Moretum is an herb cheese spread that the Ancient Romans ate with bread.[1] A typical moretum was made of herbs, fresh cheese, salt, oil, and vinegar. Optionally, different kinds of nuts could be added. The ingredients were crushed together in a mortar, for which the dish is named.
A recipe can be found in the poem of the same name in the Appendix Vergiliana.[2] De re rustica, book XII of Columella contains further recipes for moretum. The variant with pine nuts is considered to be a precursor of pesto.[3]