Part 2/9:
Savillum, an ancient Roman cheesecake, is mentioned in De Agri Cultura (On the Subject of Agriculture) by Marcus Porcius Cato—infamously known as Cato the Elder. A figure of gravitas, Cato was among the first prominent Roman writers, and frankly not the kind of man we would expect to indulge in dessert. However, in his agricultural treatise, he includes a section dedicated to cakes, presenting an unexpected facet of Roman culinary culture.
Cato describes three distinct recipes for cheesecake, reminiscent of the fairy tale of the Three Bears: one is straightforward, but a bit too simple; another is overly complex; and the third—savillum—strikes a perfect balance.