Through research, scientists have added to the ancient history of cheese and dairy products, proving that blue cheese was produced in Europe during the Iron Age nearly 2,700 years ago.
Some favorite foods of Iron Age Europeans still remain a part of modern diets: namely, blue cheese and beer.
This is the latest discovery from a study by an archaeologist at the Natural History Museum in Vienna regarding the feces of ancient humans.
Blue Cheese. (Source: CNN)
Typically, human feces do not tend to survive for thousands of years, except in certain locations such as dry caves, desert regions, wet environments, and frozen habitats.
The ancient feces found in prehistoric salt mines within the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hallstatt-Dachstein in western Austria.
After analyzing the fecal samples, researchers were surprised to find the presence of two species of fungi used to produce blue cheese and beer.
The high salt concentration and stable annual temperature of around 8 degrees Celsius inside the mine helped preserve the specimens well.
The lead author of the study, Kerstin Kowarik, an archaeologist at the Natural History Museum in Vienna, stated: “We can demonstrate that fermented foods have played an important role in human history for a long time.”
“Through our research, we have added to the ancient history of cheese and dairy products, proving that blue cheese was produced in Europe during the Iron Age nearly 2,700 years ago,” she added.
Researchers conducted in-depth analyses to explore the bacteria, DNA, and proteins present in the fecal samples while reconstructing the diet of people who once lived in the area.
Grains were one of the most common plant fragments found in the samples, along with plant matter from various cereals. These individuals had a diet rich in fiber, carbohydrates, along with proteins from legumes and fruits, nuts, or animal-derived food products.
“The Iron Age salt miners in Hallstatt intentionally applied food fermentation technology with microorganisms still used in the food industry today, 2,700 years ago,” Kowarik added.
