The image in question shows a platter laden with food, where one of the dishes bears a striking resemblance to pizza, probably one of the most popular Western dishes in the world.
A statement issued by the Pompeii Archaeological Park press office, however, points out that the food item in question lacks the “most characteristic ingredients” of pizza – tomatoes and mozzarella – though the fresco may indeed depict “a distant ancestor of the modern dish.”
According to the statement, the round piece of food resembling a pizza that is seen in the fresco may be “a flat focaccia that functions as a support for various fruits, (that can be identified as pomegranate, and maybe a date), with spices and perhaps with a type of pesto, (moretum in Latin) as indicated by yellow and ochre dots, possibly condiments.”
“Such genre of images, known in antiquity as Xenia, took inspiration from the “gifts of hospitality” that were offered to guests because of a Greek tradition that came from the Hellenistic period,” the statement noted.