L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano W h e n w e talk about a r c h a e - ology, we don't nec- essarily think about food. Anyone who is passionate a b o u t h i s t o r y , h o w e v e r , knows that there are plenty of sources that, across the centuries, detailed the evolu- tion and recipes of the culi- nary world of our ancestors. Archaeologists themselves often come across impressive discoveries related to food, n o t l a s t t h e m a n y b r e a d loaves unearthed in Pompeii, where even a thermopilium, a place we could compare to a modern street food place, have been identified very recently. The interest in how our forefathers used to eat - and how their food tasted like - increased in the past years, bringing together archaeolo- gists, historians, and chefs with the aim of giving new life to some of the most tradi- tional and common recipes o f t h e p a s t . M u s e u m s , a r c h a e o l o g i c a l s i t e s , a n d restaurants become a site to explore in an entirely new way history and heritage, with the potential of attract- ing people to disciplines that usually remain locked inside the ivory tower of academia. T h i s n e w s u b j e c t , c a l l e d a r c h e o - g a s t r o n o m y , w a n t s t o u s e a c a d e m i c research to produce a very factual and very enjoyable result - dishes that were con- sumed centuries ago - in an attempt not only to satisfy our culinary curiosity, but also to bring us all closer to our roots, to the people who lived in our streets, cities, and countryside before us. If we want to embark on this adventure, the first step is a good analysis of our pri- mary sources, which can be written, but also physical, in the shape of archaeological f i n d i n g s . L e t u s t a k e t h e ancient Roman world as an e x a m p l e : t h e w o r k s o f Apicius, famous for his De R e C o q u i n a r i a , a n d Columella, known for De Re Rustica, and impressive archaeological discoveries made us understand how the Romans cooked and which ingredients they preferred. All this is central to the recre- ation of the foods they used to eat daily. But there is more because a lot can be learned from the way their plates and cutlery were shaped, as well as the type of cultivations they would select and the animals they would breed. With an attentive work that puts together hundreds of tiny clues, coming from different disciplines, acade- mics and chefs can recreate accurately, that is, using the right type of ingredients and t h e r i g h t c o o k i n g i n s t r u - ments, Rome's favorite deli- cacies. Some examples? The epytium, a spread made with olives flavored with vinegar and herbs; the rosatum, a famous aromatic wine made by infusing rose petals into Aglianico wine; the libum, a focaccia-like dish with sheep ricotta, spelt flour, egg, and bay leaves; the Oplontis cas- sata, a dessert entirely creat- ed on the basis of its pictorial representation, but which is n o t f o u n d i n a n y w r i t t e n source, prepared with dry fruit, ricotta, walnuts, and honey. This latter dish is an incredible example of the variety and wealth of histori- cal sources: we often make the mistake of thinking about t h e m a s q u i n t e s s e n t i a l l y written in nature, but infor- mation about the past can come in a plethora of shapes and forms, from words to images, from craftmanship to seeds and plants. While Classical times are probably the most popular h i s t o r i c a l p e r i o d w h e n i t comes to archeo-gastrono- my, the discipline investi- gates also other moments of our history: Medieval cui- sine, in fact, has been just as popular as ancient Roman's, a n d w e s h o u l d n ' t f o r g e t about the incredible, over- t h e - t o p b a n q u e t s o f t h e Renaissance, although it may be difficult to recreate their flamboyancy today! Even historical eras closer to our own, such as the 19th century or the two world wars, are interesting periods to study and discover from a culinary p o i n t o f v i e w , e s p e c i a l l y because they often show the i n g e n u i t y p e o p l e h a d i n times when food was scarce. Archeo-gastronomy is cer- tainly a fascinating topic, but could it actually become a s o u r c e o f i n c o m e a n d a tourist attraction for a coun- try like Italy, known for its good food and for the wealth and beauty of its archaeologi- cal, historical, and artistic patrimony? The answer is: we hope so. Archeo-gastron- o m y c o u l d b e c o m e a n e w way to introduce people of all ages to history and to archae- ology, to interest the younger generations in what came before them. By bringing together research, academia, and everyday life, it finally offers a more personal, more down-to-earth way to learn about the past, without miss- ing out on accuracy, details, and academic rigor. As demonstrated by the ubiquitous success of scien- tific and historical communi- c a t o r s s u c h a s A l b e r t o Angela, whose books about ancient Rome never fail to become best-sellers in Italy (and have also been translat- ed into English), and whose prime time TV shows regu- larly beat trendy reality TV such as Love Island or Big Brother, there is a thirst for knowledge in the country, people want to learn and is eager to do it. Italians love culture, but we need to make it accessible to everyone, we need to show that culture is not only for "those who went to college:" it belongs to all, especially in countries like ours. A blast from the past… in the kitchen: how archeology and history of art became food's best friends CHIARA D'ALESSIO The "Cassata di Oplontis," a cassata of ancient times frescoed in Poppea's villa (Photo: Adriano Spano/Dreamstime) LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE TRADITIONS

• Cover