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| Plate Fragment of ‘Terra Sigillata’ marked VITALI, from Setúbal: 1st century AD |
The lustrous red tableware popular throughout the Roman Empire in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD is called "terra sigillata" elsewhere in Europe, "samian ware" in England. ("Vas samia", meaning "polished ware", is an ancient term for this type of pottery; the term "terra sigillata" is widely used but has no ancient authority.) The potter Vitalis lived and worked in south Gaul. Samian plates were probably used for serving food at table. This plate would have been useful for serving the recipe below, from the cookery book attributed to Apicius:
Meatballs cased in Tripe
Crush the sliced meat (probably pork) with wheat pith soaked in wine. Simultaneously crush peppery liquamen and, if desired, myrtle berries with the stones removed. Form into meatballs and stuff with pine kernels and pepper. Place inside the tripe coating and roast in sweet wine.
