What did bread from ancient Pompeii taste like? Farrell Monaco knows. The experimental archaeologist replicates ancient technologies and specific ingredients, even growing her own starters, to bring to life the breads that ancient Pompeiians would have eaten. But recreating the bread goes beyond culinary curiosity—baking it is a way to understand how one simple food item can bring people together, a practice that resonates today, even as it did once in Pompeii.
Explore the research, experiments and recreations of culinary archaeologist, Farrell Monaco, on her YouTube channel. Don’t forget to stay tuned and subscribe!
Eat like a first-century Roman, using recent archaeological discoveries as your guide.
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!
Yup. You read that right. It’s a recipe for an ancient Roman sourdough bread starter made from legumes!
Explora una de las muchas formas y simbologías relacionadas con el pan griego antiguo con ‘La hija de Deméter’: una receta para una barra de pan de 2.000 años de antigüedad que se asemeja a un trirreme griego. ¡Velocidad de ataqueeeee!
Il Savillum incontra la Kalitsounia in questa antica ricetta di 2,500 anni fa per una sontuosa torta al formaggio di capra e al miele degna di un banchetto… o di uno spuntino di mezzanotte dopo una turbolenta partita a kottabos!
Esplora una delle molte forme e simbologie che coinvolgono il pane greco antico con “La Figlia di Demetra”: una ricetta per una pagnotta di 2000 anni fa che è stata modellata per assomigliare a un trireme greco. Velocità di speronamento!
Prepariamo il Caseus Fumosus Velabrensis (Caciotta Affumicata del Velabro) come era fatto un tempo al Velabrum: il vivace distretto del mercato del cibo nell’antica Roma.
“On a balmy, starlit night more than 40 people are seated at a table that runs the length of the inner courtyard of Castello di Potentino, a medieval castle in southern Tuscany. Through openings in the wall you can glimpse the slopes of Monte Amiata. The mountain was sacred to […]
This event has been cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic and associated health and safety precautions and travel restrictions. “On a balmy, starlit night more than 40 people are seated at a table that runs the length of the inner courtyard of Castello di Potentino, a medieval castle in southern […]
Explore one of the many forms and symbologies involving ancient Greek bread with ‘Demeter’s Daughter’: a recipe for a 2,000-year-old loaf of bread that was shaped to resemble a Greek trireme. Ramming speed!
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).
