Food History

The Satyricon, Dinner of Trimalchio

by Petronius Arbiter

The most famous dinner in Latin literature, from Petronius’s novel of the reign of Nero: the freedman Trimalchio, vulgar and very rich, feeds his guests course after absurd course. Among the first things on the table are dormice sprinkled with honey and poppy seed. This is W. C. Firebaugh’s translation, and the novel around it is not for children.

The librarian

Read it in the Library After Dark Or read it as plain text

Reading time

About 1 hr 20 min

Where to find it

On the Food History shelves

Edition

Project Gutenberg, eBook #5219. In the public domain in the United States.