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Ancient Foods

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Ripples in the land are remnants of the field walls that once held rows of native sugarcane and sweet potatoes.
farms

Unearthing the Mysteries of Hawai'i's Ancient Agriculture

At the Kōhala Field System, researchers are rediscovering lost ancestral knowledge.
Sarah Lohman May 19, 2025
Tomb paintings can tell us a lot about the Ancient Egyptian diet because they often depict food offerings, hunting, and agriculture.
pyramids

What Did the Ancient Egyptians Eat? AO Wants to Know.

Egyptian archaeologist Mennat-Allah El Dorry digs deep into the diets of the past.
Andrew Coletti February 20, 2025
Developed by Farrell Monaco, our Black Banquet included dark loaves of bread, beans, dates, and fish—all inspired by an ancient tombstone.
archaeology

Recreating an Ancient Roman Dinner of Death

To investigate the legend of Emperor Domitian’s Black Banquet, we made our own macabre feast.
Sam O'Brien & Farrell Monaco November 29, 2024
The mummies of Tarim Basin are up to 3,600 years old.
mummies

This Mummy Cheese Is Full of Ancient Secrets

The world's oldest known cheese holds the key to kefir's mysterious origins.
Roxanne Hoorn September 25, 2024
At AMAIA, the pisco sour is reimagined with native ingredients like the <em>maqui</em> berry.
food

A Gastro Obscura Guide to Santiago

From sea to desert, chefs are reimagining ancestral cuisine and elevating endemic ingredients.
Mark Johanson July 1, 2024
At Stani, the last surviving dairy bar in Athens, milky treats get doused in honey.
food

A Gastro Obscura Guide to Athens

What’s old is new again in Greece’s dynamic, ancient polis.
Diana Hubbell July 1, 2024
Using teeth as tools likely led to early tooth decay.
poison

Ancient Gum Reveals Stone-Age Teens Chewed on Bones and Made Poison

And had some pretty bad oral health.
Olivia Young January 24, 2024
After hosting months of events at Rice University, the Houston mudhif will be relocated to a permanent home at the end of the year.
ancient

Ordering Off a 5,000-Year-Old Mesopotamian Menu

A community effort brings ancient flavors to modern Texas.
Andrew Coletti November 3, 2023
The Ancient Greeks often decorated pottery used during parties with scenes from those events, like this <em>symposium</em> (drinking party) attendee getting sick from too much wine.
food

Eat Like an Ancient Greek Philosopher

Before attending third-century dinner parties, readers consulted this “marvelous feast of words.”
Andrew Coletti September 25, 2023
Egg-roasting was once a common childhood hobby, before parents cooled on letting kids play with fire.
literature

The Lost Art of Roasting Eggs in Ash

Even Shakespeare knew the value of a well-roasted egg.
Paula Marcoux September 1, 2023
Katherine Moore (left) shows vessels for storing and serving food from Pachacámac at the exhibit.
food

How to Trace Food History With Ancient Leftovers

The Penn Museum's new exhibit showcases the art of edible archaeology.
Sam O'Brien June 30, 2023
Every May, an ancient Celtic festival, known as Beltane, is held atop Calton Hill in Edinburgh, where participants eat a mysterious Beltane bannock cake.
festivals

Why 18th-Century Scots Performed Mock Human Sacrifices Over Cake

This May Day, make Beltane bannock, a simple snack with a long history of superstition and divination.
Sam O'Brien May 1, 2023
A hand clutching an olive branch, ca. 1353–1323 BCE, New Kingdom, Amarna Period.
ancient technology

How to Make Olive Oil Like the Ancient Egyptians

Press your olives following archaeological clues provided on wall paintings and reliefs.
Emlyn Dodd May 30, 2022
Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal

The Bridge Collection

The history of drinking is told through 1,800 cups, chalices, and glasses at this exhibit.
An early inspiration for macabre banquets was a story about a hellish feast hosted by a Roman emperor.
food

Before Haunted Houses, There Were Hell Banquets

The macabre feasts have their roots in ancient Rome.
Sam O'Brien November 17, 2021
List

18 Weird, Wondrous Places for Wine-Lovers Around the Globe

Delve into humanity’s age-old obsession with viticulture.
Diana Hubbell September 13, 2021
The remnants of the ancient eatery.
Pompeii, Italy

Pompeii Thermopolium

Before it was buried by volcanic ash, this fast-food restaurant fed the hungry hordes of ancient Rome.
The team mixes salt and seawater to make brine.
ruins

The Team Resurrecting Ancient Rome's Favorite Condiment

Making umami inside 2,000-year-old ruins.
Rafael Tonon June 24, 2021