The Roman Dish, Patina
from http://www.coquinaria.nl/english/recipes/05.3histrecept.htm
Ancient Roman Patina Dish
This Roman baking dish is called: Patina. In modern English "patina" means the film of green oxidation on copper or bronze, or any fine layer on a surface. In Latin it meant a dish, either broad and shallow and meant to serve food on, or a multifunctional dish, in which food could also be prepared. This dish was round or oval, made of earthenware or bronze, with straight upstanding sides.
Food that was prepared in the patina was also named patina, so the dish gave its name to the food prepared in it, like our modern casserole. They were egg-dishes, comparable to the modern tortilla or omelet. There is a whole chapter devoted to these dishes in De Re Coquinaria (Liber IV "Pandecter" or "many ingredients", chapter II "Patinae piscium holerum pomorum" or "patinae with fish, vegetables and fruit, in the edition of Flower en Rozenbaum pp.92/111).
The basic, everyday patina (patina cotidiana) was made with pounded, boiled brains. Another recipe, probably more to the taste of the modern public, is an omelette with pine nuts, other nuts and honey. There were patina with elderberries, horse-parsley (and brains), rose petals (and brains), with anchovy, with vegetable marrows, a very opulent patina with pine nuts, sea-urchins, vegetables, several kinds of sausages, cheese, oysters and jellyfish (and brains of course!) which is simply called "patina with milk" (patinam ex lacte), another opulent patina "à la Apicius" ("Patinam Apicianam sic facies", in which stuffing is layered with pancakes) with sow's udder, breasts of turtle-dove, fillets of fish, and "whatever other good things you can think of" ("et queacumque optima fuerint"), there are several patinae with fish, with sorb-apples (and brains), with pears, peaches, stinging nettles, quinces.
Here are a few Recipes:
Honey nut omelette or patina (Apicius 4.2.16)
Pear Patina (Apicius 4.2.35)
Asparagus Patina (Apicius 4.2.6)
Another Cold Asparagus Patina (w/ fig-peckers)
Mushroom Patina (Apicius 7.13.6)
Patina Versatilis (Apicius IV, ii, 2)
