On Saturday, the latest excavated area of Pompeii, Italy, was shared with the world.
The Parco Archeologico di Pompeii, the famed archeological site, published photos of an ancient restaurant, known as the Thermopolium of Regio V, where they once served hot food.
In the hollowed compartments of the frescoed snack bar, archeologists uncovered “traces of pork, fish, snails and beef.” In addition to these meat-heavy remains, ground fava beans were found at the bottom of a wine container, once used to flavor and color the beverage.
Anthropologist Valeria Amoretti told CNN that the colorful paintings of rooster, fish, amphorae jars and upside down mallards “represent, at least in part, the food and drink that were sold here.” One could easily imagine people waiting in line to place an order.
The town of Pompeii, Italy, was rediscovered in 1750 after being buried in ash for over millennia. Today, over half of the site has been unearthed, providing a window back in time on life before the fatal Vesuvius eruption in 79 AD, and of course, the appetites of the people who once lived there.
For Italian food historians, this discovery will surely prompt new ideas on old dining habits. Today, pizza al portafoglio and arancini have replaced menus that might have once advertised snails and goat. But greasy cones of fried seafood known as fritto misto and porchetta, roasted pork sandwiches, are still happily served hot throughout the Bay of Naples.
What will they say about our eating habits 1,000 years from now?
Cover photo via Facebook official page Parco Archeologico di Pompeii.