Originally flat , round loaves made of emmer ( a cereal grain closely related to wheat ) with a bit of salt were eaten ; among the upper classes , eggs , cheese , and honey , along with milk and fruit were also consumed . In the Imperial period , around the beginning of the Christian era , bread made of wheat was introduced ; with time , more and more wheaten foods began to replace emmer loaves . There were many kinds of bread of differing quality . Typically white bread was baked for the elite , with darker bread baked for the middle class , and the darkest bread for the poor peasants . The bread was sometimes dipped in wine and eaten with olives , cheese , and grapes . At the time of the destruction of Pompeii in AD 79 , there were at least 33 bakeries in that city . The Roman chefs made sweet buns flavored with blackcurrants and cheese cakes made with flour , honey , eggs , ricotta-like cheese and poppy seed . Sweet wine cakes were made with honey , reduced red wine and cinnamon . Fruit tarts were popular with the upper class , but the lower classes could n’t afford to personally make them or purchase them from markets and vendors . The ancient Roman diet included many items that are staples of modern Italian cooking . Pliny the Elder discussed more than 30 varieties of olive , 40 kinds of pear , figs ( native and imported from Africa and the eastern provinces ) , and a wide variety of vegetables . Some of these vegetables are no longer present in the modern world , while others have undergone significant changes . Carrots of different colours were consumed , but not in orange . Many kinds of vegetables were cultivated and consumed . These included celery , garlic , taro , gourds , some flower bulbs , cabbage and other brassicas ( such as kale and broccoli ) , lettuce , endive , onion , leek , asparagus , radishes , turnips , parsnips , carrots , beets , green peas , chard , French beans , courgettes , cardoons , olives , and cucumber . Some vegetables were illustrated in reliefs . The potato , tomato and chili pepper ( capsicums ) from the New World were not available in ancient Roman times nor maize ( the modern source of polenta )
the destruction of Pompeii in AD 79
Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79
Ancient Roman cuisine