Archaeologists in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii discovered a watercolour painting depicting a silver platter with wine, fruit and a flat, round piece of dough with toppings that looked like a pizza.
The flatbread depicted in the 2,000-year-old painting emerged recently as part of the new excavations in the inula 10 of the Regio IX in Pompeii, what was represented on the wall of an ancient Pompeian house could be a distant ancestor of the modern dish, elevated to the status of a World Heritage element in 2017 as the "traditional art of the Neapolitan pizza chef".
Italy's cultural ministry said that the flatbread "may be a distant ancestor of the modern dish" but it lacks the classic ingredients to be considered a pizza.
As the archaeologists of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii explain, it is possible to suppose that next to a wine cup placed on a silver tray, there is depicted flat focaccia that functions as a support for various fruits, (that can be identified as pomegranate, and maybe a date), with spices and perhaps with a type of pesto as indicated by yellow and ochre dots, possibly condiments. Moreover, on the same tray, dried fruits and a garland of yellow strawberry trees are present next to the dates and pomegranate.
Pompeii director Gabriel Zuchtriegel told BBC that the painting shows the contrast between a "frugal and simple meal" and the "luxury of silver trays".
"How can we fail to think, in this regard, of pizza, also born as a 'poor' dish in southern Italy, which has now conquered the world and is also served in starred restaurants," he said.
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