Ancient fast food? New research reveals what Pompeii residents ate – and what was left on their plates
The garden behind the perfumer's house in the ruins of Pompeii on 11 June 2025, after the botanical and historical restoration of the area was completed. Presumably, the raw materials for perfumes were grown and perfumes were sold here in ancient times. Photo: MTI/EPA/ANSA/Cesare Abbate
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Grains, legumes, and fish were all part of the diet of Pompeii’s ancient residents, according to recently analysed food remnants examined in the archaeological park’s laboratories.
A surprising amount survived Vesuvius’ destruction
In the city devastated by Mount Vesuvius, not only ancient streets, buildings, frescoes, statues, and mosaics were preserved. The volcanic ash that buried the city in 79 AD also safeguarded a wide range of other findings—many of them food remains—which now offer insight into the diet of both Pompeii’s residents and their animals, such as sheep, goats, and pigs.
The archaeological park’s laboratory in Pompeii, in collaboration with Luigi Vanvitelli University in Campania, La Sapienza University in Rome, and the University of York, studied the diets of the city’s inhabitants and livestock. The results of their research were published in the journal Scientific Reports, as announced in the park’s official newsletter.
The garden’s vegetation was supplemented with 800 ancient roses, 1,200 violets, 1,000 prickly rose hips, as well as cherry trees, grapevines, and quince trees, based on archaeobotanical research, in an attempt to reconstruct its former state. Photo: MTI/EPA/ANSA/Cesare Abbate
The menu: grains, legumes, and sea fish
The analysis revealed that the people of Pompeii consumed a diet that included grains, legumes, and sea fish. Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, emphasised that archaeological research doesn’t end with excavations. Thanks to new technologies and methods, even artefacts and remains discovered in earlier digs can now yield fresh insights into the daily life of the ancient city.
He also reminded the public that about one-third of Pompeii still lies buried under hardened ash layers, awaiting excavation.
Ancient fast food restaurant
Large quantities of seeds, plants, charred walnuts, figs, and loaves of bread have been uncovered in Pompeii over the years. In 2020, archaeologists excavated a nearly intact shop (thermopolium) that sold food and drinks—a space they dubbed an ancient “fast food restaurant.”
