The modern equivalent is probably Nampla (Thai fish sauce). Bit of an acquired taste, but once you acquire it, nothing else will do.

I was interested in reading this book but I ended up not getting it after reading the reviews. Did you find it enjoyable to read?

I found it an excellent read. It concentrates on the origins of the republic, so after about octavian, it gets into less detail.

She has also made a TV series which is roughly the same content, but in slightly less written detail, but substituted with her going to the locations and showing you the artifacts.

The one thing that might put you off is that it doesn't have a coherent overall narrative in the traditional sense. Its not like she is telling you a story about the end of the republic, or trying to make you have new conclusions about roman attitudes to imperialism.

Its also not told chronologically. I think she designed it to make you get a feeling for what a roman would consider being "roman" was about.

If you are already reasonably familiar with roman history, this might annoy, but for someone who's only read horrible histories, and some TV history programs, I found it brilliant.