When Latin becomes fun: a dinner inspired by Apicius, the famous Roman chef, for middle school students

In a breath of fresh air for education, blending classical culture and gastronomy, the Nord department launched a unique initiative that captivated nearly 40 schools in 2025. This ambitious project invited middle school students to rediscover Latin through an engaging competition: creating a 3-minute short film in Latin about ancient Roman cuisine. This original combination, blending the Latin Banquet with the language of the classics, allowed passionate young people to immerse themselves in the world of Apicius, the famous Roman gastronome whose culinary legacy still awakens curious palates today. Beyond a simple academic exercise, this work also resulted in a true live performance, featuring traditional costumes, recipes drawn from ancient texts, and playful staging. The students of the Collegium Romain were thus able to combine language learning with culinary experimentation, breathing new life into Latin in a new light: that of conviviality and gustatory pleasure. The young participants didn’t just recite sentences; they cooked, filmed, acted, and above all, shared an experience rich in emotions and knowledge. This project, which met with unexpected success thanks to the involvement of enthusiastic teachers and local cultural figures, highlights the renewed vitality of ancient languages ​​through the lens of culture and the Flavors of Rome.

The initiative thus paves the way for projects like the Gustatio Ludique and the various Epicurium Jeunessein education, where playfulness serves the purpose of knowledge transmission. Staging an ancient meal to captivate young people around Apicius Junior. Understanding ancient Rome also means grasping its way of life and, above all, its gastronomy—a fascinating gateway for middle school students. This was precisely the challenge taken on by Latin teachers who, for a competition organized by the Archaeology and Heritage Department of the Nord region, immersed their students in the adventure of the Latin Banquet. Dressed in togas or simple slave clothes, the participants recreated the atmosphere of a Roman meal by preparing period dishes and acting out scenes inspired by the chef Apicius, considered the

MasterChef

of ancient Rome. This immersive approach generated considerable enthusiasm, particularly at the Collège de l’Immaculée Conception in Bailleul, the competition’s winner. The middle school students had to engage in several aspects of the project: learning culinary vocabulary in Latin, creating costumes, preparing dishes using “Caesar’s Feasts,” and finally, filming against a green screen to add a virtual set inspired by Livia’s Villa. Their production skillfully blended the Ludi Latini (Latin Games) with an active learning approach where oral expression and creativity take center stage. In this context, recreating a Roman meal becomes a powerful tool for:

✅ Deepening mastery of the Latin language through concrete dialogues.

✅ Discovering the vocabulary of the triclinium, the peristyle, and the amphorae that punctuated daily Roman life.

• ✅ Becoming familiar with the history of ancient gastronomy by putting into practice recipes from Apicius’s collection.
• ✅ Fostering teamwork by scripting, cooking, acting, and filming.

This playful project demonstrated the importance of engaging the palate not only through taste, but also through intellectual curiosity and artistic practice.

Adapted ancient recipes: a bridge between flavors and culture

More than just a performance, this project offered students a true culinary immersion in the world of Apicius. Classic recipes from the famous gastronome’s collection were revisited to adapt to modern constraints while preserving the authentic charm of Roman ingredients. Thus, the menu at the Gourmet Amphora featured:

• 🍳 Hard-boiled eggs seasoned with pine nuts, delicately flavored
• 🥚 Green pea soufflé, a light yet flavorful dish
• 🥓 Ham in pastry, revisited using ancient techniques
• 🍄 Mushrooms Roman-style, with garum sauce and aromatic herbs
• 🧀 Cheese dessert accompanied by a gratin of caramelized pears

Each dish provided the students with an opportunity to understand not only the culinary composition, but also the customs and rituals associated with Roman meals. For example, they discovered the importance of the gustatio, the first course of the meal, which whetted the appetite and created an atmosphere conducive to conversation.

This gastronomic journey also serves as a bridge between eras. It demonstrates the extent to which Roman recipes have influenced European cuisine throughout the ages. With a playful approach, the middle school students were able to observe the legacy left by Apicius on our daily lives, a true Youth Epicurium

Beyond the simple pleasure of taste, these culinary encounters encouraged open-mindedness, respect for ancient techniques, and the appreciation of European culinary heritage. Within the framework of Ludi Latini, the aim is to revitalize the Latin language through concrete, fun activities rich in sensory discoveries.

Promoting Latin through innovative and collaborative projects in middle school The A Dinner at Apicius’s

project perfectly illustrates how Latin can be placed back at the heart of education through participatory and creative experiences. It is no longer simply a dead language, but a vibrant tool, useful for understanding our history and culture today. The association between language and gastronomy is an innovative way to spark genuine enthusiasm among students, far removed from traditional methods sometimes considered austere.

• This allowed the Collège de l’Immaculée Conception in Bailleul to distinguish itself by combining this work with an inter-school competition that brought together 48 videos and the involvement of 40 schools in the Nord region. This mobilization demonstrates an unprecedented interest in learning Latin through play, breathing new life into the subject.
• Here are some of the key factors that made this project exemplary:
• 📝 Interdisciplinary collaboration between teachers of French, history, technology, and physical education
• 🎭 Teaching methods based on role-playing and theater in Latin

🎥 Use of modern tools (green screen, video editing) to create engaging content 🍽️ Raising awareness of gastronomy and ancient dietary practices 🤝 Student involvement outside of school hours (free time, cooking workshops) This type of project is fully aligned with the current trend favoring multidisciplinary learning, also found in initiatives such as those atCollège Max Jacob

Use of a green screen to recreate a Roman villa

Cooking Workshop Practical exploration of ancient recipesCollective preparation of Apicius’s dishes

Future prospects: perpetuating the Roman banquet in middle schools At the end of the competition, the prize offered to the winning school delighted students and teachers: an ancient reenactment association, La nuit des temps

, will come to lead a genuine Roman banquet at their school. This unique event will allow all 700 students to sample dishes prepared according to ancient traditions, thus extending the educational experience through hands-on practice and collective tasting. A resounding success that ensures the continuation of this type of initiative, showcasing Latin as a vibrant cultural and gastronomic medium.

• This momentum is further supported by an exhibition dedicated to the
• Flavors of Rome

located in the school’s resource center, in partnership with the Roman Forum of Bavay. The exhibition, “Those Romans are foodies!”, attracts younger students, sparking new interest in ancient languages ​​through a visual and culinary exploration.

• 🔜 The competition will be renewed in two years, according to the organizers and cultural mediators.
  📚 Expanding activities to primary school classes to raise awareness from a young age.
• 
  🍴 Organizing regular “Ancient Taste Buds” workshops to enhance sensory understanding of ancient foods.
• 
  🎬 New video challenges in Latin combining gastronomy and theater.
• 
  A resounding success that reminds us how the Latin language can become dynamic and engaging again when integrated into innovative teaching methods combined with gastronomy.
• 
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxCtE0WvVw8 Frequently Asked Questions from Middle School Students about the Apicius Banquet Why cook with Apicius’ recipes? Apicius’ recipes represent a wealth of ancient gastronomic knowledge and offer a tangible immersion in Roman history to better understand the social and cultural context of the time. Is Latin still useful today? Absolutely: far more than a dead language, Latin structures a large part of contemporary European vocabulary and remains a valuable tool for the study of languages ​​and history. Were the dishes difficult to prepare?Some ancient dishes require time and specific ingredients, but the contemporary adaptations implemented in these workshops make cooking accessible and fun for middle school students.