Recipes from the past (2) Pompeii pizza

introduction

on June 27 ,2023 , fresco was discovered in the Pompeii archaeological site looks like a pizza, but some experts at the archaeological site said it may be just a focaccia covered with fruit, including pomegranate and possibly dates, finished with spices or a type of pesto, Because they noted that key ingredients needed to make Italy's iconic dish (tomatoes and mozzarella) were not available when the fresco was painted some 2,000 years ago.

* Tomatoes were only introduced to Europe from the Americas a few centuries ago, and mozzarella was discovered may be in the 1600s .

notes before start cooking

due what happen to Pompeii , our today recipe will depend on two poems one to make the cheese written by Virgil (70BC- 19BC) and it is called (moretum), another for the bread written by Virgil too and it is called (Aeneid).

to make the moretum

* moretum used as mozzarella nowadays

ingredients

1- 2 small heads of garlic

2- a large handful of parsley

3- a large handful of cilantro

4- a small handful of rue (optional , you can use celery leaf instead)

5- 1 tablespoon of olive oil

6- 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar

7- 1 teaspoon of salt

8- 280g of white cheese (any kind you want but white )

Instructions

1- peel your garlic and chop it up

2- chop your herps

3- crush the garlic in food processor

4- then add the salt and the cheese with the garlic in the food processor

5- add the herbs

6- blend until the white of the cheese and the green of the herbs have become one

7- finally add the olive oil and the white vinegar and blend until smooth

to make the mensa (bread)

ingredients

1- 500g whole wheat flour

2- 250g active dough starter

3- 475ml warm water

4- 2 tablespoons of honey

5- 3 tablespoons of olive oil

6- 1 tablespoons of salt

Instructions

1- Start whisking the salt into the flour then add your starter and the water

2- combine these until incorporated then add in the olive oil and the honey

3- work the dough for 2 0r 3 minutes until everything is well combined

* you are not going to be kneading the dough like you would a traditional bread

4- put a little bit more olive oil on the top and coat the dough once it is become cohesive

5- set damp cloth on top and let it rise for overnight in cool place and it will double in size

6- don't punch it down again and just gently take it out of the bowl and put it onto a lightly oiled surface

7- divide the dough into fourth and then formed those into circles

8- use your fingers to make that sort of trench around the edge of the circle then put a little bit of olive oil in there to keep that part from rising

9- you can put it on a hot pizza stone in your oven or just bake them on baking sheet

10- heat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit or 260 Celsius

11- bake it for 10 minute

finally

once baked , let it cool for a moment before you spread your moretum on top , you can top it with white cheese and any kind of fruits , vegetables or even cold meat if you want .