Calamut Fisheries 6 Oiistar 7 Brunch and Burgers 8 The Exchange 9 Sunny bowls 10 Is Life Just Better With Feta? 12 meditative menues: culinary & the conscience 14 ANCIENT EATS

REVIEW CALUMET FISHERIES

BY ALEX MEDOFF PHOTOS BY ELIZABETH LI

>> NEIGHBORHOOD SOUTH DEERING >> PRICES $$

For centuries, humans have delighted in one of life’s simplest pleasures: smoked fish. Originally developed for preserving produce, the process of smoking food quickly garnered admiration for its effect of infusing meat and fish alike with a unique, sweet and woody flavor. In seaside communities, the fisherman’s smokehouse became a cherished refuge—a place where locals could come and go to enjoy fresh, perfectly tender fish. Today, in the South Deering neighborhood of Chicago, Calumet Fisheries upholds this timeless tradition.

Nestled along the bank of the Calumet River, in the midst of an intricate crisscrossing of bridges and railways, a small white hut with a bright red roof rests quietly, awaiting hungry visitors. On our visit to this quaint little fish shack, before we had even reached its entrance, we noticed a sweetsmelling smoke that seemed to envelope the place. As we soon found out, this aromatic haze was originating from the near centuryold smokehouse that sits adjacent to the building, its brick exterior blackened by years of built-up soot. After relishing in the beauty of this sight for a not-so-short period of time, we were eager to go inside.

Inside the shop, the atmosphere takes on a wonderfully charming, retro style. Oldschool signage with bold, red lettering lays out the menu, and an eclectic display of photographs and fish-themed novelties lines the walls and shelves. At the counter, you can freely survey the fish options, which include salmon, trout, sturgeon, sable, heads & collars, catfish, and eel, all of which are smoked to perfection over a bed of smoldering cherry and oak wood chips. They also offer a number of sides, including fries, crab cakes, fried shrimp, and frog legs. We opted for smoked salmon, smoked pepper & garlic trout, and fried frog legs, but if you’re a newcomer to Calumet and feel that you could use some guidance, the friendly and knowledgeable staff will be happy to give you recommendations based on your preferences.

Despite there being no indoor seating, there are two tables outside with a view of the river that can satisfy all of your fish-eating needs. It is there, with the gentle riverside breeze at your back and the pleasant rumble of passing-by cargo trains in the distance, where you can best enjoy this food. Our salmon was tender, salty, and rich in flavor. At the same time, it was extremely light and fresh, and its texture was delicate while still being firm. The trout, seasoned with coarse black pepper and minced garlic, was creamier in texture and generally milder than the salmon, and the added crunch and spice provided by the seasoning made it especially worthwhile. The fried frog legs did not disappoint, either. They had a satisfying, crispy exterior and the meat was juicy, delicate, and flavorful. Our advice: make a trip to Calumet Fisheries with a couple of hungry friends and bring along some fresh bagels and cream cheese, too.

>> DISHES TO TRY SMOKED SALMON, SMOKED TROUT (PEPPER & GARLIC), FRIED FROG LEGS

REVIEW

OIISTAR

BY STEPHANIE CHUNG PHOTOS BY LINA HAJNAL

NEIGHBORHOOD: WICKER PARK PRICES: $$ DISHES TO TRY: 6HR PORK SHOULDER BUN UMAMI RAMEN TONKATSU BUN

Along Wicker Park’s iconic diagonal street, N Milwaukee Ave, you’ll find an inconspicuous black storefront with nothing but a small sign resembling a destination point on a map: a bold red dot with an inscribed star and two thick lines underneath. This marks Oiistar, a new Japanese ramen restaurant serving up familiar Asian flavors with a Western twist. The owner and chef, Sunny Yim, is a ramen fanatic who has trekked to the opposite side of the world, attended a two-week ramen crash course in Japan, and visited over 50 shops to learn the intricate art of ramen-making.1 In preparation for his dream of opening up his own restaurant, Yim even imported a $65,000 noodle-press from Japan, setting Oiistar apart as the only ramen joint in town that makes its noodles in-house. This exorbitant machine achieves what’s impossible by hand; it compresses the dough into a rectangular prism shape instead of a cylindrical noodle to provide the optimized surface area for clinging to broth and flavor. It also exerts enough force to ensure the noodles are completely non-porous and will not turn spongy or soggy in the soup. But despite the fortune Yim spent on his beloved machine, Oiistar still offers surprisingly affordable prices, with dishes averaging in the $10-$15 range.2 Yim is a Korean native with a French and Italian culinary background; his dishes reflect similar international influences. Menu items like the Tikkamen— ramen with masala-based broth and breaded chicken thigh— or the Chadolmen Modern— ramen with beef brisket and kimchi— reinvent traditional Japanese flavors with honorable mentions from other cultures. But don’t worry, Oiistar still offers your favorite classics, like the Oiimen, a comforting bowl of tonkotsu ramen with pork belly, crunchy wood ear mushroom, and a soft-boiled egg cooked to perfection. When it comes to the broth, Yim believes that the most delicious broth base requires only three ingredients— pork back-rib bones, filtered water, and the labor of love that comes with 18 hours of cooking.3

For all the hype that goes into the food, the interior is simple: a sleek space with blacked-out walls, dim lighting, and rustic wooden furnishing, giving the restaurant a hole-in-the-wall aesthetic. A bar wraps around half of the space and opens up into the kitchen area, fusing together Oiistar’s warm social atmosphere with a glimpse into the cooking process. If you find yourself impatiently peering into the kitchen at your noodles being prepared, you may want to consider one of Oiistar’s many bun options while you wait. Served in portions of three to four bites, the buns create a compact but rich experience of flavor and texture. For those on a schedule, these buns make the ideal quick yet satisfying stop-in snack. Although Oiistar serves traditional glazed pork buns like the Berkshire Pork Belly, if you’re looking for a reflection of Yim’s token creativity, buns like the Mashed and the 6 HRS Pork Shoulder are both a must-try. The former features mashed potato, beef brisket, mozzarella, kimchi, onion, and jalapeño pickles. The creaminess of the mashed potato tempers the rich brisket, while the kimchi and jalapeño pickles create a crunchy acidity that cuts through every bite. The latter bun features, as the name suggests, slow-roasted pork shoulder along with pickled sauerkraut and cotija cheese. Each bun contains some variety of tender meat in a sweet-savory soy sauce marinade, paired with something crisp, such as fresh sliced cucumbers or sauerkraut. With every bite, you get a soft chewiness complemented by a satisfying crunch. No matter what dishes you end up trying, you are guaranteed to taste the dedication and artistry that went into its creation, not to mention the difference between wholesale noodles and $65,000-machine-cut-noodles. We definitely recommend stopping by to get your slurp on!

1https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/recipes/ct-dining-0228noodles-20130228-story.html 2https://www.chicagotribune.com/redeye/redeye-ramenfocusedrestaurant-oiistar-coming-soon-to-wicker-3park-20120709-story. html 3https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/recipes/ct-dining-0228noodles-20130228-story.html

>> PRICES $$

>> DISHES TO TRY THE BNB SIGNATURE THE CRISPY YARDBIRD

REVIEW BRUNCH N BURGERS

BY ZOE KIM PHOTOS BY AMANDA HUANG

Nestled in the neighborhood of Little Italy lies Brunch n Burgers (BNB), an up and coming black-owned restaurant that combines the two of the greatest things in the food realm: brunch and burgers! The ambiance of the restaurant doesn’t emulate a typical brunch venue.With an open kitchen where you order at the register, BNB’s booths and deli tin tables mirrors are a more casual ambiance where one can pick up their food to go, or stay and eat a quick meal. Open Tuesday through Sunday, BNB offers a separate weekday and weekend menu. The weekend is where brunch comes into play, with chicken and waffles, chilaquiles, and a chorizo egg and cheese. Their weekday menu focuses on the burger aspect, giving all options under the sun for any type of burger: vegan, fried chicken, steak, or even fried fish. For starters, we tried two sides, the BNB Mac & Cheese and Sally’s World, a fried salmon filet with sauteed spinach. The mac was covered in a decadent 3 cheese bechamel which paired perfectly with cornbread crumbs sprinkled on top, resembling the cozy warmth of an oven-baked mac made at home. As someone who can eat the store bought French’s Crispy Fried Onions out of the bag, the crispy fried onion garnish provided the perfect amount of saltiness to cut through the creamy bechamel. The kicker, however, was the drizzled caramel on top. Although it provided its moments of a quirky combo of sweet and salty, I was left confused with the caramel-cheese. I will say however, we found ourselves scraping the bottom for more of this delicious mac sauce. Sally’s World consisted of a salmon filet fried in an egg roll wrapping with a cheesy, sauteed spinach filling. The crispiness of the egg roll created a great texture with the salmon. Although the cheese was a little much for my taste, the greek yogurt dill sauce that paired with it provided an extraordinary freshness on the side. Although we were left a little weary with the sides, the burgers by far made up for it and then some. For our mains, we ordered two burgers: the Crispy Yardbird and BNB’s Signature. The Yardbird consisted of deep fried chicken with onions, pickled mixed greens, tomato and sriracha mayo. As a huge fried chicken sandwich fan, the tenderness of the brined dark meat was my favorite part. The pickled mixed greens added a sharp tanginess that cut through the heaviness of the chicken perfectly. While the yardbird was full of bright flavors, the Signature was warmth and comfort in a dish. The Signature was their take on a classic burger: two smashed beef patties with fries stuffed in-between and layered with their “BNB Jam”, a creamy cheese sauce, house mayo and a sunny side egg all on a brioche bun. The two smashed patties were the juiciest burgers we both had ever had and they went well with the light layer of cheese sauce smeared on the brioche. The star of the show however, was the BNB jam: a caramelized bacon chutney with a colorful spice in the background. The bacon almost resembled a candied sweetness that melted together with the patties perfectly, quite literally being the best sweet and savory dish we both colleticley have ever tasted. While all dishes were incredibly exciting and unique, the crown jewel has to go to the BNB Signature. It is the perfect definition of the saying simplicity is perfection. The next thing on my list: to try their brunch. My advice? When you want to get some good comfort food in a lowkey setting, go with a bunch of friends and order up what BNB does best: BURGERS.

The Exchange, located inside the historic Railway Exchange building in the heart of the loop, is a newly opened restaurant led by Head Chef Brian Huston and Head Baker Matt Pontarelli. Dedicated to highlighting local Chicago produce and fusing inventive vegetable-inspired dishes with traditional preparations of steak and seafood, the two chefs crafted menu selections that were both innovative and delicious to try. Focusing more on the restaurant itself, the Exchange is housed in an expansive space, divided into three sections: the Atrium, the Listening Room, and Theo’s. The Atrium is the largest of the three, featuring opulent columns, a grand marble staircase, a vaulted glass ceiling, and trees scattered across the three storeys, mimicking an indoor park atmosphere. The Listening Room, where we sat, was inspired by the ambience of Japanese listening cafes and features a curated playlist that encourages diners to synchronize their auditory and gastronomic experiences. Finally, Theo’s, located at the back of the restaurant, is a 50seat lounge offering a more intimate dining experience, decorated with custom millwork and glass, and highlighting the Exchange’s vast beverage list with over 50 options. Moving onto the food, we began our meal with the tartine appetizer, which showcased Chef Huston’s focus on vegetables. The tartine featured a blend of diverse textures that fused together to create an interesting, mixed flavor profile. The creaminess of the feta along with the softness of the eggplant caponata was a successful contrast to the crunchy, slightly charred taste of the toasted loaf. The arugula and red onion garnishes also served to add acidity and citrus flavors to the savory dish, resulting in a tartine that was packed with flavor without being too filling or overpowering. We then moved onto our main course, the wild mushroom rigatoni, which we paired with a side of brussel sprouts. Unlike other preparations of rigatoni that incorporate a meat component to the dish, this rigatoni used rich, savory mushrooms to contrast with the chewy bite of the pasta. The distinct flavor profile of the mushrooms added strong umami flavors to the rigatoni, while the chewiness of the pasta contrasted with the smoothness of the mushrooms. The chef also added tomatoes and rosemary to the dish to add more citrus and acid, similar to the red onion and arugula in the tartine. Altogether, these mixed flavor profiles allowed for the rigatoni to be a satisfying, hearty, and well-balanced dish. The brussel sprouts featured a similar equilibrium of flavors, since the dish was characterized by crispy brussel sprouts brimming with a charred, slightly burnt crunch on the exterior that contrasted with the juicy tenderness of the inside. In addition, the chefs embellished the dish with cilantro, star anise, and grapefruit, adding a zesty, fruity component to the brussels and creating a contrast in tastes that mirrored the other dishes we tried. The use of fresh grapefruit, to me, was particularly novel, and I found that its addition added a sense of freshness and sourness to the brussel sprouts that paired with the otherwise savory, rich vegetable dish. All in all, the Exchange proved to be a highly enjoyable dining experience. The visuals of the restaurants’ three spaces were stunning, and it was also very interesting to have the opportunity to choose between three aesthetically different environments to enjoy our meal. Our meal itself featured a diverse range of tastes that paired well with each other, allowing us to enjoy a series of three dishes that were simultaneously soft and crunchy, creamy and fresh, and zesty and savory. The Exchange showcases Chef Huston’s breadth of skill especially in terms of using primarily vegetable-based ingredients to create dishes that nonetheless featured a wide range of flavor profiles and textures. As a whole, the Exchange blends the historic charm of its architecture with modern, inventive twists on traditional dishes, leaving diners satisfied and engaged throughout the experience.

>> NEIGHBORHOOD LOOP

>> PRICES $$

>> DISHES TO TRY TARTINE, BURRATA APPETIZERMUSHROOM RIGATONI, BRUSSEL SPROUTS , APPLE CRISP DESSERT

REVIEW THE EXCHANGE

REVIEW SUNNYBOWLS

BY BEN MILLER PHOTOS BY EVE MEADOW

>> NEIGHBORHOOD RIVER NORTH >> PRICES $ >> DISHES TO TRY HANGOVER SOUP WELLNESS SOUP

Soup is the ultimate comfort food. It is warm and filling, calming and rejuvenating. It sticks to your ribs on a brisk autumn day, but does not weigh you down. Almost every cuisine boasts at least one distinctive soup, and there’s a reason for that. While the principle may be simple, the possibilities of what flavors and feelings a single bowl can unite are effectively infinite.

Sunny Bowls, a new addition to the chic dining space in Merchandise Mart, tries to highlight the scope of what soup as a concept can offer. The spot sells close to a dozen soups, each housed in a bubbling cauldron. The offerings range from the quintessential to the creative, with plenty of overlap between them. The results are as predictable as they are delightful. Every bowl presents a hearty and comforting meal, but one that also complicates flavor expectations in exciting ways.

The core of Sunny Bowls’ menu lies in the classics: ratatouille, tomato basil, chicken noodle, and the like. If every soup tells a story, as a large sign behind the restaurant’s counter proclaims, then the tales told by these soups are familiar ones. They are stories of family meals and wintertime lunches, of comfort and care and calm. The best storyteller is Bubbie’s Chicken Soup, their take on traditional matzo ball soup. Bubbie’s broth is light but almost creamy in its richness, leaning on parsley and other herbs to avoid becoming too salty. The chicken, left to fall into small strands through hours in the pot, becomes a part of almost every bite, as small strips work their way into each spoonful. Meanwhile, both the matzo balls and veggies avoid the scourge of sogginess, remaining dense, substantial, and satisfying.

Tasty as its classics are, Sunny Bowls truly shines when charting its own course, telling new stories through dishes of its own creation. The best among the restaurant’s unique offerings is their Hangover Soup, a beef broth-based concoction designed to revitalize after a night out. The soup is sweet and tangy, blending soy, rice wine, and other Asian staples to create an electrifying contrast of heft and thrill. While the beef and caramelized onions provide the core flavors of the dish, the most fun element is its coiling rice noodles, cooked to perfect density.

The Wellness Soup is similarly inventive. Built off a light broth that stars turmeric and ginger, Wellness overflows with fresh vegetables, including chickpeas, carrots, and artful zucchini spirals. It is both refreshing and guiltfree, the perfect embodiment of the “Soup is self-care” mantra Sunny Bowls espouses.

With 16oz bowls priced under $10, there are basically no barriers to enjoying Sunny Bowls’ spirit-raising comfort. It is well worth a trip downtown to appreciate the intimate and innovative mix of flavors they ladle out.

Is Life Just Better With Feta?

How I Learned To Stop Screaming For Fried Chicken Nuggets And Embrace Warm Moussaka

I was never allowed to have dinosaur chicken nuggets as a child. No triceratops, velociraptors, or tyrannosaurus rexes ever ended up in my lunchbox — naturally, I would trade with my comrades, bartering a bite of their nugget for a chunk of my turkey sandwich.

At home, there were no Lucky Charms, no Lunchables, no Ritz Crackers, no Coca-Cola. Instead, our shelves were filled to the brim with vases of oregano, full-fat Greek yogurt, and jugs of rich, viscous olive oil imported from our family’s olive trees on the slopes of Sparta. My manner of eating was foreign and unfamiliar to my friends— they gawked at the pastichio (Greek lasagna), winced at the kolokithokeftedes (zucchini fritters), and ran back to the comfort of their Pop Tarts and Entemans. Growing up, this apparent deprivation of everything delicious

W ritten b y C a yl a V ol and es Il l ust rat ed b y A b b e y P i a t t P r ic e

made me angry with my mother; I was missing the communal experiences which seemed to embody childhood. Prohibiting most processed food in the house, my mother chose instead to nourish my sister and I with the Greek cooking that has been passed down from generation to generation in our family. Our motto? Everything is betta with more feta. Coming home from school, I would smell the eggplant wafting from the oven with bechamel sauce lightly browning on top of her moussaka (a vegetable and meat pie). I would peer into the oven and see rows of spanakopitas (spinach pies) being cooked to a warm, brown hue.

My mother is a crusader of the Mediterranean diet, which consists mostly of plant-based food with olive oil being the primary source of added fat, although meat, fish, and sweets are also eaten in moderation. The diet is full of monounsaturated fats, which lower cholesterol, and omega-3 fatty acids, which help fight inflammation. One of the Blue Zones — the five places in the world where people live the longest and are the healthiest — resides in Ikaria, Greece. Their Mediterranean diet, active lifestyle, and frequent naps all play important factors in their longevity. However, equally high among these factors is their ability to foster deep, intimate relationships and social connections. A typical night in Greece entails the entire extended family — second and third cousins, aunts and uncles you don’t even know how you’re related to — convening together at a local taverna over a meal. The avgolemono soup and gemista are infused not only with chunks of juicy meat, but also with passion. What did the majority of my childhood friends’ meals not have? The answer: a certain kind of Greek spice, rooted in love. Frozen pizza, pasta with butter, and baby carrots don’t seem to scream TLC (Tender Love and Care). My mom leaves a piece of her in every meal she makes, an emblem of her devotion to our family currently in New York and to the family that has passed down from the rural, mountainous villages in the Peloponnese.

Every night, as I blissfully smile over the bursts of oregano in the lemon chicken and potatoes or the twinges of mint in the soutzoukakia (Greek meatballs), I also taste my mother’s affection. Our relationship strengthens not only from the act of eating her food, but also from making meals together. My mother and I stand side by side — the Volandes assembly line — and stuff pieces of raw calamari with a feta, orzo, and spinach mixture. She walks me through the dish’s creation process from start to finish. In between my mother’s frenetic commands and my sous chef duties, we talk about who’s marrying who, reflect on moments from the past, and share our hopes for the future. The shared food experiences I thought I was missing out on in my childhood were right in front of my eyes the whole time.

Food is a means of connection for both my family and for Greeks worldwide, a bond that goes beyond the barriers of language and lifestyle. A deep affinity and appreciation for food is a prerequisite to growing up Greek and Greek-American. We talk about food, we watch each other make food, we dissect the elements and ingredients of food, and we do all that while planning our next meal. While I have many friends who didn’t participate in the ritual of family dinner as they grew older, my family and I ate together every night, without fail. We sat around the family table, frantically passing the pita bread and the dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) and listened to each other’s days. In doing so, we followed two of the Ikaria’s ordinances for longevity: consuming the Mediterranean diet and strengthening our intimate relationships. Mom, I may have had a few breakdowns in the grocery store when you wouldn’t buy me Go-Gurts, but I want to say thank you. Thank you for making each dish with love, thank you for teaching me the traditions of our ancestors, and thank you for bringing our family together every night. Tyson’s dinosaur chicken nuggets couldn’t have done any of that.

MEDITATIVE MENUES: CULINARY & THE CONSCIENCE

BY ESHA DEOKAR PHOTOS BY JERRY CAO

THE BRIDGE THAT CONNECTS PAST TO PRESENT MAY SEEM LONG, BUT AS A CHILD, WE OFTEN MOVE FASTER THAN EXPECTED.

One moment, you wake up to the sound of your grandmother’s exhausted pressure cooker whistling. Soon the smells of sweet cinnamon and spicy cumin dance around you as you brush your teeth. A steaming hot bowl is placed gingerly in front of you, prepared with affection & care by someone you love.

Where does that love go when you flip a frozen meal in the microwave? When you throw your bag and jacket down and grab the first box of readymades you can find? Maybe it lingers within your trips to the grocery store, as you carefully turn the honeycrisp apples over in your hand, feel the avocados for ripeness, and buy yourself a gourmet spice rack. But it often results that the love we show ourselves falls far short of the love that we are willing to show others.

Cooking can be something that turns mechanical. When I cook for others, I make sure to pour every last ounce of tenderness into the meal. I cook with my heart, nourishing the mind as well as the soul. Lately, I have found that, when cooking for myself, I do not treat the meal with the same compassion. Too often I find myself undeserving of the full performance. Even the act of eating is treated with haste, my mind on the next task I have scheduled.

Culinary therapy has been used informally and unintentionally by my family & friends alike. Only recently has the remedy turned into a pro forma process. Certified therapists can practice their trade using culinary techniques, utilizing tactics such as mindful eating and careful preparation to better help their clients connect with their past and present. Oftentimes, food can capture the mind-body-soul connection, thus fostering stable psychological health and a more positive outlook on the self. While the field of culinary therapy is an emerging social science, the practice is rooted in simple self-care. We use food to connect across generations, socialize among friends, and heal our relationships with ourselves.

Our relationship to food and nutrition can also be harmful. Once we fall into the all-too-common trap of perceiving food as the enemy to our body, it can be much too hard to treat our own nourishment with the care and sympathy that it deserves. Whether you are breaking down your own fraught relationship with nutrition, trying to connect with the family member who used to make you your favorite dinners, or simply trying to unwind after a stressful day, the act of standing in the kitchen and practicing mindfulness may help bring you closer to your goal.

Although I am yet to take my first official culinary therapy session, the next time I step into my kitchen, I will make sure to treat myself with compassion. I may not use my grandmother’s pressure cooker, but as I whisk, I will deliberately notice my senses awaken with the same smells and emotions from my childhood home. I will eat slowly and carefully, on my kitchen island, making sure to feel the heat of the spices and the texture of the meal.

THE NEXT STEP I TAKE ON THAT BRIDGE WILL BE SLOWER AND MORE MINDFUL. I WILL PAY MORE ATTENTION TO MY SURROUNDINGS, TAKE MORE NOTICE OF THE SOUNDS IN MY EARS, AND WATCH THE SLIGHT PARTS OF LIFE PASS GENTLY BY.

Everyone loves Italian food, whether it’s cavatelli ai frutti di mare or something simpler like a good glass of wine with fresh citrus. As popular and widely known as it is now, Italian food has not always been like this. Let me take you on a culinary journey into the world and kitchen of the Ancient Romans.

In terms of access to amazing ingredients, Rome could not be in a better location. The Mediterranean climate was suited for growing grains, which the Romans used for cereals and bread. Olives and olive oil became popular for the same reason--the trees grew particularly well even in rocky soil. Though some parts of Italy were a bit more barren (like the dry side of the Apennines or “the spine of Italy”), other areas supported many kinds of produce, such as grapes, figs, apples, and pears. These fruits were often dried to be eaten year-round. Other produce included legumes, asparagus, artichokes, and mushrooms. Roman dishes often heavily featured these vegetables with bread being served at every meal. Rome’s proximity to the coast led not only to a variety of seafood options but also an important method for trading ingredients. Most spices the Romans used (like ginger, turmeric, and nutmeg, to name a few) were obtained in this way or via the Via Appia (Appian Road), while most herbs (rosemary, sage and thyme) were grown closer to home. Despite the access to the sea, fish was not the main protein of the Romans. Pork was generally favored, as well as many kinds of birds. Birds are a very fascinating part of the culinary history of the Romans. Many aristocrats marked their status by serving flamingo or peacock at large dinner parties, while most citizens stuck to pheasants, quails, ducks, and other gamey birds. Again, these meats would be preserved through drying or various curing methods to eat later on.

Roman dishes had a wide variety of flavors, mostly because of the access to many different spices and fresh produce. Even though access to fresh seafood was unpredictable, fish sauce, also known as garum, was always in supply and high demand. This sauce was made by crushing and fermenting the insides of fish (an incredibly unpleasant process that never took place within or even near the city itself). The flavor added a complex umami quality to every dish—a flavor likely comparable to unagi (eel) sauce we use today. Roman dishes were not typically very sweet. Ones that were were sweetened used honey. It was the only sweetener the Romans used, and they often paired it with wine, fruits, and cheese. The Romans also featured bread and cheese in many of their dishes, creating a very hearty and versatile base for many of their dishes (while many assume that tomatoes would be something the Romans used with their bread and cheese, tomatoes were not actually brought to Italy until the 16th century).

Many of these foods and dishes can still be found in Rome today and have certainly influenced Italian cuisine over the past few centuries. They say that Rome is the city that will never die, and it is most certainly alive and well today in food.