This is a list of ancient dishes, foods and beverages that have been recorded as originating during ancient history. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with Sumerian Cuneiform script, the oldest discovered form of coherent writing from the protoliterate period around the 30th century BC.
Ancient history can be defined as occurring from the beginning of recorded human history to:
The Early Middle Ages (the end of the 4th century AD)
The fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD
The Postclassical Era (200-600 AD and 1200–1500 AD, depending on the continent)
Although the end date of ancient history is disputed, some Western scholars use the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD (the most used), the closure of the Platonic Academy in 529 AD, the death of the emperor Justinian I in 565 AD, the coming of Islam or the rise of Charlemagne as the end of ancient and Classical European history. This list does not contain entries that originated after ancient history.
This section is limited to dishes that originated during the time of ancient history (the beginning of recorded human history) up to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD.
Antipasti prepared with prosciutto and melon is "based upon ancient medical principles."
BreadFlatbread
Focaccia – dates to ancient Rome
Chili pepper (hot peppers) – remains of wild peppers were found around 150 miles south of Mexico City, Mexico that date back to 7,000 BC. The peppers were found in fossilized human coprolites (fossilized human feces).
Chutney
Congee
Curry
Fish sauce, see Garum
Forcemeat
Garum, ancient Greece (γάρος) and Roman Empire, known from before Pompeii's destruction in 79 AD
Ham – dry-cured ham has been produced since ancient times.
Harissa
Jeok
Jusselle
Liquamen, see Garum
Maccu
Misu karu or Misugaru
Moretum
Noodle – existent since at least 2,000 BC in Northwest China, the noodle was developed independently in ancient China and ancient Rome, and remained common in both areas "through the centuries".
Olive, olive oil from Eastern Mediterranean in Bronze Age, c. 3000 BC
Oxygala – a dairy product in ancient Greece and Rome. It was also consumed by ancient Persians.
Papadzules – a common dish in Maya cuisine that may be "one of the most ancient traditional dishes of Yucatán, Mexico.
Placenta cake – a layered cake of pastry, cheese and honey
Rice – existed, but was "little-used in the ancient world" outside of Asia.
Sauerkraut
SausageLucanica, Western Roman Empire, mentioned by Cicero, 1st century BC
Sop
SoupAcquacotta
French onion soup
Tamale
Testaroli
Tharida
Tofu
Torta de gazpacho
Tracta was a kind of bread, pastry, or pancake in ancient Greece and perhaps Rome.
Ancient dishes
Beer is recorded in the written history of Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt and is one of the world's oldest prepared beverages.
Kombucha originated in what is now Manchuria around 220 BCE, and is said to have been imported to Japan around 400 CE by the physician Kombu.
Soy milk has been consumed in China since ancient times.
Wine consumption and production has been found through archaeological evidence as early as c. 6000 BC.
Cereals and grains
Amaranth grain – grain and plant bundles were found by archaeologists at the Tehuacán caves in Central Mexico that date back to around 5,500 years. The grain continues to be grown in the area in contemporary times.
Barley
Bulgur (burghul) – existed Anno Domini in the Near East
Farro – may be one of the "most ancient of all ancient grains"
Hemp seed – used as a food grain in Ancient China up to the time of the Han Dynasty, at which time its use declined and then stopped. This was documented as "the prevailing view" in the book Fermentations and Food Science.
Kasha (buckwheat groats) – first cultivated in China, they were later cultivated in Eastern Europe. The food is still commonly used in both regions.
Millet – a staple food of ancient China, Egypt and India, before rice was used.
WheatEinkorn wheat – may be one of the "most ancient of all ancient grains"
Spelt – a common grain in Switzerland and Germany "by the seventh century BCE" (BC) Spelt existed in Great Britain since 500 BCE.
Teff - a native grain to Ethiopia and Eritrea that happened to be domesticated sometime between 8000 and 5000 BC.
Ancient cereals and grains
Butter – documented as existent since at least 2,000 BC
Buttermilk – existed Anno Domini in India
Kumis – documented as existing in ancient Scythia
Milk
Opus lactarum – documented as existing during the ancient Roman Empire
Quark (lac concretum) – documented as existing in ancient Scythia
Schiston – "separated milk" purported to have been invented by physicians during the time of the Ancient Roman Empire and Pliny the Elder It was prepared by boiling milk or whey along with pebbles.
Shrikhand – documented as existing circa 800 to 300 B.C. in ancient India
Smy – thickened milk documented as existent in ancient Egypt
Yogurt – documented as existing in India circa 300 BC to 75 AD; referred to as "dahi"
Cheese
Brânza – an ancient Romanian cheese dating to "before the time of the Romans"
Caciocavallo
Cantal cheese – one of the oldest French cheeses, it is named after the Cantal mountain range
Castelmagno cheeseEmmental cheese
Feta – existed during the times of Homer in ancient GreeceTouloumotiri is an ancient cheese that is considered as the "forerunner to feta".
Kefalotyri – dates to the Byzantine Empire
Pecorino Romano – is one of the world's most ancient cheeses
Pecorino Sardo (Flore sardo) – one of the world's oldest cheeses that is believed to date back to the Bronze Age
Pecorino Siciliano
Roquefort
TommeTomme de Savoie
Ancient cheeses
Mung bean – an food crop of Southwest Asia from ancient times
Soybean – an ancient food crop in China, Japan and Korea
Chia has been cultivated by the Aztecs, Mayans, Incas and "other ancient Native American cultures" for over 5,000 years.
This section includes dishes, foods and beverages that originated during the time of ancient history from 477 AD to 1500 AD (prior to the Postclassical Era).
Börek is known from 14th century Persia in a poem by Bushaq-i-Atima, and it may be far older.
Popcorn – an ancient food used by people of the Inca civilization.
Cereals and grains
Amaranth was used by the Aztec people (14th–16th centuries).
Quinoa – an ancient food crop used by people of the Inca civilization. Quinoa remains as a staple food of importance in South America.
Khanom chan – an ancient Thai dessert
Poi is an ancient Polynesian staple food prepared using taro root.
Chickpea – an ancient food crop in the Ethiopian Highlands
Sesame seed is an ancient food.
Nattō is prepared using fermented soybeans, and has been described as likely being an ancient food. Its origins have been described as unknown. Nattō may have been developed independently in different areas that have the same ingredients, such as Japan, China and Korea.
