bones from a Roman cemetery in Ephesus revealed that these fighters ate a primarily vegetarian diet, not the meat-heavy one commonly depicted in films. This surprising fact reshapes our understanding of what did gladiators eat to stay strong and healthy, favoring bulk and protection over lean muscle mass.