Helen Delores De Franco was born in Weirton, West Virginia, to southern Italian immigrants, Josephina and Vincenzo De Franco, on June 5th, 1919. She graduated from Weir High School and worked as a teletype operator at the General Office for the Weirton Steel Division. In 1946, she married Donato (Daniel) Monaco, an Italian immigrant who had arrived in the United States in 1929. Eventually settling in Rialto, California, Helen and Daniel Monaco would have 10 children together between the years of 1947 and 1962, and one of these children would be my future husband, Sam. Helen Delores De Franco i ..read more

A Pompeii è stato scoperto un nuovo affresco raffigurante una focaccia italiana. L’archeologa culinaria Farrell Monaco propone una ricetta per prepararla e spiega perché non è una pizza. Questo articolo è stato pubblicato per la prima volta in inglese sulla BBC il 30 giugno 2023. Questa versione contiene ulteriori elaborazioni rispetto alla versione inglese. Il 27 Giugno 2023, il Parco Archeologico di Pompei ha annunciato la scoperta di un nuovo affresco raffigurante una focaccia. Negli ultimi anni, il sito ha cominciato lavori di scavo nelle aree  precedentemente inesplorate dell’antica ..read more

Jump to the recipe The Christmas season is truly a beautiful time of year! You simply cannot beat that ‘cozy vibe’ that envelopes us as the first week of December arrives. Houses and streets twinkling with lights, kids practicing Christmas carols for school pageants, and the same old holiday movies on repeat for days make Christmas one of the most sensory experiences of the year. This warm and fuzzy vibe is a collective sensory experience for those of us who celebrate the holiday: it’s happening all around us, all at once, and generally sees everyone in much better spirits than usual. Within o ..read more

On 27 June, the Archaeological Park of Pompeii announced that a new fresco depicting a focaccia (an Italian flatbread) had been discovered. In recent years, the site has begun excavating previously unexplored areas of the once bustling town that was buried during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. In the announcement, director Gabriel Zuchtriegel described a beautifully preserved still-life fresco depicting a cup of wine next to a focaccia on a silver tray holding various fruits and what looks like moretum, a Roman herb-and-cheese spread. As the me ..read more

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La scoperta dell’anello di pane carbonizzato a Pompeii ci lascia con molte domande senza risposta, ma una archeologa culinaria ha rintracciato le sue radici e identificato la ‘ciambella’ di Pompeii. Questo articolo, scritto e ricercato da Farrell Monaco, è stato tradotto in italiano utilizzando l’articolo originale scritto dalla stessa autrice, pubblicato in inglese dalla BBC il 7 aprile 2023. Pompeii, 79 d.C. Era poco dopo mezzogiorno quando il fornaio uscì dalla porta principale del suo negozio in una piccola stradina laterale. Aveva bisogno di aria fresca e di un momento per se stesso. Era ..read more

Update: A class is also being offered on June 26th and July 4th: Click here for this class. Did you know that ancient Romans made both leavened and unleavened breads? Did you know that Roman bakers created their own bread starters using a variety of different ingredients… including legumes? Did you know that some scholars believe that Romans arrived late to the bread-baking party?! As featured in this month’s issue of National Geographic, join award-winning culinary archaeologist, Farrell Monaco, for a sensory journey into the world of Roman breads and baking. This month, The Old School Kitche ..read more

Farrell Monaco Farrell Monaco è una pluripremiata archeologa classica e food-writer la cui ricerca si incentra su cibo, preparazioni gastronomiche, e pane e pasticceria del Mediterraneo di epoca romana. Ha conseguito una Laurea con lode ed un Master con lode presso l’Università di Leichester in Gran Bretagna, ed è attualmente una ricercatrice in procinto di conseguire il Dottorato di Ricerca. Ha collaborato a progetti focalizzati sull’archeologia Romana del cibo a Monte Testaccio (Roma, Italia) con CEIPAC (Università di Barcellona); a The Pompeii Food & Drink Project (Pompei, Italia ..read more

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Explore the research, experiments and recreations of culinary archaeologist, Farrell Monaco, on her YouTube channel. Don’t forget to stay tuned and subscribe! The post The Tavola Mediterranea YouTube Channel appeared first on Tavola Mediterranea ..read more