Mongol/Roman cuisine

Inspired by the "Rome vs. the Mongols" rant thread.

What do y'all think Romano-Mongolian fusion cooking would taste like and be composed of? Where do y'all think this sort of food could most easily arise, and how?
And finally, what era of Roman cooking would go best with Mongolian cooking?
 
If the Mongols had conquered the Roman Empire, within two generations the Mongols will have been assimilated into the Roman civilization and see themselves as the heirs of Caesar rather than of *Genghis Khan.

It would first emerge in the Imperial Court where the Great Khan orders servants to procure more lamb and goats. Yak meat and milk will be an expensive delicacy. Then the Roman elite will develop a taste for the meat and milk of nomadic animals. The average plebeian will scarcely change his diet. In the very long term some Mongol meats and methods will incorporate into the diets of the elites.

Bottom line is, the Mongols will be assimilated by an ancient and proud civilization in every respect.
 
Imagine what pizza would be like if it is still created.
"Right so now were going to smear the pizza base with yeah you guessed it Mare's blood" :p
 
Inspired by the "Rome vs. the Mongols" rant thread.

What do y'all think Romano-Mongolian fusion cooking would taste like and be composed of? Where do y'all think this sort of food could most easily arise, and how?
And finally, what era of Roman cooking would go best with Mongolian cooking?

Sorry to say this, but I don't think it'd work out very well.......what is Mongolian cuisine anyway? :confused:
 
From what little we know, high-status Mongolian cuisine relied heavily on soups and stews, was rich in meat and dairy, and heavily spiced. The problem is, our sources come from a time well after the conquest of norther China, so it is hard to say how much Chinese influence had already gone into it.

On the whole, Roman and Mongol cuisine reconcile fairly well, and any Mongol ruler of Rome will quickly be Romanised anyway.
 
This is the best thread idea ever! A food thread inspired by a thread about an impossible scenario that developed many silly rants
 
Things that go *Bump* in the night...

This could definitely arise through the Romans conquering the Mongols, right? Because that's going to happen?
 
This could definitely arise through the Romans conquering the Mongols, right? Because that's going to happen?

Of course it could but Emperor Wanksius would have to live long enough to finish the creation of the feared Sword of Wank if that happens the Romans could wank their way all the way to Mongolia and create delicious foods born of a fusion of Rome and Monogolian goodness
 
Of course it could but Emperor Wanksius would have to live long enough to finish the creation of the feared Sword of Wank if that happens the Romans could wank their way all the way to Mongolia and create delicious foods born of a fusion of Rome and Monogolian goodness

There's no need to be so sarcastic :D Trajan TOTALLY could have conquered everything up to China. Julius Caesar too, if he hadn't been murdered and been able to war against Parthia...
 
Let's take a look at Hungarian cuisine. The foundation of Hungarian culture is a sedentary, agrarian population, ruled over for several centuries by the Romans, that was invaded by various groups of nomadic steppe dwellers, adopting the language and certain cultural traits of the Magyars. Could goulash be the best example of such a fusion? Goulash comes from the Hungarian "gulyásleves" which basically means "herder soup". I've read some romantic conjecture that the concept of goulash originated in the cooking techniques of the nomadic Magyars, who cooked meat stews in large pots not unlike the Mongolians. This is mixed with ingredients only achieved through agriculture - various vegetables, tubers, and grain-derived products such as wheat-based noodles or rice.
 
Let's take a look at Hungarian cuisine. The foundation of Hungarian culture is a sedentary, agrarian population, ruled over for several centuries by the Romans, that was invaded by various groups of nomadic steppe dwellers, adopting the language and certain cultural traits of the Magyars. Could goulash be the best example of such a fusion? Goulash comes from the Hungarian "gulyásleves" which basically means "herder soup". I've read some romantic conjecture that the concept of goulash originated in the cooking techniques of the nomadic Magyars, who cooked meat stews in large pots not unlike the Mongolians. This is mixed with ingredients only achieved through agriculture - various vegetables, tubers, and grain-derived products such as wheat-based noodles or rice.

That comes pretty close, though it is, of course, heavily influenced by modern European ideas and practices. One article we fairly consistently find in nomadic high-status contexts are cauldrons. It is suggested that they were solely used for serving alcoholic drinks, but I find that hard to credit. Your typical early modern Mongolian tripod cooking dish can be put to a number of uses, and a good-quality metal cauldron could likewise be a multirole item.

A thing to remember is that nomadic cultures in a metal age context always depend on sedentary populations. Their way of life is founded as much on trade and specialisation as it is on animal husbandry. Thus, using agricultural products is not an exception, but would have been the rule, though obviously the products preferred would be relatively lightweight and durable (dried pulses, grains and cereal products, dried vegetables and fruit, spices and herbs, not fresh vegetables or fruit as the Hungarian herders use).

The Romans with their cereal-heavy, sophisticated vegetable cuisine have much to offer to a Nomadic neighbour or ruling caste. Obviously their seafood fashion does not transport well, but then, it did not do that OTL, either, away from the Mediterranean. Their way of treating meats will go down well with the Mongols, I guess.
 
From what little we know, high-status Mongolian cuisine relied heavily on soups and stews, was rich in meat and dairy, and heavily spiced. The problem is, our sources come from a time well after the conquest of norther China, so it is hard to say how much Chinese influence had already gone into it.

On the whole, Roman and Mongol cuisine reconcile fairly well, and any Mongol ruler of Rome will quickly be Romanised anyway.

Can we assume that modern Mongolian cuisine has any nearness to that of the Mongols?
 
Can we assume that modern Mongolian cuisine has any nearness to that of the Mongols?

Yes and no. The foundations are similar, so modern Mongol cuisine (once you subtract New World cultivars) is based on a mix similar to that of medieval Mongolia. But we cannot know whether any specific status dishes or cooking methods were integrated already by, say, 1100 or 900. Our earliest source is a Yuan dynasty culinary manual, which is heavily Sinicised, and the unanswerable question remains when that influence began. It isa possible that the Mongol upper classes prior to Kubilai Khan were not interested in Chinese-style foods, but it is equally possible (indeed likely) that they readily adopted Chinese influences before, though not to the same degree, given limited access and fewer resources.

What we are fairly sure about is that a number of basic techniques and preparations (dried meat, dried curd, smoked meat, fermented milk, boiled and spit-roasted meat) were already eaten in pre-Yuan Mongolia, but that hardly amounts to understanding their cuisine. Unless you're Phyllis Pray Bober, I guess.
 
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