Good food never really goes out of style. Some of your everyday or favorite foods have been around for thousands of years. Let’s look at ten ancient dishes, like chocolate or pizza-like flatbreads, that have stood the test of time.
Pancakes
You might think pancakes are modern, but they go approximately 30,000 years back. Traces of ground wheat were found by archaeologists on ancient grinding tools, and even a 5,300-year-old mummy, Ötzi the Iceman, had remains of an early pancake in his stomach. It seems breakfast has been a favorite for ages.
Popcorn
Your favourite Harry Potter marathon snack is an ancient one. Indigenous people in Peru and Mexico popped corn over 5,000 years ago using heated sand to make it pop. In fact, in 1948, researchers even found a 5,600-year-old popped kernel in a cave in New Mexico.
Pizza
Pizza-like dishes have been around since ancient times. The Romans, Egyptians and Greeks made a sort of flatbread with oil, herbs, and cheese. The first time something close to modern pizza was made was in 997 AD in Italy. But people were already eating something similar thousands of years before.
Noodles
China wins the record for the world’s oldest noodles. In 2005, archaeologists found a 4,000-year-old bowl of millet noodles in northwestern China. They were buried under an ancient flood, and were well preserved, against all odds. Turns out, ramen cravings are just a part of human history.
Chocolate
Chocolate has been a guilty pleasure for over 3,000 years. The Olmecs of Mesoamerica were the first to turn cacao into a drink, which the Mayans and Aztecs later perfected. But the first ever chocolate was bitter, spicy, and was mostly used in ceremonies.
Cheesecake
Ancient Greeks made cheesecake in 2,000 BC. They considered it an energy booster, and even served it to athletes at the first Olympic Games in 776 BC. The Romans later stole the recipe and spread it across Europe, slightly changing the ingredients as they went.
Curry
Curry is very ancient. In India, archaeologists found evidence of a proto-curry dating back 4,500 years, made with ginger, turmeric, and garlic. It might have been cooked in clay pots, and while it wasn’t as creamy as today’s typical recipes, it was still incredibly flavorful.
Beer
People have been brewing beer for more than 7,000 years. Ancient Sumerians in Mesopotamia even had a goddess of beer, Ninkasi. They wrote recipes on clay tablets. Their beer was thick, unfiltered, and was probably more like the consistency of porridge, but it seems the love for a good drink has never faded.
How Food Connects Us Through Time
Food joins us across time. Pancakes, chocolate, beer, noodles and other timeless dishes have been nourishing humanity for centuries. So, next time you slurp up spicy noodles or bite into a slice of margherita, remember: you’re contributing to a food legacy that’s far older than you think.
Sources
7 Foods That Are Way Older Than You Think
The World’s 10 Oldest Dishes And Where They Are Today
