Today we have a very old recipe handed down over the generations.
It was the soup that gladiators used to eat before facing the enemy in the arena.
Ingredients: 500 g emmer; 150 g fresh pock rind; 100 g pork cheek; 1 or 2 garlic cloves; 1 onion; 400 g tomatoes; celery; parsley; marjoram; grated pecorino cheese; salt and pepper.
Preparation; soak the emmer in cold water and then drain.
Next wash the pock rind (use cold water), boil it for a couple of minutes and remove from the heat.
Next cut it into strips and then put it back on the burner and cook for a while.
Meanwhile grind the pork cheek with parsley, onion, basil and celery.
At this point place the mixture in a saucepan and cook over medium heat.
Next add the tomatoes, aromatic herbs, the pork rind and a cup of its water.
Cook for at least 20 minutes over high heat and keep stirring until it is cooked through.
Tomatoes are from the Americas and would most certainly have NOT been in a Roman recipe.