ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the textual practices of Roman authors of technical literature philosophical commentaries, medical diatribe, natural history and lexicography – to understand how they explore the world of flavour in weird and wonderful ways. The scientific speculations of an earlier natural historical author outside of the Second Sophistic, Pliny the Elder, feature prominently in the chapter. Pliny's important Latin-language treatment of taste in the first century ce provides a list of thirteen flavours that covers similar flavour territory as these Greek texts with the addition of three flavours Pliny considers remarkable. Pliny's list begins with a simple ten-item list of standard flavours before moving on to three featured miraculous flavours. Second Sophistic author Julius Pollux generates wonder about flavour differently from Pliny. In his discussion of the tongue and flavour, Pollux overwhelms the reader with one product of the tongue, language, in order to render the matter of taste sensation a dizzying experience of words.
