Upon initial observation, the 2,000-year-old fresco discovered in Pompeii resembles a pizza. The crust is well-risen and golden, with a sunken center that is pink and white. A vibrant green leaf rests on top. The colors of the fresco are striking, with a silver tray, wine goblet, yellow fruits, and scattered nuts.
Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of Pompeii, recently unveiled this new discovery in the ancient city that was buried by ash from Vesuvius in AD79. Although not exactly a pizza, the fresco depicts a common scene in Pompeii – a spread of focaccia, fruit, and wine, known as xenia. These offerings were a hospitality tradition borrowed by the Romans from the Greeks, similar to modern-day tea, biscuits, and offering guests a comfortable seat.
The red and pink portions of the fresco are actually fruits like pomegranates and fresh dates, while the white and yellow sections can be explained as an ancient pesto made from herbs and sheep’s cheese, known as moretum. The rubble in the foreground is likely walnuts, and the vibrant yellow fruit with prickles is corbezzoli, or berries from the arbutus or strawberry tree, which also comes in red and orange. The wine goblet, of course, contains red wine – a fitting touch to complete the hospitable offering.
As I read about this discovery in the region of Le Marche, Italy, I was learning about ancient grains alongside Laura Lazzaroni and Prof Salvatore Ceccarelli. Reflecting on this ancient “pizza,” I asked the professor how to recreate it as faithfully as possible. He suggested using stoneground einkorn flour and reading Columella, a Roman writer. With a bag of the appropriate flour and a baking friend, we set out to recreate the focaccia.
Unfortunately, we did not have sourdough starter like the ancient Romans, nor did we have grape yeast. However, we found a solution in Francesco Maria Amato’s book on ancient Roman cooking. We used his recipe called artelaganus, which involved mixing flour, sparkling wine, milk, and olive oil. The resulting dough had a delightful toffee color and aroma. After resting for three hours, we shaped it into a thick cake with a raised edge, reminiscent of the ancient technique. Without a wood oven or baking stone, we placed it in a round terracotta pot on the floor of my gas oven, set at the highest temperature possible, around 260C. The fragrance wafting from the oven smelled like distant toffee apples.
For the pesto, we followed the professor’s advice and looked to Columella. We selected a recipe for moretum, which consisted of sheep’s cheese, parsley, mint, spring onion, pepper, vinegar, oil, sesame seeds, pine nuts, hazelnuts, almond, honey, coriander seeds, anchovy, and celery. I pounded cheese, pine nuts, parsley, mint, garlic, and oil to create a pesto-like mixture that was reminiscent of cacio e pepe but even better.
The white and yellow flecks on the fresco were puzzling when it came to replicating them. As a solution, I decided to create a base layer of dates (some of which were mashed) and pomegranates (some of which were broken), along with juniper berries and black pepper.
While we finished making the pizza, my partner sat at the table, occasionally reading aloud from his book. He noted that the focaccia sacrificale was primarily a plate or a mensa for holding the offering of fruits. This made sense with our sturdy dough. When we finally sliced into it, the texture was a cross between a biscuit, dense bread, and crackers. The taste was exceptional, thanks to the high-quality flour. It paired perfectly with soft cheese, dates, and spices.
A fresco focaccia – a hospitable offering. I am eager to make it again.
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