One of the unexpected lessons from this year’s The Old School Kitchen – Culinaria Pompeiana master class was that the Romans practised what we might call ‘zero-food waste’, not because it was fashionable but because food had value and famine was never far from memory.

During the class, we prepared Columella’s ‘defrutum’: a rich reduction of grape must flavoured with fennel and fenugreek. Rather than discarding the grape and herb pulp, Karen and Victoria followed the Roman mindset and transformed it into Cato’s grape must cakes the very next day. Nothing wasted. Everything given a second life.

This approach would have been familiar to any Roman farmer or cook. For the Romans, the use of so-called ‘food waste’ was not merely economy, it was survival. For example: Cato and Pliny describe preserving and drying fruit that would last through the year, teaching us that every ingredient represented the labour of people, the productivity of the land, and the uncertainty of the next harvest. During our week in Pompeii, we tried to step into that ancient mindset, discovering that some of the most memorable dishes came not from extravagance, but from ingenuity and respect for the ingredients at hand.

These grape must cakes became one of the unexpected highlights of our Pompeian master class. More to follow!

#food #waste #pompeii #roman #cooking ...

Our group made a bread offering at a Marian shrine up at the caldera of Mount Vesuvius. A beautiful location for a shrine, if you ask me, and a fitting place to make an offering too! Yes we offered taralli napoletani… This too is fitting, and beautiful. 🙏 💪 🥯 🌋
.
.
#vesuvius #shrine #offer #bread #mary ...

Modern Ercolano rises directly above the ancient city of Herculaneum, creating one of the most remarkable layers of history anywhere in the world. Beneath the streets, apartment buildings and churches of the modern town lie the extraordinarily preserved remains of the Roman city, entombed beneath 15–20 metres of volcanic material during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Yet what visitors see today is only part of the story:

Archaeologists estimate that roughly 75% of ancient Herculaneum remains buried beneath the modern town, leaving much of the city’s forum, temples, streets, and houses still hidden from view. In this photograph, the relationship is laid bare: the modern city in the foreground, ancient Herculaneum concealed below, and Vesuvius itself standing watch in the background: the very force that destroyed one city and, paradoxically, preserved most of it for nearly two millennia.
.
.
#herculaneum #vesuvius #volcano #archaeology #roman ...

No trip to Pompei, exploring the culture and daily lives of the ancient Romans, would be complete without acknowledging the women who occupied some of its most complex and enticing social spaces. This weekend, we were treated to a beautiful performance at Caupona by Burlesque Cabaret Napoli, whose ‘Notte delle Lupe’ brought to life themes of femininity, beauty, desire, and female power drawn from both mythology and history.

The title Notte delle Lupe draws on the ancient Roman term ‘lupa’ (‘she-wolf’), a word that referred to women working in a city’s erotic sphere, while also evoking the powerful symbolism of the she-wolf in Roman culture. After all, it was a lupa (the legendary she-wolf of Rome) who nurtured and protected Romulus and Remus, forever linking the image of the lupa with themes of strength, power, and the very origins of the Eternal City of Rome.

Far more than a simple portrayal of the past, the performance celebrated the power and beauty these women had, while living in a world that could be both restrictive and dangerous. Through dance, costume, and music, the dancers evoked the enduring spirit of women whose lives have often been sensationalized, yet whose presence was always woven into the fabric of ancient society.

Thank you to Burlesque Cabaret Napoli for a thoughtful and captivating evening that reminded us that the lives of ancient Romans are not only found in ruins and artefacts, but also in music, dance, and portrayal of the lupe who once lived among them. ❤️ 💪 🐺
.
.
#pompeii #women #dance #rome #history ...

Just coming up for air right now after a wonderful week with an amazing group! We met as strangers a week ago and we leave as friends! Stay tuned for many highlights from our week trekking, cooking, and eating our way through Pompei and the Vesuvian area of Italy! ❤️
.
.
#pompeii #italy #food #tour #masterclass ...

#OSK2026 😊

#Food #Friends #Pompeii #Cooking ...