Chef Fabrizio Mellino cooks in Pompeii ancient recipees of Romans in a contemporary key

From the grand fresco depicting the procession of Dionysus in the banquet hall of the domus of Aulus Rustius Verus, to the one which would represent an ancestor of pizza in insula 10 of Regio IX; from the “ante litteram” street food shop in the little square of the thermopolium district in Regio V, to the House of the Vettii with its extraordinary frescoes of the room of the grape-harvesting Cupids and the triumph of Dionysus; from the Villa of the Mysteries to the Villa of the Queen devoted to wine production, Pompeii tells the world about the antiquity and beauty of the ritual of conviviality at the table, of which wine is the most faithful companion, surrounded by local products. And now, it does so also through “Convivium: Sapori di Pompeii” - “Convivium: Flavors of Pompeii”, a new culinary-cultural show on the YouTube channel of the world most famous Archaeological Park, where the first episode has been published, starting from the creation and reinterpretation of an ancient Pompeian recipe by chef Fabrizio Mellino of the three-Michelin-star restaurant Quattro Passi in Nerano, alongside the Park director Gabriel Zuchtriegel and archaeologist Halinka Di Lorenzo. The show combines culture, cuisine, and sustainable agriculture to promote knowledge of the gastronomic and botanical heritage of the area, from past to present.
This confirms how the ancient city buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, a Unesco World Heritage Site, is a true treasure trove of “food and wine archaeology”, as demonstrated by chef Paolo Gramaglia research on Pompeian cuisine at his Michelin-starred restaurant President in Pompeii, overlooking the excavations, starting from ancient panis. It also highlights the public-private partnership with the Tenute Capaldo Group, thanks to which the Archaeological Park will resume producing “Pompeian wine” as in the time of the ancient Romans, who exported it throughout the known world - among white and red wines from native grape varieties such as Piedirosso, Aglianico, Falanghina, and Fiano, grown on about 7 hectares of organic vineyards inside and outside the Park. The goal is to produce around 30,000 bottles in 3-4 years in a dedicated cellar, as explained by Antonio Capaldo, president of the Group - following Zuchtriegel idea of recreating the “great Pompeii”, offering millions of visitors an alternative opportunity for food and wine tourism, reducing overtourism.
The star of the first episode of “Convivium: Sapori di Pompeii” is the white onion of Pompeii, a symbol of local agricultural identity and a narrative bridge between ancient and contemporary archaeology and gastronomy. The episode opens with a cooking show inspired by Patella Lucretiana, an ancient Roman recipe based on onions taken from “De re coquinaria” by Marcus Gavius Apicius. The three-starred chef Fabrizio Mellino offers a contemporary reinterpretation of the dish using plant-based ingredients produced in the Pompeian Flora Nursery of the House of Pansa in Regio VI, which serves as the setting for the episode. Afterwards, the program includes two scientific focuses dedicated to the past and present of the Pompeian white onion: through the presentation of paleobotanical finds curated by archaeobotanist Chiara Comegna Ales Spa, the production and use of onions in ancient Pompeii is recounted; a second in-depth segment, curated by historic garden restorer Maurizio Bartolini, focuses on the characteristics of the variety cultivated today in the Pompeian Flora Nursery, highlighting continuity and innovations compared to historical agricultural tradition.