Marcus Gavius Apicius

Apicius was a wealthy Roman merchant who lived in the 1st century, during the reign of Emperor Tiberius. He was also a famous gourmand of the ancient Rome.

According to Pliny, Apicius was “the greatest spendthrift of all.” Allegedly he organized colossal banquets that eventually drove him to bankruptcy and suicide. He left behind a cookbook, one of the earliest cookbooks in recorded history “De Re Coquinaria” (“The Art of Cooking”) so prized that it has been preserved, in numerous editions, down to the 20th century.