No less an authority than author and biologist Annamaria Ciarallo has called the food of ancient Pompeii "a sweet and sour cuisine." It was that, but more. A recipe such as ius in venationibus omnibus from Apicius, a sauce for game meats, could span the breadth of flavor sensations and sate the seemingly insatiable with sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami tastes.