Italiano
In his Satires, Juvenal tells a beautiful story that happened during the reign of terror established in Rome by the Emperor Domitian, who became paranoid and bloodthirsty over the years.
The Turbot
One day, a fisherman caught a beautiful specimen of turbot (Psetta maxima) and wanted to give it as a gift to the emperor.
More to avoid being accused of theft than out of real generosity: those were actually times when, according to Juvenal, “everything beautiful that is in the sea belongs to the State Property, wherever it swims“.
Seeing this splendid and large fish, the Emperor decreed that it had to be cooked in the best possible way, to make it a dish worthy of Caesar’s palate (forgive my terrible pun).
Caesar’s Palate
But how to cook it then?
Each of the Senators, some out of terror, some out of flattery, brazenly praised both the fish and the Emperor, taking care not to give any culinary advice, for fear of not losing his neck (a punishment that Domitian handed out quite easily).
After an endless parade of lackeys, eventually an old Senator, an old man called Montanus, spoke.
He had known the splendour of the Court of Nero, so let’s say he had some experience with bacchanalia and revelry…
The fish, Montanus said, was certainly a sweet omen, a gift from the Gods to the most enlightened of emperors.
One certainly couldn’t offend the gods by tearing it to pieces and throwing it into the embers.
The emperor agreed. He decreed that the best potters of the city should be summoned immediately, in order to build a pot large enough for that gift from Neptune.
And that all the Senators, called to court so quickly, had to leave just as quickly.
The Emperor did not like having annoying people around him during meals.
Juvenal concludes that, perhaps, if Domitian had concentrated his efforts only on these trifles instead of commanding assassinations, tortures and injustices, Domitian would have died in his bed and not at the hands of conspirators.
Now, changing the subject, here is another splendid specimen of turbot, dry-aged by our friend Lele Usai in his restaurant Il Tino, in Fiumicino (Rome). Not far from where the whole story took place…
Except that Lele would have been able to advise the Emperor all right! He’s not by chance a starred Michelin chef!
The fish was dry-aged with the Inox Bim Climatic Cabinet.
The emperor of all the dry-ageing cabinets!
