Brilio.net/en - A discovery in Ireland proves that butter has been a staple in our diet for quite some time. Earlier this June, an Irish farmer found a massive hunk of ancient butter buried in his local bog. Scientists are saying that the butter is 2,000 years old, and claiming that it is still edible--technically.
The lump of bog butter weighs about 10 kilograms (22 pounds) and was found at the depth of five meters in a bog in the countrys northern Cavan county. It has since been moved to the National Museum of Ireland for further study and conservation.
A find like this is extremely significant in terms of our history and heritage, wrote Savina Donohoe, the curator of the Cavan County Museum. It does smell like butter, she added on email, And although I did not taste it there was a strong smell from my hands after touching and holding it.
Image via qz
It was June 9 that the Irish Times first reported the discovery. The cool temperatures, low oxygen levels, and high acidity of the bog environment acted to naturally preserve the butter. According to the food research nonprofit Nordic Food Lab, dairy was once a sign of wealth and used for taxes and rent, so a bog would have been a good place to keep your butter safe.
Theoretically the stuff is still ediblebut we wouldnt say its advisable, said Andy Halpin, of the national museums antiquities department, to the newspaper.
Donohoe said that as the rugby ball-shaped butter wasnt in a protective casing, it can be a sign that those who buried it didnt expect the butter to be dug up later. Most probably it was buried as a religious offering.
The discovery of big chunks of very old butter isnt uncommon in Ireland and Scotland. Before this, around 400 such ancient lumps of butter have been found. Three years ago, turf cutters in Irelands Offaly county found over 100 pounds of bog butter inside a keg. Even more surprising, it was estimated to be 5,000 years old!
(brl/red)
