2000-Year-Old Bread

Day 103 of My Italian Learning Journal*

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My post yesterday was about sweet breads in Italy during the Christmas season. After reviewing what I had posted, I wondered about the origins of baked bread. As I surfed the web, I found an article online about a carbonized loaf of bread discovered with the baker's stamp “Celer, slave of Quintus Granius Verus”, in Herculaneum near Pompeii, from 79 A.D. This loaf of bread is from the time of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Several years ago my wife and I visited Pompeii and we were quite fortunate to have had an exceptional guide who seemed to bring Pompeii back to life as she led us on the tour.

Below I have inserted a video of Italian chef Giorgio Locatelli, who at the request of the British Museum recreates the baking of a loaf of bread like the 2000-year-old loaf discovered at Herculaneum. If you want the recipe visit the British Museum website.

Buon Appetito!

Ascolta Questo:

• Nel 79 D.C., un fornaio mise la sua pagnotta nel forno. AD 79, a baker put his loaf of bread into the oven.

• Quasi 2000 anni dopo fu ritrovato durante gli scavi di Ercolano. Nearly 2,000 years later it was found during excavations in Herculaneum.

•  Il British Museum ha chiesto a Giorgio Locatelli di ricreare la ricetta. The Brirtish Museum asked Giorgio Locatelli to recreate the recipe.

• Guarda il video per vedere la ricreazione. View the video to see the recreation.

Alla prossima!

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*Note: This is my personal journal of daily practice in learning Italian. I welcome Italian grammar corrections. Grazie.