Food & Beverage

Food carts date back to ancient Rome, no joke

Photo by istock.com

January 6, 2021

Street vendors were busy in ancient Rome, given recently unearthed ruins revealing a decorated street food cart in Pompeii that dates back over 2,000 years.

The street eatery, called a thermopolium, was discovered last year as part of a project to improve the city's crumbled ruins, according to a New York Post report.

The outdoor food cart boasts a multi side countertop with big holes for holding hot food vessels — akin to the modern day salad bar design.

The menu of the day was illustrated with images showing poultry and duck bones as well as goat, pig, fish and snail, the remains of which were found in the food containers.