A small volume has come down to us from the Imperial Roman period entitled De Re Coquinaria. It is attributed to Apicius, the notorious gourmand of the first century a.d., who paid the equivalent of £50 for a particularly large red mullet. This fish had been presented to Tiberius, but he thought it too luxurious for himself, and sent it to the market in Rome, saying, ‘It is too much of a dainty for me. If I am not out in my reckoning, either Apicius or Octavius will have it.’