They say aged cheeses are the best, but this might be pushing it.
Archaeologists at the tomb of Ptahmes — mayor of Memphis, Egypt, during the 13th century BC — have uncovered what they believe could be the world’s oldest cheese, according to a report published in the journal Analytical Chemistry.
The explorers unearthed a jar containing a solid, whitish mass from the tomb, which was first dug up in 1885 but covered under drifting sands until 2010.
Alongside the jar, the archaeologists found a canvas cloth that they believe was used to cover or preserve the jar’s contents.
When researchers tested the whitish substance, they found a combination of peptides that indicate a dairy product made of cow milk and either sheep or goat milk.
The sample also showed Brucella melitensis, a bacterium that leads to the potentially deadly disease brucellosis — also called Mediterranean fever — and typically transmitted via unpasteurized dairy products. If confirmed, it would also be the earliest evidence of the disease.
No word yet on whether it was the cheese that did ol’ Ptahmes in.
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