'Pizza' precursor found in Pompeii

ROME — A fresco that depicts what might be an ancestor of Italian pizza has been found in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, Italy's Ministry of Culture said on Tuesday.

Archaeologists presume that the flat-bread depicted in the painting, next to a wine goblet, may have been eaten with fruits such as pomegranates or dates, or dressed with spices and a type of pesto sauce, the ministry said.

While it cannot technically be considered a pizza — since key ingredients needed to make Italy's iconic dish such as tomatoes and mozzarella were not available when the fresco was painted some 2,000 years ago, what was found in Pompeii "could be a distant ancestor of the modern dish", said experts at the archaeological site in a statement.