The supermarket down the street from my house has one of the most bizarre impulse-buy displays in the history of commerce: dozens of protein-rich power bars, none of which contain a single pronounceable ingredient. I have no idea who is driving these sales or why they insist on eating chemicals when there is a native, natural power bar already in town—and with a longer shelf life, too. It’s pangiallo, the saffron-glazed, nut-studded medieval cake Romans have been enjoying in one form or another for centuries, if not longer. Thanks to its dense structure and preserved ingredients—honey, nuts, and dried fruit—pangiallo keeps for weeks, even months, making it the original long-haul snack. Angelo Colapicchioni of the eponymous Forno Pasticceria Angelo Colapicchioni near the Vatican says his award-winning version is an ancient Roman recipe inspired by Apicius. I wonder if that guy served his on a big communion wafer like Angelo does. I omit this traditional yet awful step.