Foraging is re-entering the American public’s imagination – TikTokers like Alexis Nikole, AKA Black Forager, have popularized the lifestyle to connect with African American and Indigenous practices. Alexis Nikole explains that enslaved peoples often used foraging, fishing, and trapping to ‘beef’ up their meager meals.
It wasn’t apparent to me before finding Alexis that foraging has always been an essential part of food traditions in the Americas. I began to think about other food traditions from ancient cultures. Ancient food has always been a bit of a mystery to me. I haven’t spent much time thinking about it outside of my Latin 1 curriculum, where we learned about garum and dormice.
Which Romans foraged?
Armies had divided the meal prep labor into water, fodder, firewood, and food. The Latin word for foragers, frumentatores, referred to a group of soldiers collecting wild food for the rest of the army. According to Livy, soldiers would gather water, fodder, and firewood daily, but the food was collected less often and in more significant amounts.
Foraging tools
Roman soldiers all had standard toolkits. Inside, they contained falces, or sickles, to harvest grains.
They would then use a handheld mill to grind the wheat, and either create a sort-of oatmeal or bake their own bread.
Foraging identities
Since many Roman soldiers were farmers, they would have the professional know-how and ability to safely harvest whatever they needed.
The definition of foraging in the Roman imagination and in the American legal system may also be different. Roman soldiers were not allowed to forage in the city of Rome because it was considered stealing from taxpayers. Foraging was not the main method of feeding soldiers, given that it often overlapped in meaning with theft and violence. The frumentatores may have raided enemy farms or small villages as a part of their ‘foraging,’ which is, of course, illegal in America.
The American definition, duh, is very insistent upon defending private property. After institutional slavery was abolished, laws were enacted to prevent recently freed African Americans from profiting from their foraging hauls.
Modern Americans have lost mainly wild foraging know-how in a purposeful attack on food independence, similar to urban planners using male trees so that there are no fruit-producing trees.
Additionally, the outdoors has become an increasingly inhospitable place based on race. There are several real-life horror stories about racism, which provide reason enough to feel uneasy outside.
Surprisingly, even as a former Girl Scout, I myself almost never participate in outdoor activities.
What did the frumentatores actually forage?
- Wheat
- Barley
- Olive oil
- Fruits, like figs
Archaeologists support that the Romans would introduce non-native plant species in places like England and Germany.
How did the Roman occupation change the biodiversity of the Roman Empire?
Fruits, herbs, and vegetables that we may think are quintessentially British were initially introduced by Roman soldiers occupying the territory.
Fruits:
- Walnuts
- Pears
- Apples
- Grapes
- Olive
Vegetables:
- Leeks
- Cucumbers
- Asparagus
Herbs:
- Devil’s guts
- Nettle
- Coriander
- Dill
- Fennel
- Anise
Foraging Sustainably
Foraging is still somewhat controversial, based on the thought that foraging can damage ecosystems. Though, there is a movement to forage sustainably. Many point out that Indigenous peoples often manage entire ecosystems while still foraging.
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