Ancient Roman recipe for the Emperor Vitellius | Tasting History

Vitellius ruled Rome for just eight months in 69 AD, but history remembers him less as an emperor than as a glutton. Ancient writers claim he ate banquets that lasted days, with dishes from every corner of the empire. Fat, indulgent, and despised, his reign ended in chaos — and his bloated body was dragged through Rome before being dumped in the Tiber. | Ancient History Explorers

In 69 CE—the “Year of the Four Emperors”—Aulus Vitellius seized power in Rome, backed by legions from Germany. His reign was brief and bloody, ending when Vespasian’s forces won the civil war. Yet Vitellius didn’t become famous for strategy or statecraft. He became famous as a man on a couch. That image comes largely from Suetonius, who doesn’t just list events—he builds moral portraits. In his chapter on Vitellius, he describes an emperor addicted to excess: eating in three, sometimes four, dai