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Ceres was worshiped by the
Romans as the Goddess of grain. She is associated with all the
aspects of grain growing and had a series of festivals for planting, ripening
and harvesting.
Blessing the Seed Benedictio Seminis Spelt (Triticum spelta) is a primitive form of wheat that was required for use in the rituals for Ceres and in the Temple of Vesta. There aren’t many myths known about the Roman Gods and Goddesses, but there is a thread of one about Ceres in the Aeneid. Virgil gives a reason for the use of salted spelt cakes as offerings in rituals for her. He tells how when the refugees from Troy finally reached Italy, they made a meal of what little food was left to them, the spelt which had become soaked in salt water from the long sea voyage. However they also had venison steaks and wine, which apparently made up the minimally acceptable meal in Roman aristocratic fantasies. [fuggle26] In Rome, Ceres is especially associated with the ripening of the grain. Cato gives explicit instructions on how to do an offering to Ceres before harvesting spelt, wheat, barley, beans and turnip seeds. The instructions are given in section CXXXIV of De Agri Cultura. Cato says that one should offer, among other things, cakes to Janus, Jupiter and Juno and he gives the exact recipe for the cakes. Virgil also gives instructions about the ceremonies in the Georgics, here given in the John Dryden translation: Thus in the spring, and thus in summer’s heat,Ceres is so important to agriculture that she is one of the best known Goddesses in English, like Apollo or Venus. Shakespeare represents her as saying kind words to a newly engaged couple in The Tempest, Act IV, Scene 1, lines 110-118. [fuggle26] Earth’s increase, foison plenty, ![]() This type of bread is reproduced in a short 6 minute video on this Open Culture website. The link is here at Pompeii bread and they also have a recipe, but it's in English or European measurements. It looks really good! References © 2007, last updated 2/12/2016, piereligion.org/ceres.html |