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This weekend, Gladiator II—Ridley Scott’s sequel to his Russell Crowe-led masterpiece—hits theaters. The $300 million production will feature a chuckling Denzel Washington, CGI rhinos, jacked Paul Mescal, some red wine (praying its a hyper-local, biodynamic Italian red), and, likely, a few bowls of vegetarian stew.
Per historians—and Scott’s original film—plant-based stews, soups, and “mashes” were gladiators’ primary source of fuel. Typically consisting of barley and beans, these vegetarian concoctions allowed fighters to “carbo-load” (like marathon runners) before their life-altering bouts in the Colosseum. Research—but not Hollywood—also suggests that gladiators’ diets offered another benefit: fat. According to the Archaeological Institute of America, these stews were designed to create “a fat cushion” that would protect fighters from “cut wounds” while “shield[ing] nerves and blood vessels” during combat.
Recipes for this meatless combat mash do exist. However, they are, in a word, harrowing. So is the only book that remotely purports itself as an expert in Roman fighter fare (Title: The Gladiator Diet: How To Preserve Peak Health, Sexual Energy And A Strong Body At Any Age).
Point being, there’s room for improvement in the world of gladiator-inspired cuisine—and I’d like to throw my hat in the ring (Colosseum?) as Rome’s next top, plant-based, combat-focussed, performance-enhancing, personal chef. My first move? Regularly making these five, actually delicious, somewhat-mediterranean, veggie-forward soups and stews.