Budapest Pizzeria Offers Ancient Roman-Style Pizza

Feb 21, 2026

63 min

Feb 21, 2026 17:31

Budapest pizzeria serves ancient Rome-style pizza without tomatoes

## A Culinary Time Travel

In Budapest, Neverland Pizzeria is offering a unique dining experience by serving pizzas inspired by ancient Roman recipes. The pizzeria, led by founder Josep Zara, has crafted a limited-edition pizza using ingredients available during the Roman Empire, long before tomatoes and mozzarella were introduced to Europe.

## Historical Inspiration

The idea was sparked by a fresco discovered in Pompeii in 2023, depicting a flatbread topped with ingredients like pomegranate seeds and spices. This discovery led Zara to explore Roman culinary history, consulting historical texts and experts to recreate a pizza that might have been enjoyed in ancient times.

## Ingredients and Challenges

The pizza features a base made from ancient grains such as einkorn and spelt, with toppings including olive paste, fermented fish sauce, confit duck, and a grape reduction. The team faced challenges, such as the absence of modern infrastructure like running water, which they overcame by using fermented spinach juice to help the dough rise.

## A Special Creation

While the pizza is not intended for everyday consumption, it offers a taste of history for those curious about ancient flavors. Zara emphasizes that while the pizzeria enjoys experimenting, they maintain certain modern boundaries, notably avoiding the use of pineapple on their pizzas.

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