What did the Romans call their flatbread variations dressed with oil and herbs?
Answer
Focaccia or panis focacius
The ancestry of topped flatbread extends back through Roman culinary history, representing an earlier layer in the concept's lineage. The Romans maintained their own versions of flatbreads that served a similar foundational role to the later Greek *plakous*. These breads were typically dressed with oil and herbs. The text specifically identifies these Roman forms as *focaccia* or *panis focacius*. While these dishes contribute to the broad concept of bread used as a canvas for other ingredients, they inherently lack the defining characteristics, such as the tomato sauce, that classify the descendant dish as modern pizza.
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