Ancient Romans munched on pizza at the Colosseum while watching the carnage below

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Originally published at: Ancient Romans munched on pizza at the Colosseum while watching the carnage below | Boing Boing

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Of course, they had to make do without tomatoes.

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And pineapples. Is it really technically pizza at that point?

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They also didn’t have potatoes, so no fries to go with that “pizza,” either.

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Pizza, really?

Wouldn’t bread be more likely… you know, bread and circuses, etc.

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No wren’s livers? Badger spleens? Ox noses?

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Or popcorn, or turkey legs.

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They didn’t even have chocolate, the poor bastards.

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No tortilla trucks.

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I wonder if it’s just a translation issue since the original press release is in Italian. Romans definitely ate a lot of “pinsa” which is Roman flatbread, and is sometimes translated to “pizza” even though it doesn’t necessarily refer to the same thing.

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Fries with pizza?? You monster!

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They might have had mozzarella, but not from buffalo milk.

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That is what I was thinking too - flatbread with stuff on it (or maybe they imported tiny bagels from their conquered Israel?)

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I like to keep my options open.

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Pittsburgh style? The put fries in salads there!

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Nope, Italian site is back up:

I resti dei pasti che si consumavano sugli spalti, spesso e volentieri carni cotte al momento su improvvisati bracieri, insieme a qualche pizza e verdure, un po’ di frutta.

The leftovers of the meals they ate on the seats, often meat cooked on improvised bbqs, with some pizza and vegetables, and a bit of fruit.

Pretty mediocre writing even in Italian.

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Ok. Well flatbread was definitely common, and anywhere that bread existed in history people have probably tried putting stuff on it. Olives and cheese served atop flatbread might meet some people’s definition of pizza, so I guess it’s plausible.

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It probably sounds better in the original Latin.

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I was dumbfounded upon moving to Pennsylvania and pizza lunches at work consistently included fries. This is the 5th state I’ve lived in and I’d never see this before. Does anyone know; is this a PA / NJ thing? Maybe a Philly thing? (Now a good Steak and fries, that’s another story).

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I think you could make a perfectly good pizza bianco with the available ingredients, couldn’t you? I think everything is available…

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