Newsweek: Ancient pizza found in Pompeii?
UC Classics professor says wealthy city residents enjoyed gourmet fare
Newsweek turned to a University of Cincinnati expert to explain the foods that ancient Romans in Pompeii enjoyed after a fresco depicting what looks like a pizza was discovered in the ruins of a bakery.
The painting depicts a silver tray of delicacies, including one that resembles a pizza but is more likely a flatbread called a focaccia. The tray also includes wine, dried fruit, a pomegranate and fresh-cut flowers.
Associate Professor of Classics Steven Ellis has been studying the diet of ancient Romans in Pompeii as part of his archaeological research into the city.
“The poor rarely ate meat and expensive, salted fish imported from what is now Spain, but the cuisine of the rich was exquisite,” Ellis told Heritage Daily.
He analyzed the chemical composition of sediments from dishes found in a rich villa in the center of Pompeii. He identified exotic shellfish, sea urchins and spices produced as far away as Indonesia in the kitchen.
“We also found a giraffe leg professionally cut by a butcher,” he said.
Featured image at top: A fresco found in Pompeii depicts a tray of food. Photo/Archaeological Park of Pompeii
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