The Beginning

Baking flourished in the Roman Empire. Around 300 bc, the pastry cook became an occupation for Romans (known as a pastillarium). It became a respected profession because pastries were considered decadent, and the Romans loved festivity and celebration. Pastries were often cooked for large banquets and pastry cooks inventing new creations were very highly prized. A baker’s guild was established in 168 bc in Rome and by around 1 ad there were more than 300 pastry cooks in the city. As a result of their vast and expanding empire, the Romans discovered an endless variety of condiments and ingredients to be used in their cooking and spread many of their culinary techniques throughout the European empire, especially their early techniques of making pastry.