"The difference in taste between us and the Romans is even more serious than it might seem if we were deceived by apparent coincidences: like us, the Romans were fond of mushrooms, but cooked them with honey; they prized the beautiful peaches, but treated them as we do with marinated eels; They had a predilection for many of the fish that are still gladly seen on the table today, but they prepared them with certain concoctions, let's say, worrying, in which a little bit of everything entered, not excluding plums and crushed apricots and a purée of quinces. If someone twists his mouth, he is wrong. It must be remembered that while the Romans preferred fresh cheese, we put a good face on Gorgonzola cheese, while acknowledging and saying that it stinks: a cheese that is buggy, and that the more you pay for and appreciate, the more wisely it has been made to kiss. The Romans wrinkled their noses at the rancid boar; We seem to spoil it if you eat it fresh, and we cook it only when it is more than shortcrust and tastes like pureed meat. "It's the taste of game," you might say; "No, it smells like a corpse," a Roman would reply. Evidently, among the many proverbs that there are, the truest and most equanimous is the one that says that all tastes are tastes and tastes are not discussed. (Ugo Enrico Paoli)"