L1 Recipe – Roman Moretum on Soldier’s Bread
Author: Moretum: Elly Smit, Linea Recta Foundation | Soldier’s Bread: Marcel Bekkers, Bakery Aroma
Photography: Via Belgica
Completely inspired by the enthusiasm for the region’s Roman past, Bakery Aroma developed a Roman soldier’s bread – of course made from their favorite grain, spelt. Fun fact: the Romans already prepared herby cheese mixtures, what we would call a spread today, but they called moretum. The combination of our Roman bread with moretum takes you on a brief culinary time travel to Landgraaf two thousand years ago.
Serves 4
- 1 soldier’s bread (Bakkerij Aroma)
- 400 g soft cheese (e.g. 2 tubs of Philadelphia)
- a few drops of fish sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- 2 tsp honey
- 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh lovage (maggiplant), chopped
- 10–15 black peppercorns
Preparation
Crush the peppercorns in a mortar. Add the mint, coriander, and lovage, and grind everything finely. Loosen the soft cheese in a bowl and stir in the fish sauce, honey, and pressed garlic. Finally, add the herb-and-spice mixture and stir until you have a smooth paste.
Break the soldier’s bread into rustic chunks and serve with the Roman moretum (the spread). Tastes great with a local red wine from Wijngoed Fromberg.
Bakery Aroma
Op de Heugden 42
6371 XM Landgraaf
045 531 3225
bakkerij-aroma.com/
