Cheese (2022, 2018)
Excavations at Saqqara in 2018 and 2022 revealed pottery jars filled with canvas-wrapped Egyptian cheese. The cheese dates back to roughly 688 to 525 BCE. This would have been during the 26th or 27th dynasty. They found the pottery in the tomb of Ptahmes, a mayor of Egypt’s capital city Memphis, along with other personal items packed for the afterlife. This, to date, is the oldest solid ancient cheese researchers have found, giving them insight into the diets and cheese making techniques of the ancient Egyptians. The white cheese, called halloumi, was made with a combination of sheep and goat milk. It is described as possessing a squeaky and acidic bite. Unfortunately the cheese also contained bacteria that causes the deadly brucellosis infection. Therefore, researchers will not be sampling this Egyptian delicacy.