The 2,000-year-old fresco was buried in 79 AD, as Mt. Vesuvius erupted.
By Phil Micali, La Nostra Voce
Everyone knows that pizza originated in Naples…or did it? Certainly, pizza, as we know it, would take ‘til the discovery of the New World so tomatoes could hit the scene… So, what did ancient students of Pliny the Elder — a Roman admiral, claimed by the fateful eruption in 79 AD — order for take-out during their midnight cravings? Judging from the latest frescoes unearthed in Pompeii, it was more like a focaccia bread topped with fruit-like figs, ricotta and a touch of honey (definitely try this at home).
What else lies beneath, long buried by the fires of Mt. Vesuvius? Well, Pompeii seems to be turning up all kinds of treasures these days. And that’s because, while it’s a vast city, you can still meander around blissfully under a blistering hot sun for hours and hours (be sure to bring umbrellas and water bottles!), only about one-third of the ruins have been excavated in total. In recent years, Italian authorities have ramped up excavations, which have brought to light all kinds of fascinating discoveries — from a horse with tack ready to flee the volcano, to tidy home furnishings.
This article was published in the latest edition of La Nostra Voce, ISDA’s monthly newspaper that chronicles Italian American news, history, culture and traditions. Subscribe today.
But I digress. Flat bread (or focaccia) is to be found in most cultures, particularly around the Levant. It is something that has come to us, nearly in its original form, though we now use yeast and, of course, new toppings to please our modern palates. Travelers to Italy, especially around Rome, will find numerous take-away outlets (another millennia-old tradition) offering up Pinsa. That’s not a typo, though, it could be an earlier version of pizza. It’s a wonderfully lighter crust, with your choice of toppings, from spinach and sausage to mushrooms and more. Better establishments will boast that their dough is left to rise for 72 hours or so. It’s less heavy on the stomach, and you can find it during the day, while most Italian pizza places tend to operate their ovens only by night.
Turning to the newfound fresco above, you can distinguish a laurel leaf, mushrooms, perhaps hard-boiled eggs and of course, a wine-filled “crater,” which would not have tasted anything like the fine Italian wines of today. Quite bitter, they would have added honey, cloves and cinnamon and other spices to help it go down more smoothly, more like a mulled wine we enjoy at Christmas.
But, I think this discovery of the fresco is more incredible for one amazing reason: I like to think that those yellow fruits depicted there are pineapples…Add to that topping a little cured meat, say, a sort of prosciutto or ham…and the great debate of pineapple pizza can be laid to rest! Of course, the pineapple would not have made its way over to Italy from its native Brazil for centuries — until the 1700s — but still, I wonder what it could be!
In Italy, you’d be hard-pressed to find pineapple pizza, but you can still order an incredible range of pizza toppings from a luscious “pizza e fichi” — pizza and figs to a “diavola,” the equivalent to our hot pepperoni (hot peppers) to a pizza with asparagus and a sunny-side up egg on top! Can’t decide? Then select a quattro Stagioni; four seasons and you’ll get a mix of toppings. Just remember…in Italy we eat the whole (small-sized) pizza pie for ourselves…and we use a knife and fork!
You can read all the latest news in Pompeii and the various sites under its auspices and how to visit the various areas and maybe even see an excavation in action here.
Phil Micali lives in Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Philítaly.co | See Italy then SEE Italy
Philitaly100@gmail.com
