Vinidarius

Vinidarius (fl. 5th century AD) was the purported compiler of a small collection of cooking recipes named Apici excerpta a Vinidario. This is preserved in a single 8th‑century uncial manuscript in Latin, claiming to be excerpts from the recipes of Apicius.

De opsoniis et condimentis (Amsterdam: J. Waesbergios), 1709. Frontispiece of the second edition of Martin Lister's privately printed version of Apicius

About Vinidarius himself nothing is known. If he existed, he may have been a Goth; his Latin name suggests a possible Gothic name of Vinithaharjis.

There is a very abbreviated epitome entitled Apici excerpta a Vinidario, a "pocket Apicius" by "an illustrious man" named Vinidarius, made as late as the Carolingian era. There is in fact very little overlap with the Apician manual, but the recipes are similar in character, and are usually presented today as an appendix to Apicius: they add to our knowledge of late Antique cuisine.

Bibliography

• Grocock, Christopher; Grainger, Sally (2006), Apicius. A critical edition with an introduction and an English translation, Totnes: Prospect Books, ISBN 1-903018-13-7, pp. 309–325
• Adamson, Melitta Weiss (2013), Regional Cuisines of Medieval Europe, Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge, p. iii, ISBN 9781135308759
• Spatela, Michela; Villing, Alexandra (2015), Ceramics, Cuisine and Culture, Havertown, Pennsylvania: Oxbow Books, pp. 142, 144–146, ISBN 9781782979500
• Dalby, Andrew (2013), Food in the Ancient World from A to Z, Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge, pp. 343–344, ISBN 9781135954222