Originally flat, round loaves made of emmer (a cereal related to wheat) with a bit of salt were eaten; among the upper classes, eggs, cheese, and honey, along with milk and fruit were also consumed. In the Empire period, around the beginning of the Christian era, bread made of wheat was introduced. Later, more and more wheaten foods began to replace emmer bread. Poor romans ate bread, vegetable, soup and porridge. Meat and shellfish were a luxury, unless they lived in the countryside and could go hunting or fishing.