Weekend Cooking: Didius Julianus's Porridge

Mushpultes julianæ

Julian pulses are cooked thus: soak well-cleaned spelt, put it on the fire; when cooked, add oil. If it threatens to become thick, carefully thin it down.

Take two cooked brains and half a pound of meat ground as for forcemeat, crush this with the brains and put in a pot. Crush pepper, lovage and fennel seed, moistened with broth, a little wine and put it on top of the brain and meat.

When this forcemeat is heated sufficiently, mix it with the spelt [finish boiling] Transfer into service dish, thinned. This must have the consistency of a heavy juice.

Notes:
Puls—formerly a simple porridge of various kinds of cereals or legumes, eaten by the Romans before bread came into use.

~From Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome by Apicius (about 4th century AD)