How to Reconstruct an Ancient Meal From Dirty Dishes Alone
Archaeologists and chefs used chemical analysis—and their taste buds—to solve a culinary puzzle from China.
by Jessica Leigh Hester May 04, 2018
At a recent tasting in New York City, diners could sample food spanning continents and millennia. There was Babylonian lamb-and-beet stew, a jiggling almond-milk custard that riffed on medieval blancmage, and for dessert, honey-flavored mochi inspired by a book of vegetarian recipes dating to China’s Song Dynasty.
All the dishes were reconstructions—with greater or lesser fidelity—of ancient ones. The recipes, prepared as part of a scholarly symposium, “Appetite for the Past,†hosted by New York University’s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, cobbled together molecular evidence, archaeological analysis, and culinary instinct. Among the diners were archaeologists, chefs, other researchers, and members of the public hungry for a taste of history.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-to-analyze-ancient-leftovers
