Street food stores haven’t changed that much since 79 AD in Pompeii

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Roman city of Pompeii on the coast of Italy was buried when Mount Vesuvius erupted back in 79 AD. There were about 150 stores called thermopoliums selling take-out street food. As shown above, they don’t look too different from a chain restaurant you might see in the food court at a local shopping mall. The counters have holes for terra cotta pots heated by fires rather than stainless steel bins on a steam table. Most foods would have been boiled rather than fried (as is now common). The wall has a fresco, but the counter front is missing one.

 

An article by Jason Daley at Smithsonian Magazine on April 3, 2019 described how a Recently uncovered thermopolium reminds us that Romans loved fast food as much as we do. Very recently another article at Pompeii Sites on December 26, 2020 detailed that The snack bar of Regio V resurfaces in its entirety with scenes of still life, food residues, animal bones and victims of the eruption. There also was yet another article at NPR titled What’s on the menu in ancient Pompeii? Duck, goat, snail, researchers say and one at Lonely Planet titled Street food stall discovered in Pompeii reveals dining habits of ancient Romans. Frescoes on the counter front show ducks and a rooster.

 

One of the condiments, garum, is similar to modern fish sauce (but made from fish guts – ain’t it offal?). A blog post by Deana Sidney at LostPastRemembered on April 24, 2012 titled Heliogabalus, delights from the Roman empire made with glorious garum says:

 

“Its factories were the original bad industrial neighbors –– no one wanted to live downwind of a garum factory.  Residue of a garum container found in Pompeii revealed that the garum made there was made from Bogues, a summer-swarming fish of the family of sea breams like porgies in the US.”

 

There also were about 120 popina (wine bars) in Pompeii. A 2004 book by Gregory S. Aldrete titled Daily life in the Roman City (Rome, Pompeii, and Ostia) tell us on page 192 that:  

 

“One common type of small business was the popinae, which was a combination of bar and fast food restaurant. These were housed in small rooms usually located at the intersections of major streets. Across the front was a counter with two or three large clay pots set into it. Underneath the pots were places where small fires could be built to keep the pots warm. These pots probably contained an assortment of gruel, fish stew, and garum, and pedestrians who felt hungry could purchase a ladleful of whatever fast food they wanted.”

 

A photo of a thermopolium came from Miguel Hermoso Cuesta at Wikimedia Commons.