Long before supermarkets and delivery apps, people were eating things that are still on our plates today. That’s right. A lot of what eat today has roots that stretch back to thousands of years. Here are 10 ancient foods that are still showing up on our tables.
10. Chinese Bone Soup
Bone broth is trendy today, but its roots go back millennia. In 2010, archaeologists in Xi’an found a 2,400-year-old sealed bronze pot containing still-liquid bone soup that turned green from the bronze. Found in a warrior’s tomb, this oldest known bone soup reveals ancient China’s culinary traditions, where bone soup supported kidney health and digestion.
9. Cheese
Cheese lovers, here’s a cool fact: your favorite food dates back to the pharaohs! In 2018, archaeologists discovered 3,200-year-old cheese in Ptahmes’ tomb, making it the oldest solid cheese ever found. Analysis revealed it was made from goat and sheep milk. However, you wouldn’t want to taste this ancient cheese because it contained bacteria causing brucellosis, a potentially deadly disease.
8. Popcorn
Movie night just got historic. The world’s oldest popcorn was discovered in New Mexico’s “Bat Cave,” dating back 5,600 years. But evidence goes further. Peru has 6,700-year-old corn husks showing popping evidence. Our ancestors heated kernels on fire or hot stones, no microwaves needed. Interestingly, popcorn was a common 19th-century breakfast food, served with sugar and milk like cereal.
7. Cheesecake
Cheesecake has athletic roots that stretch back to ancient Greece, where archaeologists found cheese molds from 2,000 B.C. It was served to athletes during the first Olympics in 776 B.C. as an energy source. The first recorded recipe was written by Greek author Athenaeus in 230 A.D., and the Romans adopted it. The latter added eggs, serving it at celebrations, which is a tradition that continues today.
6. Chocolate
Before becoming everyone’s favorite treat, chocolate was sacred. The Olmecs first cultivated cacao beans around 1500 B.C., while Mayans and Aztecs elevated the status of cacao, using it in rituals and as currency. In the 16th century, when Spanish brought cacao to Europe and added sugar, the modern chocolate we now know emerged.
5. Honey
Archaeologists have found pots of honey in ancient Egyptian tombs that are thousands of years old and still edible. But the love for honey goes back even further. Cave paintings in Spain from 8,000 years ago show humans gathering honey from beehives. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans also used honey as a sweetener, a preservative, and a medicine.
4. Curry
“Curry” may be modern terminology, but spice blending is ancient. In 2023, archaeologists in Vietnam discovered 2,000-year-old grinding tools with residue from eight spices, including turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. This discovery is the oldest curry evidence outside India, which also reveals early global spice trade.
3. Pancakes
Your pancakes have a 30,000-year history. Scientists analyzing Stone Age grinding tools discovered prehistoric ancestors made flatbread from ground ferns and cattails. While these early pancakes were bread-like, the basic concept (ground flour mixed with water, cooked on hot surfaces) remains unchanged. Even Ötzi the Iceman, the 5,300-year-old Alpine mummy, had pancakes as his last meal.
2. Bread
In 2018, archaeologists in Jordan discovered 14,400-year-old flatbread remains, predating agriculture by 4,000 years. Such a discovery shows hunter-gatherers made bread before cultivating grains. It may have wrapped roasted meat, making it possibly the world’s first sandwich.
1. Stew
The stew is perhaps humanity’s oldest dish and it has warmed hearts for 8,000 years. Pottery’s invention allowed early humans to boil water, combine ingredients, and cook nutritious meals. Evidence exists from Japan’s Jomon period and ancient Amazonian tribes who made turtle stews. This timeless dish remains a comforting staple worldwide, proving that some foods are truly eternal.