Some of the Roman rulers tried to emphasize their own uniqueness by serving and eating unusual and unusual dishes.
According to the historian Suetonius, the notorious Caligula “drink pearls of great price dissolved in vinegar, and set before his guests loaves and meats of gold, declaring that a man ought either to be frugal or Caesar”. Unfortunately, we do not know if it was about golden dummy dishes or a food gilding, similar to the one used in the Middle Ages.
Suetonius stressed that Caligula “in reckless extravagance outdid the prodigals of all times in ingenuity”.
