A pizza history | Archaeologists discover painting of pizza's 'ancestor' in ruins of Pompeii

Archaeologists have discovered a 2,000-year-old fresco painting which depicts what may be called the Italian pizza's ancient ancestor in the ruined city of Pompeii, said Italy's Culture Ministry on Tuesday.

According to the archaeologists, the flatbread seen in the fresco near the wine goblet was being eaten by ancestors with fruits like pomegranate or dates and dressed with a particular kind of pesto sauce and spices, added the ministry. However, the pizza-looking food item appears without the cheese and tomatoes.

The image of the flatbread was painted with the use of the fresco technique, where the painting is done on wet lime plaster by the artist.

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The Oxford Dictionary defines fresco as "a painting done rapidly in watercolour on wet plaster on a wall or ceiling so that the colours penetrate the plaster and become fixed as it dries."

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The painting was discovered on the wall of an ancient house in Pompeii, a city which was destroyed nearly 2,000 years ago by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

"What was depicted on the wall of an ancient Pompeian house could be a distant ancestor of the modern dish," stated the experts at the archaeological park in a statement.

It is believed that the fresco refers to the 'hospitable gifts' which are offered to guests as per a Greek tradition which dates back to the 3rd to 1st centuries BC and has been described in detail by imperial Roman-era writers which include Philostratus and Virgil.

Pizza born as a 'poor man's dish'?

Pompeii's director Gabriel Zuchtriegel said the newly-discovered fresco displays the contrast between "a frugal and simple meal, which refers to a sphere between the bucolic and the sacred... and the luxury of silver trays and the refinement of artistic and literary representations."

"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 further stated.

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An atrium of a house was revealed in the new excavations which included an annexe with a bakery. "In the working areas near the oven, the skeletons of three victims have been found in the past weeks," added the experts.

"Pompeii never ceases to amaze. It is a casket that always reveals new treasures" stated Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano.

Almost 2,000 years ago, Mount Vesuvius volcano's eruption had destroyed the city of Pompeii. Since then, the city was lost to the time till it was rediscovered in the 16th century and since then, has seen a surge in archaeological activities.

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