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To recreate the essence of a gladiator's meal, one might gather the following ingredients: dried fava beans, hulled barley, water, onion, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and salt. The preparation involves soaking the beans and barley, then cooking them together along with garlic and onions to form a hearty porridge.
To begin, soak one cup of dried fava beans and one cup of hulled barley in cool water overnight. The next day, drain and prepare them with sautéed onions and garlic in olive oil, followed by the addition of the soaked beans and barley to simmer with water, eventually resulting in a thick porridge that would have been a primary food source for these warriors.