Have you ever wondered where your favourite foods are originally from? We all love to relish our most-loved comfort foods every now and then. For instance, we certainly cannot resist a wood-fired pizza or a plate of piping-hot momos. But when it comes to the history of these foods and how they came into existence, we are pretty much clueless. Now, an ancient food painting discovered in the ruins of Pompeii in Rome has offered some insight into how the first pizza may have come about into existence. A fresco has been found on the wall of a house in Pompeii and it depicts what pizza's first ancestor may have looked like. Check it out:
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Pompeii is an archaeological site located just 23 km from Naples, which is considered the home of the pizza. In the painting that dates back nearly 2,000 years, we can see a primal version of a pizza in terms of a flatbread - kept with fruits, nuts and what seems to be a goblet of wine. The flatbread did not have tomatoes or mozzarella cheese as those came about later. However, it does seem to be dressed with spices and pesto sauce, reports suggested. The Italian Culture Ministry said on Tuesday that this painting found in Pompeii may be a distant relative of the modern dish, a report by Reuters stated.
Pompeii director Gabriel Zuchtriegel said, "How can we fail to think, in this regard, of pizza, also born as a 'poor' dish in southern Italy, which has now conquered the world and is also served in starred restaurants." He added that it shows the contrast between a 'frugal and simple meal' and the 'luxury of silver trays', as per BBC.
Internet users couldn't help but share their reactions to the ancient pizza painting. Many of them were amazed on seeing the ancestor of the much-loved comfort dish from Italy.
Take a look at the reactions:
What did you think of the ancient pizza painting? Tell us in the comments.