Recreating Ancient Bread | Gastro Obscura

Client: Atlas Obscura

About this story

What did bread from ancient Pompeii taste like? Farrell Monaco knows. The experimental archaeologist replicates ancient technologies and specific ingredients, even growing her own starters, to bring to life the breads that ancient Pompeiians would have eaten. But recreating the bread goes beyond culinary curiosity—baking it is a way to understand how one simple food item can bring people together, a practice that resonates today, even as it did once in Pompeii.

The Gastro Obscura: Sparked series

Gastro Obscura’s series Sparked explores how one special bite can change an entire life. In every episode, our diverse roster of rotating guests—featuring chefs, food historians, scientists, artists, and other industry professionals—will take us on a journey in their kitchens. They’ll each answer the same question: What “Spark Food” rewired your brain, showed you that food was more than fuel, and kick-started the journey to become who you are today? Dig in to see which dishes, ingredients, recipes, and places sparked path-shifting culinary revelations.

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Tavola Mediterranea

 

More Sparked episodes

Previous Collaborations
Jen Monroe

Jen Monroe began hosting monochromatic dinner parties after reading about an all-black funeral dinner in a book. Now, the chef and artist creates edible whimsy—from white iPhone sushi to aquarium gelatin molds—for all sorts of fantastical events.

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Joseph Yoon

Chef and edible insect ambassador Joseph Yoon is trying to normalize eating edible insects around the world.

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Priya Krishna

Priya Krishna is a food reporter for the New York Times and a the author of the popular cookbooks Indianish and Cooking at Home. She traces the roots of her successful career back to a recipe from a kids cookbook that opened her eyes and “sparked” her unique perspective in the food world.

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Michael Twitty

James Beard Award–winning author Michael W. Twitty in Virginia's 18th-century time capsule known as Colonial Williamsburg, where the legacy of millions of African Atlantic people survives in food.

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Kate MacDonald

Kate MacDonald’s dream is that Cincinnati will one day be thought of as a great wine-producing region along the lines of Bordeaux or Napa. In her winery, she creates unique wines from American heritage grape varieties grown in the Ohio River Valley.

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Adan Medrano

Adán Medrano is a writer, cook, documentarian and Texan. Join him as he forages and cooks with quelitre native to Texas and northeastern Mexico, an edible leafy green, that connects his past with the present, using recipes and ingredients from his mother.

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