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(#1) 2,400-Year-Old Soup, Green From Oxidation
Some of the best archaeological food discoveries come from tombs, where people were buried with provisions for the afterlife. Archaeologists working in China found a surprising food haul in one tomb, where they uncovered a bronze cooking pot. When they opened the pot, they found 2,400-year-old bone soup. Because of oxidization, the soup turned green, but it was still in liquid form, and the bones were still floating on top.
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(#5) Ancient Chinese Mummy Cheese
A group of archaeologists uncovered 200 mummies buried in China’s Taklamakan Desert. The mummies are nearly 4,000 years old, and they are still wearing the clothes in which they were buried in upside-down boats.
The mummies were also carrying chunks of cheese tied around their necks. The dry and salty soil of the desert preserved the mummies and their ancient cheese for thousands of years.
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(#10) 2,400-Year-Old Greek Salad Dressing
In 2006, a team of scientists sent a robot into an ancient Greek shipwreck to collect jars from the bottom of the sea. After DNA testing, the scientists determined that the jars contained olive oil infused with oregano – essentially, 2,400-year-old salad dressing. The antioxidant properties of the oregano helped preserve the food that dates back to the days of Aristotle and Socrates.
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(#3) 2,000-Year-Old Beef Jerky
Archaeologists found a mysterious black substance in an ancient tomb in Shaanxi Province, China, that dates back at least 2,200 years. After months of testing, they determined that they had discovered the world’s oldest beef jerky. The jerky was sealed in a bronze pot to feed the tomb’s inhabitants on their journey to the afterlife. Today, the beef has mostly carbonized, giving it a green, moss-like appearance.
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(#11) 7,000-Year-Old Popcorn
In 2012, archaeologists produced a study that proved that Peruvians were making popcorn as early as 6,700 years ago. Ancient Peruvians likely made popcorn by wrapping a cob and resting it on coals until the kernels popped, roasting the corn directly over flame, or cooking the cob in an oven.
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(#7) 4,000-Year-Old Noodles
Archaeologists found a 4,000-year-old bowl of noodles in China. The long, yellow noodles were preserved inside an overturned bowl buried under 10 feet of dirt. The noodles were likely preserved after an ancient earthquake flooded the Yellow River. The flood interrupted one person's meal, preserving the noodles in a vacuum between the sediment and the bowl.
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About This Tool
Archaeologists often have meaningful and fascinating discoveries, but some of their discoveries make people want to vomit because sometimes they excavate ancient food. These oldest foods can be traced back thousands of years ago. Whether the archaeological discoveries were hidden in ancient tombs, lying in a sunken ship on the seabed, or accompanied by mummies, archaeologists need to spend a lot of money and energy to reach the sources of ancient foods.
Many foods were born by accident. After human beings gradually mastered the cooking techniques, some ancient recipes were born. The random tool displays the 12 oldest foods that were discovered by archaeologists, such as cheese, wine, bog butter, and more.
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