How to bake a loaf of bread using a 2,000-year-old Roman recipe
In short: Archaeologists discovered a carbonised loaf in Herculaneum, preserved since the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79. This video demonstrates how chef Giorgio Locatelli recreated the ancient recipe, offering a tangible connection to the culinary habits of the Roman Empire.
The recipe utilizes a blend of spelt or buckwheat flour with wholemeal or plain flour, combined with biga acida (sourdough). The process involves manual kneading and a specific technique of tying the dough with string to create a distinct lip, followed by scoring the top into eight segments. These steps reflect the physical characteristics observed in loaves recovered from the ruins of Herculaneum.
Curator Paul Roberts notes that while these ancient loaves appear small and dark today, their current state is a result of carbonisation caused by the extreme heat of Vesuvius, estimated at 400 degrees Celsius. This process caused the bread to shrink and potentially altered the clarity of historical markings like stamps and scores. The recreation serves as a practical experiment to understand what these loaves might have looked like before the disaster.
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