# List of Preserved Foods with an Ancient Origin **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 22, 2020, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-preserved-foods-with-an-ancient-origin/854286 "2020-05-22T14:04:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-preserved-foods-with-an-ancient-origin/854286/21 "2020-05-22T16:53:49Z")
Green olives are preserved by various curing methods including being treated with lye or brining. And various foods are also preserved in olive oil, like anchovies and other fish. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-preserved-foods-with-an-ancient-origin/854286/22 "2020-05-22T16:54:59Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Their financial backer, a woman whose name I can’t recall, reportedly broke a tooth on the nomads’ rock-hard bread, which must have been a cousin to ship’s biscuit. And maybe a nephew of Pratchett’s [dwarf bread](https://wiki.lspace.org/mediawiki/Dwarf_Bread). ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-preserved-foods-with-an-ancient-origin/854286/23 "2020-05-22T17:00:03Z")
Butter. And, taking it a step further, [bog butter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bog_butter). Though you don’t see that so often these days. Not where I shop, anyways. j ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-preserved-foods-with-an-ancient-origin/854286/24 "2020-05-22T17:25:54Z")
**Honey** is, I think, the ultimate preserved food – you don’t have to do anything, and it keeps forever. They’ve found ancient Egyptian honey. It’ll also preserve other things, provided it can penetrate to all parts of the thing preserved (otherwise you end up with a putrefying mass under the honey). Of course, there are lots of sun-dried vegetables and herbs that will keep a long time – think of sun-dried tomatoes, dried chiles, mushrooms, and so on. You don’t need a modern dessicator or freeze-drier to make these – just let them dry in the sun until most of the water is gone from them Think of all those garlands of such things you see in old stores or native villages. And there’s always _Hakarl_ – Greenland shark that has been buried for several months to ferment, then hung up to dry. (although apparently modern hakarl is made in a less traumatic way). The fermentation is necessary because Greenland Shark has dangerously high levels of urea, and is poisonous if eaten fresh. The fernmentation reduces this, much of it turning into ammonia, and resulting in something hat merely makes novice eaters throw up. I’m not sure how long it keeps once it’s dried, but I’m guessing a long time. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-preserved-foods-with-an-ancient-origin/854286/25 "2020-05-22T17:32:39Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I’m not sure how long it keeps once it’s dried, but I’m guessing a long time. In fact, they still have some left of the very first shark preserved this way! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-preserved-foods-with-an-ancient-origin/854286/26 "2020-05-22T17:37:36Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Butter. And, taking it a step further, [bog butter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bog_butter). Though you don’t see that so often these days. Not where I shop, anyways. > > j And if you turn the butter into ghee, it will last indefinitely at room temperature. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-preserved-foods-with-an-ancient-origin/854286/27 "2020-05-22T18:17:57Z")
How about some [rotten birds stuffed in a seal skin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiviak)? ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-preserved-foods-with-an-ancient-origin/854286/28 "2020-05-22T19:03:01Z")
Any of the edible molds and fungus: dried mushrooms, huitlacoche (corn smut), natto, tempeh. On most of that stuff, I always wonder who took the first bite? Extreme hunger is a powerful motivator! ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-preserved-foods-with-an-ancient-origin/854286/29 "2020-05-22T19:16:23Z")
No matter how long you leave it, hakarl will never get any worse. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-preserved-foods-with-an-ancient-origin/854286/30 "2020-05-22T19:32:08Z")
Do grains count? Keep moisture and bugs out of rice, it’ll last a long time. I thing even with the bugs, it’ll be cool to eat-- extra protein! ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-preserved-foods-with-an-ancient-origin/854286/31 "2020-05-22T20:43:03Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > OP, lutefisk isn’t food. It was originally a practical joke that just took off, as people who fell for it tried it on others. I have no idea if this is true or not, but somewhere I read that lutefisk is now more popular in Minnesota than it is in Norway. Supposedly in Norway lutefisk was considered “poor people’s food”, and thus people wouldn’t eat it unless they really had to. The Norwegians who immigrated to the US mostly were those poor people, so they were the ones who felt nostalgic for the lutefisk they ate back in the old country and introduced it to the Upper Midwest. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-preserved-foods-with-an-ancient-origin/854286/32 "2020-05-22T20:54:00Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > Any of the edible molds and fungus: dried mushrooms, huitlacoche (corn smut), natto, tempeh. > > On most of that stuff, I always wonder who took the first bite? Extreme hunger is a powerful motivator! > ~VOW “Never underestimate the courage of the French. It was they who discovered that snails are edible.” A while ago, there was a thread that speculated on the origins of cooking. One poster imagined a group of prehistoric children playing around, and accidentally dropping their food into the fire, and the mother rolling her eyes and saying, “You spoiled it; you eat it.” Another poster imagined a group of male teenagers sitting around the fire and saying, “I dare you to eat that.” ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-preserved-foods-with-an-ancient-origin/854286/33 "2020-05-22T21:16:49Z")
Confit is a different method of preservation then has been mentioed. I’m not sure how acient it is though. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-preserved-foods-with-an-ancient-origin/854286/34 "2020-05-22T21:27:28Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > Confit is a different method of preservation then has been mentioed. I’m not sure how acient it is though. Confit is basically a kind of [potted meat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potted_meat), in which hot cooked meat is covered in a layer of fat and allowed to cool. The fat keeps out bacteria and prevents spoilage. According to this, the method dates from at least the [medieval period.](https://www.serenitykitchen.com/a-potted-history/) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-preserved-foods-with-an-ancient-origin/854286/35 "2020-05-22T21:33:34Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Green olives are preserved by various curing methods including being treated with lye or brining. And various foods are also preserved in olive oil, like anchovies and other fish. There’s a question that has always fascinated me - how in the world did people 7000 years ago reach the level of knowledge to render olives edible? “OK, Phil. These olives are way too bitter to eat, so let’s soak them for a couple of days in water that’s been strained through our campfire ashes. Then we’ll toss them into a bucket of sea water and leave them for a year or two. Then we’ll have something to put in our martinis!” ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-preserved-foods-with-an-ancient-origin/854286/36 "2020-05-22T21:42:06Z")
Dried and cured sausages haven’t been mentioned yet. I think that the ancient Romans had sausages? We tend to think of ham as just pork, but I’ve seen references to mutton ham in books from the 1800s and early 1900s and it probably goes back much farther than that. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-preserved-foods-with-an-ancient-origin/854286/37 "2020-05-22T21:45:48Z")
**madsircool** mentioned “dried salami-type things” earlier. But he didn’t expand that to include cured sausages. Or does “salami” cover that? ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-preserved-foods-with-an-ancient-origin/854286/38 "2020-05-22T21:54:13Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > There’s a question that has always fascinated me - how in the world did people 7000 years ago reach the level of knowledge to render olives edible? > > “OK, Phil. These olives are way too bitter to eat, so let’s soak them for a couple of days in water that’s been strained through our campfire ashes. Then we’ll toss them into a bucket of sea water and leave them for a year or two. Then we’ll have something to put in our martinis!” Oy, 'dey watched the birdies do it. 'Dat’s how a lot of foods be discovered, init? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-preserved-foods-with-an-ancient-origin/854286/39 "2020-05-22T21:58:48Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > **madsircool** mentioned “dried salami-type things” earlier. But he didn’t expand that to include cured sausages. Or does “salami” cover that? Isn’t charcuterie the umbrella term for all the preserved meat products? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-preserved-foods-with-an-ancient-origin/854286/40 "2020-05-22T21:58:50Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > Dried and cured sausages haven’t been mentioned yet. I think that the ancient Romans had sausages? > [@silenus](#): > > **madsircool** mentioned “dried salami-type things” earlier. But he didn’t expand that to include cured sausages. Or does “salami” cover that? Salami is just one kind of salt-cured fermented, air-dried sausage. There are many other kinds.[And sausages can also be preserved by being smoked.](https://www.thespruceeats.com/types-of-sausage-4064593) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-preserved-foods-with-an-ancient-origin/854286.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-of-preserved-foods-with-an-ancient-origin/854286.md?page=3)