Some of the earliest origins of minestrone predate the expansion of the Latin tribes of
Rome into what became the
Roman Kingdom (later
Roman Republic and
Empire), when the local diet was "vegetarian by necessity" and consisted mostly of vegetables, such as
onions,
lentils,
cabbage,
garlic,
fava beans,
mushrooms,
carrots,
asparagus, and
turnips. During this time, the main dish of a meal would have been
pulte, a simple but filling porridge of
spelt flour cooked in salt water, to which whatever vegetables that were available would have been added. The ancient Romans recognized the health benefits of a simple or "frugal" diet (from the
Latin , the common name given to cereals, vegetables, and legumes) and thick vegetable soups and vegetables remained a staple. As eating habits and ingredients changed in Italy, so did minestrone. Apicius updates the
pultes and
pulticulae with fancy trimmings such as cooked brains and wine. The tradition of not losing rural roots continues today, and minestrone is now known in Italy as belonging to the style of cooking called
cucina povera ('cuisine of the poor'), meaning dishes that have rustic, rural roots, as opposed to
cucina nobile ('cuisine of the nobles'), or the cooking style of the aristocracy and nobles. ==Regional variations==