Pompeii at the National Gallery of Art

By JULIETTE ROSSANT If your thoughts turn to comparing the present United States of America to the Roman Empire, either in its glory or in its decline, it is important to get a refresher course on Rome. A new exhibit, Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture around the Bay of Naples, at the National Gallery of Art should prove fascinating for foodies and chefs – and just about everyone else. It is the first exhibition devoted to ancient Roman art at the National Gallery. It will be on view from October 19, 2008, to March 22, 2009. Then it travels to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, May 3 through October 4, 2009. This is a splendid exhibit and well worth a trip to Washington DC or Los Angeles. It may just entice you to visit Italy as soon as possible. It makes Roman life and art accessible and alive. The exhibit presents gems like a dining room from Moregine, a site south of Pompeii on the Sarno River. The three walls are decorated with images of Apollo and the muses, and the fourth would have been open to the garden. It is easy to imagine eating dinner in the dining room surrounded by such exquisite art. There are paintings of sea food, elaborately decorated bowls and cups that help give the sense of how much Romans enjoyed feasting. It is hard not to think what American chefs would present in such a Roman dining room - but not that hard. Luckily, the National Gallery has also transformed its Garden Cafe into an Italian restaurant. Chef Arturo Iengo of Ristorante Pascalucci in Benvenuto, Italy, and Chef Fabio Salvatore of Café Milano in Washington, DC have created a special menu for the Garden Café: Italia. Arturo Iengo has also published his first book in English, Cucina Napoletana: 100 Recipes from Italy's Most Vibrant City (Interlink 2008) from which many of the dishes served in the café were taken. Imagine Roman notables vacationing in Pompeii eating the same calamari and olives, as well as Arturo's Braciolone Alla Napoletana (Pork Roulade with Prosciutto, Parmesan, and Parsley) (p. 74). Perhaps the pork would not have been bathed in tomatoes, since they hadn't yet arrived in the Old World, but that hardly matters. The cuisine of the Bay of Naples and Campania is all about fresh ingredients, and the flavors of food grown in the volcanic soil of Mount Vesuvius. Arturo's book is an excellent introduction into the simple cuisine (cucina povra) of Naples and the surrounding countryside. Super Chef sampled his pastas, fish, and especially his Pastiera Napoletana (Neopolitan wheat-grain and ricotta Easter tart) (p. 138) – a dessert to eat many more times a year than just Easter. Grab a copy of Chef Arturo's book to take home after your gallery visit. Have more of his meals at home: you'll feel very Roman indeed. Slideshow: Documenting Discovery: The Excavation of Pompeii and Herculaneum Menu: Pompeii at the Garden Cafe (PDF format) Recipes: Pompeii recipe cards (PDF format) Previous articles: Afghanistan: Silk Road Dining Forest of Fontainbleau at the National Gallery of Art Food Forever: Pieter Claesz Food in Painting: Kenneth Bendiner Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging --> back to Super Chef