Sub testu: preparation of Roman food under a clay dome

Abstract

Among the multitude of ceramic fragments, there occasionally appear handles of unusual shapes, or the remains of large dome-shaped lids. Such vessels were used for food preparation in kitchens with open hearths. Ever since prehistory, they have represented a kitchen appliance in daily use to the present day, and they appear in Roman kitchens as well. Various sources refer to this method of food preparation as sub testu. These vessels’ segments have also been archaeologically confirmed on Roman sites in Pannonia Inferior and Moesia Superior. There is a type of dish called patina in Roman cuisine, similar to modern-day souffle, which was presumably prepared on plates with a flat bottom and curved, convex, or concave walls.