Your Favorite Food Might Date Back to an Ancient Culture
Some food and drink items are simply mainstays of the human experience. We invented them a long, long way back in the past and found them so good that they stuck around. So it’s time to thank our forebears for what they did for us! Here are food and drink items that have been around for thousands of years and are still going strong today.
Jerky
It’s thought that the first jerky comes from what is now Peru, where the local people made something called “ch’arki,” essentially dried llama or alpaca meat. Spanish conquistadors have the first written records of this. There’s also indications, though, that the Ancient Egyptians enjoyed jerky.
Beer
Humans really, really like beer. It may be bad for us and get us drunk, but that’s exactly why we like it! In 2021, archeologists discovered evidence that people in the China region had once made a rudimentary beer from rice, tubers, and fungi 9000 years ago.
Bread
Making bread was one of the first things our forefathers did. It’s thought that the first ever bread was baked around 14,000 years ago, with evidence of it being found on Ancient Egyptian sites. And it wasn’t just them – pretty much all cultures have baked bread.
Butter
You can thank ancient Sumerian tablets for pointing the way on this one. A tablet was uncovered which appeared to have instructions for making butter on it, indicating that as soon as ancient peoples discovered milk, they got to work making butter – or maybe even created it by accident.
Cheese
Cheese-making began more than 10,000 years ago, probably discovered by accident through milk stored in animal stomachs. The earliest cheeses were likely sour and crumbly. Ancient Greeks and Romans loved it, and of course people still love it just as much today.
Cheesecake
And with the invention of cheese came, eventually, the invention of cheesecake. Historians put the invention of cheesecake at around the 5th century BC, with recipe books from that time telling the Ancient Greeks how to make it. The books were written by a man called Aegimus, so we have him to thank.
Chocolate
Chocolate has existed for a very long time, it just wasn’t always in the form we know and love. It originates from Mesoamerica, where the Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs consumed it as a bitter, spicy drink over 4,000 years ago. The beans used for making it were considered sacred and even used as currency.
Curry
Curry traces back over 4,000 years to – guess where? – India. Ancient Indian religious texts like the Vedas mention seasoned stews, clearly precursors to today’s curries. Now, of course, the stuff is enjoyed all over the world, not just India.
Flatbread
Flatbread is officially one of humanity’s oldest prepared foods, dating back at least 14,000 years. Early versions were simple mixtures of ground grains and water, cooked on hot stones. This is another one that people think might have originated in India!
Honey
As soon as we saw what the bees were creating, we wanted it. Honey was used by ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Chinese for food and medicine, plus cave paintings in Spain show early humans collecting it. Flash forward 8,000 years and it’s just as beloved.
Noodles
Everyone thinks of noodles as being a very modern food, but they’re wrong. Noodles have existed for over 4,000 years in fact, with the oldest known example found in northwestern China, made from millet. Ancient Chinese texts also reference noodle-making.
Olive Oil
Dating back over 6,000 years to the Eastern Mediterranean, olive oil was essential in ancient Greek, Roman, and Middle Eastern diets. That’s not all, though. It was also used in ceremonies and as a sort of status symbol for the wealthy.
Pancakes
We know about the history of pancakes thanks in part to the body of Otzi the Iceman, an ancient European mummy dating back to 3,200 BC. When his body was cut open and examined, researchers found evidence of a pancake-like last meal in his stomach. So pancakes went back a very long way before they landed on your plate!
Rice
Ancient texts and rituals often mention rice, highlighting its spiritual (and, of course, nutritional) importance in cultures from India to Japan. It was an easy food to grow and it kept stomachs full, making it indispensable to the ancient world. And of course today it’s still ruling the world when it comes to quick, easy meals.
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut dates back over 2,000 years, with roots in ancient China where workers building the Great Wall ate it preserved in wine. It later became popular in Europe, especially in Germany, and today it’s very closely associated with Germany despite not originating there.
Soup
Ancient civilizations from China to Mesopotamia ate soup to keep themselves going. It’s thought that they boiled bones, meat, and plants in animal hides over hot rocks – that doesn’t sound very appetizing, but it’s a precursor to the soup of today.
Soy Sauce
Soy sauce originated in ancient China over 2,500 years ago as a way to preserve salt, using fermented soybeans, grains, and brine to make something very tasty. It became a cornerstone of East Asian cuisine, and of course it still is. Most households have a bottle of soy sauce lying around so they can put something on their noodles.
Tamales
Tamales date back over 5,000 years to ancient Mesoamerican civilizations like the Aztecs and Mayans. They were made of corn dough filled with meats, beans, or chilies and steamed in corn husks or banana leaves. Ancient peoples could eat them while they hunted or farmed.
Tofu
Tofu originated in China over 2,000 years ago during the Han Dynasty, and may possibly have been invented by a man called Prince Liú Ān. Tofu soon became a vital protein source in China, especially for Buddhists who did not eat meat, and it’s still very popular today among vegetarians and vegans.
Wine
Wine features pretty heavily in the Bible, so that should give you an indication of how old it is. The Greeks and Romans were very into wine, associating it with gods and celebration, and gradually it took over the world. It’s still used in religious ceremonies and people make careers out of creating it.
Yogurt
Next time you pick up a yogurt for breakfast, have a good long think about the history of the food. Yogurt likely originated in Mesopotamia or Central Asia over 5,000 years ago when herders stored milk in animal stomachs, naturally fermenting it. They tried it, liked it, and the rest is history.
