Pizza: a journey through time from ancient Pompeii to Sorbillo’s menu
Pizza is a dish loved all over the world, a culinary symbol rooted in ancient history, which, over the centuries, has undergone transformations to become a global icon of Italian gastronomy.
Pompeii fresco with the ancestor of pizza.
Recent excavations in Pompeii have unearthed a fresco from the first century A.D., evidence of daily life in ancient Rome. The fresco depicts a round flatbread with a high, crispy crust, topped with fruit (dates and pomegranates are recognizable) and, probably, “moretum” (a mixture of herbs, fresh cheese, olive oil and vinegar).
The origin of pizza.
The importance of this fresco goes beyond simply depicting a food. It shows that pizza was already present in ancient Rome and that its characteristic features were like those we know today.
Probably, however, the history of pizza goes back even further. In fact, ancient Greece is believed to have originated a dish called “plakous” (consisting of a bread base covered with various ingredients) that spread throughout the Mediterranean with different variations.
Birth and evolution of Neapolitan pizza.
It was in Naples that pizza took on the form we know today: born as a street food, loved especially by the working classes, it was originally a flatbread topped with lard, cheese, and vegetables.
In the second half of the 1700s, tomato, then considered an exotic fruit, was added as a topping and quickly became an essential and distinctive ingredient of Neapolitan pizzas.
Neapolitan pizza is distinguished by its soft, slightly burnt base, which is obtained by baking in a wood-fired oven at high temperatures. The main toppings are few and simple (tomato, garlic, buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil, olive oil and salt), but their high quality and the baking technique make Neapolitan pizza an unparalleled gastronomic experience.
“Pizza Pompeii” on Sorbillo’s menu.
World-famous pizzeria Sorbillo has paid homage to the Pompeii fresco and the history of pizza by introducing “Pizza Pompei” to its menu, which combines ancient tradition with contemporary taste. This pizza has a thin base and a crispy crust and is filled with ingredients that recall the essence of the pizza of ancient Pompeii: for the dough, whole wheat flour (the closest to that used in Roman times) and, for the filling, pomegranate and dates (recognizable in the fresco), spinach, olives, walnuts, anchovies and anchovy sauce.
The deep connection between pizza and history.
he origin of pizza, the Pompeii fresco and the presence of “Pizza Pompei” on Sorbillo’s menu testify to the culinary evolution of this dish over the centuries and underscore how food often goes beyond its nutritional function and instead becomes a means of connecting with the history, culture and traditions of a people.
Crossing time and borders, pizza persists because of its inherent goodness: whether it is the Pompeii fresco or Sorbillo’s “Pizza Pompei,” it continues to delight and unite people in a culinary journey that embraces both past and present, a journey that, now more than ever, can be accomplished in just a few hours thanks to the high-speed trains that connect Rome to Naples daily and the brand new special train that will connect Rome to Pompeii every Sunday starting from August 6th.
Enjoy your trip and your pizza!
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DID YOU KNOW?
In the 1980s, the sport of “acrobatic pizza” was created, which involves performing flips and stunts with an already rolled out pizza dough. During a 3-minute performance accompanied by music, contestants must form perfect circular discs and twirl them in the air without dropping them, creating a routine that must follow precise rules. The dough used in the competition contains a special flour and three times as much salt as food dough, to provide strength, but it remains very flexible and can tear and change shape during the toss. Therefore, concentration, coordination, physical strength and, of course, a lot of practice are required to successfully complete the performance.
E ORA TOCCA A VOI
Sostituire le espressioni in grassetto con una delle parole della lista:
Replace the expressions in bold with one of the words in the list:
Il portapizza – Una pizza – Un pizzaiolo – Una pizza – Una pizzeria – Alla pizzaiola – Una pizzata
1. Stasera abbiamo organizzato un ritrovo fra amici per mangiare una pizza: vuoi venire anche tu?
Tonight we have organized a get-together among friends for pizza: would you like to come along?
2. Questo è un locale dove servono pizze, molto famoso in città.
This is a very famous pizza place in the city.
3. – Qualcuno ha suonato alla porta: chi sarà? Penso che sia la persona che consegna la pizza: ho fatto un ordine poco fa.
– Someone rang the door: who is it? I think it’s the pizza delivery person: I placed an order just now.
4. Luigi è davvero antipatico, prende sempre in giro tutti, ma se non sta attento prima o poi qualcuno gli rifilerà uno schiaffo in piena faccia per farlo smettere.
Luigi is really obnoxious, always teasing everyone, but if he is not careful sooner or later someone will slap him in the face to make him stop.
5. Francesca è una cuoca fantastica: ha cucinato carne di vitello con salsa di pomodoro, aglio, olio e origano e tutti le hanno fatto i complimenti.
Francesca is a fantastic chef: she cooked veal with tomato sauce, garlic, oil and oregano and everyone complimented her.
6. Il segreto di una buona pizza è una persona addetta alla preparazione e cottura della pizza che abbia studiato a Napoli.
The secret to a good pizza is a person preparing and baking pizza, who studied in Naples.
7. Ieri sono andata al cinema, ma il film era molto noioso.
I went to the movie theater yesterday, but the movie was very boring.
