Just a few hours ago, on 27 June 2023, the Archaeological Park of Pompeii announced that a fresco of ‘mensa’ flatbread has been discovered during the ongoing excavations of Insula 10 of Region 9! And I am so excited that I cannot sleep! (…it’s 3:24 am in Malibu).
Eat like a first-century Roman, using recent archaeological discoveries as your guide.
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.
Let’s talk Roman bread at Trinity College Dublin! Farrell Monaco will be presenting a lecture for the Trinity College Dublin Classics Society on November 29th at 6 pm. Venue TBA. From more info see the Facebook event page at: https://www.facebook.com/events/554479661775359/ or email Emma at: [email protected]
Make Roman smoked cheese from start-to-finish the same way it was once made in The Velabrum: ancient Rome’s bustling food market district.
Let’s cook it old school, Baltimore! More details to be announced shortly.
Good day, coqui! It’s getting a bit chilly on the old latifundium, isn’t it? Not such a bad thing, really. It simply means that it’s time to start cooking some hot, carbohydrate-rich meals that stick to the ribs… ancient Roman-style! Up here in the northern hemisphere the days are growing […]
What did the ancient Romans eat and what were their banquets like? Archaeologist Farrell Monaco will talk about what archaeological evidence tells us about Roman foodways, from the most luxurious villas in Pompeii to roadside food stands. Discover how modern food historians re-create ancient recipes, and then sample some for yourself in […]
Good day, good readers! Summer is drawing to a close, the days are slowly getting cooler, and the season of sweaters is just around the corner! While it brings tears to my eyes to say goodbye to Italy for another summer well spent… there’s something wonderful awaiting us in the […]
I don’t know about you but I spend a great deal of time thinking about food. Who doesn’t, really? Food is a central part of my life. I enjoy cooking it, reading about it, writing about it, and photographing it. I eat large meals several times a day, it is […]
Good day, coqui! It’s time to roll up our toga sleeves and thresh some barley… we have some Roman porridge to make! In the weeks to come, we are going to continue to look at some key areas of Roman food resources and this recipe is a part of a […]
Salvete Omnes! It’s time to tie the donkey to the quern-stone and roll up our toga sleeves once again… we have some ancient cooking to do! In the weeks to come, we’re going to be looking at some key areas of Roman food resources and this recipe is just the […]
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).
