PROTO PIZZA?

A few months ago, a Roman fresco was found in Pompeii depicting a kind of topped flatbread. Headlines were screaming that the oldest image of a pizza was found, and that ancient Romans already ate pizza. Let's have a look at the bread (or plate?) on this fresco, and the history of pizza and flatbreads. Are the headlines justified?

Manon Henzen

ANCIENT COOKING A ROMAN FRESCO THAT LOOSENS TONGUES What do we see in this ancient fresco? Honestly, it is hard to say. The fresco is not very clear, and there is not much context to it. There is certainly a silver goblet of wine on a silver tray. I see some fruit: two citrus fruits (no pineapples), two dates, and fruit that looks like small apples, peaches, or figs. There is also one of these on the flatbread. The little white lumps in the foreground could be nuts or peeled chestnuts. There is also a leaf of some kind, maybe laurel, which was used for baking bread in ancient cuisine. And then the flatbread itself. Is it a flatbread at all? Maybe it is just an earthenware plate with a…

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Ancient History (Digital) - 1 Issue, AH 46

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