On 27 June, the Archaeological Park of Pompeii announced that a new fresco depicting a focaccia (an Italian flatbread) had been discovered. In recent years, the site has begun excavating previously unexplored areas of the once bustling town that was buried during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE.
La scoperta dell’anello di pane carbonizzato a Pompeii ci lascia con molte domande senza risposta, ma un archeologo culinario ha rintracciato le sue radici e identificato la ‘ciambella’ di Pompeii.
Follow food archaeologist Farrell Monaco as she prepares a simple yet delicious dish of dates and shares a brief history of this ancient treat.
Amici, Romani: Vi presento: Marcus Attilius, il gladiatore. Un improbabile eroe in cerca di riscatto… che si ciba di legumi e orzo, proprio come tutti gli altri gladiatori nell’antica Roma. Non sarà contenuto!
Abbandona la salsa, il vino e l’olio d’oliva con questa ricetta antica romana aromatica e saporita per una pagnotta di Panis Quadratus integrale a lievitazione naturale che incorpora semi di papavero, finocchio e prezzemolo. Squisito!
Dig into the science behind what makes Farrell Monaco’s legume sourdough bread starter, Marcus Atillius, so monstrous… and then watch the beast himself being fed!
Yup. You read that right. It’s a recipe for an ancient Roman sourdough bread starter made from legumes!
Saca tus ollas forradas de plomo ¡porque hoy vamos a vivir peligrosamente como los romanos!….. ¡Está bien, sólo bromeaba! Explora el versátil condimento romano ‘asesino’ conocido como Defrutum hecho de uvas prensadas y especias. La historia es mortal… y delicioso!
Join archaeologist Farrell Monaco as she discusses depression-era food smarts and how to make the most of what you have in your pantries to make clever recipes such as the bread recipe in this post. Let’s cook it old school!
Get the git out with this 2,000-year-old recipe for a fragrant, naturally-leavened Roman bread that incorporates Roman coriander. History is delicious!
Hey good looking! Whatcha got cooking? How’s about cooking up ancient bread with me?… There has been a particular theme that has consistently presented itself during my research this summer, and it’s called ‘continuity’. In archaeology, continuity is a term used to connote the unbroken or consistent existence, operation, or […]
Hey, good looking! Whatcha got cooking? So… I took a break this week from preparing for this summer’s presentations and cooking workshops in Italy to get back into the kitchen where I could indulge in what I call ‘procrastibaking‘. This sometimes happens when I have a writing deadline or lot […]
About the author:
Farrell Monaco is an award-winning Classical archaeologist and food-writer whose research centers on food, food preparation, and bread in the Roman Mediterranean. She writes regularly on the role of food and food preparation in Roman daily life on her site, Tavola Mediterranea, and publishes in both English and Italian. Farrell has also written exclusively for Atlas Obscura and BBC Travel. Her work has been featured prominently by National Geographic, Popular Science, The Atlantic, the BBC, The Guardian, The Economist, Esquire Magazine, SAPIENS Magazine, Verve Magazine, Saveur Magazine and Milk Street. In November of 2020, Farrell co-produced, wrote and presented a video on the history of the date palm fruit with The Getty Museum (Los Angeles, USA).
