A new fresco discovered at Pompeii further muddies the already murky history of pizza and the age-old art of putting toppings on flatbread. Found in an atrium buried under a collapsed ceiling and layers of pumice and volcanic ash, the painting shows a round bun loaded with toppings and condiments next to a massive vessel of wine.
Does this 2,000-year-old food item count as an early pizza?
A statement from the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, which oversees the site, says that “Whilst it looks like a pizza … [it] obviously can't be, since some of the most characteristic ingredients are missing, namely tomatoes and mozzarella.”
