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 CE. factory in
Baelo Claudia, Spain may be "one of the most ancient traditional dishes of
Yucatán, Mexico." red lentil pancake dish of Ancient
Israelite origin that was commonly eaten by
Jews in antiquity. • According to myth,
Babaofan or Eight Treasure Glutinous Rice was first created for a banquet celebrating
King Wu of Zhou's defeat of the last king of the Shang dynasty
King Zhou of Shang in the
Battle of Muye (). •
Bread – the oldest known bread is from 14,000 years ago in
Jordan. •
Flatbread •
Focaccia – dates to
ancient Rome •
Mantou – dates to 307 BCE – 250 BCE •
Chutney •
Congee •
Curry •
Fig-cake (
develah) – eaten by Jews in antiquity, mentioned in the
Hebrew Bible and in the
Jerusalem Talmud •
Fish sauce,
see garum •
French toast, earliest reference appears in 1st century Rome •
Forcemeat •
Garum –
Phoenicia,
ancient Greece (where it was known as ) and the
Roman Empire, known from before
Pompeii's
destruction in 79 CE. •
Ham –
dry-cured ham has been produced since ancient times. •
Hardtack – versions using various grains date back to
ancient Rome, and as far back as
ancient Egypt. •
Harissa – an
Arab staple dish known to go back at least to the original
Caliphates, and likely pre-dates Islam on the Arabian Peninsula. •
Jeok •
Jusselle •
Lamb stew – Described in ancient
Babylonian tablets from 1700 BCE •
Liquamen,
see garum •
Lucanica –
Roman Italy, mentioned by
Cicero, 1st century BCE •
Maccu •
Misu karu or Misugaru •
Moretum •
Nettle stew •
Noodles – existent since at least 2,000 BCE in Northwest China, the noodle was developed independently in
ancient China and ancient Rome, and remained common in both areas "through the centuries". •
Oatcake – known to exist at least from
Roman times in
Britain. •
Olive,
olive oil is at least known from the Eastern Mediterranean in the
Bronze Age, c. 3000 BCE •
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 originating in
ancient Greece and
Rome •
Rice – existed, but was "little-used in the ancient world" outside of Asia. •
Sauerkraut •
Sausage •
Scrapple – originally called "panhas", of
ancient Germanic origin. •
Sop •
Soup •
Acquacotta •
Black soup •
French onion soup •
Soy sauce •
Tamale •
Testaroli •
Tharida •
Tofu •
Tracta was a kind of bread, pastry, or pancake in
ancient Greece and perhaps
Rome. •
Wonton •
Zongzi File:Acquacotta soup (cropped).jpg|
Acquacotta File:Flatbread.JPG|
Flatbread Beverages •
Beer is recorded in the written history of
Mesopotamia and
ancient Egypt and is one of the world's oldest prepared beverages. •
Kykeon was a common beverage of sustenance in
ancient Greece, most often consisting mainly of a
barley gruel mixture with various additives, sometimes written as having
psychoactive properties associated with
religious visions. •
Kombucha originated in what is now
Northeastern China around 220 BCE •
Mead consumption's earliest surviving written record is possibly contained in the hymns of the Rigveda, one of the sacred books of the historical Vedic religion and (later) Hinduism dated around 1700–1100 BCE. •
Soy milk has been consumed in China since ancient times. •
Wine consumption and production has been found through archaeological evidence as early as BCE.
Dairy products •
Butter – documented as existent since at least 2,000 BCE •
Buttermilk – existed before 1 CE in ancient India •
Opus lactarium – documented as existing during the
ancient Roman Empire It was prepared by boiling milk or
whey along with pebbles. •
Shrikhand – documented as existing c. 800 to 300 BCE in
ancient India – documented in upper Mesopotamia from the
Neolithic era.
Cheeses is one of the world's most ancient cheeses. •
Cheese – Possibly as early as 8000 BCE after the domestication of the
Sheep in the
Fertile Crescent •
Brânză – an ancient Romanian cheese dating to "before the time of the Romans" •
Caciocavallo •
Cantal – one of the oldest French cheeses, it is named after the
Cantal mountain range •
Emmental •
Feta – existed during the times of
Homer in
ancient Greece •
Touloumotiri 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 •
Salers •
Tomme •
Tomme de Savoie File:Cantal 03.jpg|
Cantal cheese File:Feta Cheese.jpg|
Feta File:Tomme de Savoie.jpg|
Tomme de Savoie ==477–1500 CE==