March  28

Anniversary of the Confirmation of Florianus as Roman Emperor
 

During the end of the third century A.D., there was a high turnover rate in the position of Roman Emperor. The empire was nearly bankrupt and a series of wealthy men were approved as Emperor by the senate, simply because they pledged their personal fortunes to the Roman treasury. In 275, the senate elected a 75-year-old millionaire named Tacitus as Emperor. He was murdered by his troops while repelling an invasion of the Goths and immediately his brother Florianus was who pledged a major part of his fortune, declared himself Emperor. The senate, needing the money desperately, had little choice than to approve his position on March 28th.

Unfortunately, Florianus was also murdered by his troops within a few months, and, another millionaire, Probus, who had the support of the Roman army was elected Emperor.

 

Florianus

However, during Florianus' short reign, he did manage to have a law passed which stated that Romans could no longer eat hens. The purpose of the law was that the supply of chickens was being so rapidly decimated that  Florianus was concerned that within a few years there would not be a chicken left in the Roman Empire.

The law did not apply to roosters because they were seldom eaten. So a Roman surgeon who was practiced in removing testicles, both for the creation of eunuchs and as a penalty for perjury [Roman oaths were made by placing one's hand over one's testicles (the origin of the word "testify"), rather than one's heart, and the penalty for perjury was castration] came up with a practical solution of castrating the cocks and fattening them up to take the place of the hens.

The capon proved to be gastronomically superior to the hen and all other fowl because there is more flesh on it than any other bird and the flesh is marbleized with fat throughout the body as it is on a prime steak. Due to their high fat content, they are  self-basting although some recipes use additional butter. The caponization of poultry is banned in the United Kingdom on animal welfare grounds, although the meat itself is not illegal.

1. Marinate capon in lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Preheat oven 375ºF.
3. Put leeks, celery and parsley in bottom of braising pot.  Add wine and cover pot with aluminum foil. Place capon over vegetables. Bake for 2  hours.
4. Remove foil and bake for another 1/2 hour or more until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165ºF to 170ºF.
5. Remove capon to a platter and surround it with vegetables. Add glace de viande and cognac. Cook over medium heat and reduce sauce by about half. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve sauce separately.

* See Appendix A
 

Roast Capon with Goat Cheese