# Oldest food that you've eaten? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 28, 2016, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-food-that-youve-eaten/775773 "2016-12-28T13:59:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2017, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-food-that-youve-eaten/775773/41 "2017-01-04T17:38:36Z")
When my grandmother moved out of her house that she’d lived in for 55 years, in the freezer in the basement was some frozen fruit (peaches, currants) that was fifty years old. My aunt used some of the currants to make rote grutze, and although it was blander than usual it definitely retained some flavor. That’s definitely by far the oldest food I’ve eaten (I’ve had thirty year old wines, but nothing close to fifty). ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2017, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-food-that-youve-eaten/775773/42 "2017-01-04T18:26:38Z")
When we cleaned out my grandmothers kitchen in the 80s we found a box of decorated sugar cubes. They had little sugar animals piped on top of each one. Obviously bought for “nice.” But apparently no occasion “nice” enough every rolled around. I don’t remember the year but we found a date on the box from the 1920s. They were still sweet. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-food-that-youve-eaten/775773/43 "2017-01-09T17:53:24Z")
50 year old cheddar that was delicious. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-food-that-youve-eaten/775773/44 "2017-01-09T18:00:13Z")
When I was in college the local burg cleaned out it’s air raid shelters so we scored boxes of survival cracker, sealed in nitrogen. Tasted like stale graham crackers. When I was in Scouts, my dad, who was in the Natl Gd, scored for us a huge amount of C Rations, dated 1945 or so. Canned goods. Still just as “good” as when they were packed. So, 20 yo? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-food-that-youve-eaten/775773/45 "2017-01-09T18:41:03Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > 50 year old cheddar that was delicious. Where? When? How? Tell more! How did it taste??? I _have_ to know!!! Please share more info!! ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-food-that-youve-eaten/775773/46 "2017-01-09T19:38:54Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Where? When? How? Tell more! How did it taste??? > > I _have_ to know!!! Please share more info!! A university in Washington developed a method for canning cheese. They still make it and sell it - look up Cougar Gold. Each year they save a certain amount and then break out the 25 and 50 year old cheese for special events. I had it back in the 90’s so my memory of it isn’t real fresh, but it was much more dried, shrunk down and having a large amount of the flavor crystals. I’ve had to settle for the normal 1-year version ever since 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-food-that-youve-eaten/775773/47 "2017-01-09T20:20:49Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Do spices count? > > Just a few weeks ago, I refilled my pepper shaker - with the very last of a can of black pepper with a 1986 expiration date. Still smells and tastes fine. After my mom passed away, I cleaned out her kitchen cabinets. I found spices that had labels from before there were zip codes (pre-1963). ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-food-that-youve-eaten/775773/48 "2017-01-10T19:33:04Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > Slightly off topic, may I recommend the, sometimes, amazingly funny [_Steve1989 MREinfo_](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2I6Et1JkidnnbWgJFiMeHA/videos?view=0&flow=grid&sort=p)? > > A man who, almost, hasn’t met any long term storage food-stuff (MRE’s and life-boat rations) that he’s not afraid to try! > (Oft heard comment: This is the worst thing I’ve ever tasted :eek: . . . I gotta have another bite. :smack:) > > Oh, and no cigarette to old to smoke. > > CMC fnord! This is the dude who ate [honest-to-god hardtack from the Civil war](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga5JrN9DrVI), dated 1863. Beat that. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-food-that-youve-eaten/775773/49 "2017-01-10T20:15:01Z")
I’ve had a [Thousand-Year-Old Egg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century_egg). I know it’s not really. > [@Whiskey Dickens](#): > > This is the dude who ate honest-to-god hardtack from the Civil war, dated 1863. > > Beat that. They found honey in an Egyptian pyramid, right. Did anyone eat some? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-food-that-youve-eaten/775773/50 "2017-01-10T20:35:17Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > A university in Washington developed a method for canning cheese. They still make it and sell it - look up Cougar Gold. Each year they save a certain amount and then break out the 25 and 50 year old cheese for special events. I had it back in the 90’s so my memory of it isn’t real fresh, but it was much more dried, shrunk down and having a large amount of the flavor crystals. I’ve had to settle for the normal 1-year version ever since 🙂 Thanks for that. Sadly, I get an “out of cheese” error when I visit their website. ☹ I’d best redo from start. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-food-that-youve-eaten/775773/51 "2017-01-10T20:58:03Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Thanks for that. > > Sadly, I get an “out of cheese” error when I visit their website. ☹ > > I’d best redo from start. They run out around the holidays. Check back in a couple weeks and I would guess they’ll have it again. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-food-that-youve-eaten/775773/52 "2017-01-10T22:28:51Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Sadly, I get an “out of cheese” error when I visit their website. ☹ Oh, man. If I had a nickel for every “out of cheese” error I had to debug… Other web devs from the early 2000s know what I’m talking about. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-food-that-youve-eaten/775773.md?page=2)