Originally, the Roman year began in March. However, in 153 BC, January and February
were added to the Roman calendar. January was associated with Janus, the Roman god of gates and transitions.
The Roman poet Ovid recorded in Fasti (The Book of Days) that Romans would offer "salted sacrificial cakes" to Janus in January. These cakes, called "far" in Latin, were typically made from wheat flour. Due to limited historical records on this bread, I recreated it based on modern Italian focaccia, pan-frying it in olive oil and sprinkling it with coarse salt.
Romans also offered dates (usually North African dates) and honey to Janus, symbolizing the wish for "a year as sweet as the journey."
Apicius, a gourmet from the Tiberian era, documented a dessert made with dates and honey in his work De Re Coquinaria (On the Subject of Cooking). He described pitting the dates, stuffing them with pine nuts and walnuts, and frying them in honey.
The first volume of Fasti also mentions the origin of animal sacrifices. Initially, people offered sows to Ceres, the goddess of grain, because "the sinful pig" had once uprooted young sprouts in early spring. Thus, I included a pork dish in this Roman New Year feast. Apicius referred to it as "a stew concerning the pig," but while he listed ingredients like pepper, honey, and dried apricots, he left no specific instructions. Taking inspiration from French cuisine, I first pan-fried large chunks of pork tenderloin with garlic and olive oil, then simmered them in a sauce of red wine, dried apricots, honey, salt, and pepper, before slicing and plating.
After cooking, I found everything quite delicious—the bread was crispy, and the honey-wine pork with apricot sauce was incredibly tender. Though, admittedly, it seems like I was eating nothing but sacrificial offerings.
