At the ancient Egyptian table
Feast. Fragment of a fresco from the tomb of Nebamon. 1400 BC e. British museum
"Should we day-to-day
Carry grain and white spelt?
After all, the barns are already full,
Heaps of grain flow above the edges,
Full of ships
And the grain flows out
And we are forced to carry everything ...
Truly, our hearts are made of brass!”
Song of the Egyptian farmers of the time of the pharaohs
Carry grain and white spelt?
After all, the barns are already full,
Heaps of grain flow above the edges,
Full of ships
And the grain flows out
And we are forced to carry everything ...
Truly, our hearts are made of brass!”
Song of the Egyptian farmers of the time of the pharaohs
The kitchen and story. Today we again go to Ancient Egypt to get acquainted with its culture. We considered military affairs, the history of the pyramids - also, got acquainted with the design of the "solar boat", in detail - and with the ancient Egyptian fashion. What's left? The cuisine of the Egyptians remained, which is very interesting in all respects. Two circumstances can help us: the extreme bureaucratization of Egyptian society, where everything was recorded and taken into account, and the cult of death, when in order for the deceased to have everything in the next world the same as in life, he was given the appropriate supplies with him, and his life was depicted on the walls of the tomb.
Nakht and his wife are watching the work in the estate. XNUMXth century BC e. Painting from the tomb of Nakht. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
So, what do we know today about the cuisine of the ancient Egyptians based on all the sources that have come down to our time?
It is known that there were only ... two basic foodstuffs! Moreover, both for the poor and for the rich. These two products are bread and beer, with which they ate onions, garlic and other vegetables, but meat, fish and poultry were not always on the Egyptian table. Although it is clear that the higher the position in the social hierarchy the Egyptian occupied, the richer and more varied his table was.
Bird hunting and oxen plowing. Fresco from the tomb of Nefermaat and his wife Itet, c. 2700 BC e. Cairo Museum
There were not so many fruits and vegetables on the menu of the Egyptians, despite the favorable climate. Melons, watermelons, grapes, pomegranates, dates, apples, figs, olives, mimosa and sycamore fruits were grown and eaten. Legumes (peas, beans and chickpeas), onions and garlic, cucumbers, radishes, lettuce, cabbage, and papyrus young shoots were prominent. And it's all. Because only in the first centuries of our era, cherries, pears, peaches and almonds were brought from Rome. It is interesting that, in general, the Egyptians knew such spicy greens as dill, parsley and celery. But for some reason they didn't eat. And parsley was a funerary plant at all: mourning wreaths were woven from it.
Bird smoking. Painting of the tomb of Nakht (large), XV century BC. e. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
To begin with, let's go to a feast in some rich house, since images of Egyptian feasts can be found on frescoes, both of the Old and New Kingdoms. They usually start in the afternoon. Men and women, if they were not married, sat separately. By the way, the social status was emphasized by the seat. Those guests whose status was high sat on chairs with a back, those who were shorter were given stools, and the most insignificant persons were located right on the floor. The room was decorated with containers with aromatic substances, special incense was burned to repel insects and give a pleasant fragrance. For the same purpose, flower collars were put on the neck of the guests and more flowers were sprinkled on the floor.
Vintage. Painting of the tomb of Nakht (large), XV century BC. e. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The feasters were entertained by professional dancers and musicians playing harps, lutes, drums and tambourines. There was plenty of food, as well as alcohol. Whole fried bulls were served on the feasting table (of course, not often and not for every feast!), And fried ducks, geese, pigeons, and sometimes fish caught in the Nile. Stewed vegetables and a large amount of bread, as well as fresh vegetables and fruits were served as a side dish for meat. The role of sweets was usually played by cakes stuffed with dates sweetened with honey.
Collection of honey. Painting of the tomb of Rehmir, 1479 BC. e. Metropolitan Museum. New York
The Egyptians knew such cooking methods as stewing, boiling, frying or baking. To keep the meat in the heat, it was preserved by salting, but the dates and raisins were dried. Honey was the main sweetener, although expensive. They collected honey from wild bees, but the Egyptians also knew beekeeping: they bred bees in clay hives. But the cheapest sweets were dates or carob. Animal fat was used for cooking, but also olive and sesame oil.
Sifting flour. Painting of the tomb of Rehmir, 1480 BC. e. Metropolitan Museum of Art
Egyptian bread was baked almost exclusively from emmer wheat, which was more difficult to turn into flour than most other varieties of wheat, since its grain does not separate when threshed, and the ears must be moistened and carefully rubbed with a pestle so as not to crush the grains inside. Then the grain had to be dried in the sun, after which it was also winnowed, and sieved, and finally crushed on grain grinders, in which the mill stone moved back and forth, and did not rotate in a circle.
Milking a cow. Wall fresco. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The Egyptians considered their bread a gift from the gods, and all because they had not known yeast for a long time, and yet they baked yeast bread. To do this, the prepared dough in containers opened from above was laid out along the road, covered with a thin cloth. Through it, very fine dust containing yeast fungi got inside, and ... the dough began to rise in a truly magical way.
Food stocks. Depiction from Menna's tomb, 1422–1411 BC e.
Baking techniques have changed over time. In the Old Kingdom, heavy clay molds were filled with dough and then placed on coals for baking. During the Middle Kingdom, high ceramic cones in square hearths served this purpose. In the New Kingdom, a new type of large clay oven was used, with an open top, cylindrical in shape, built of mud bricks.
The shepherds drive the owner's cattle to the estate. Model from the tomb of Maquetra. Cairo Museum
The dough was then slapped onto the heated inner wall and removed when the bread was ready, much like the tandoor oven is used today to make various unleavened dough flatbreads. In the tombs of the New Kingdom, you can find images of bread of various shapes and sizes. Loaves in the form of figurines of people, fish, various animals, and this is all from dough of different textures. As for the flavorings used for bread, they included coriander seeds and dates, but it is not known if the poor ever used them. For those who could afford it, there was always a wonderful dessert wheat bread and cakes baked from the highest grade flour.
Baking bread. A set of figurines from the tomb of Meketre. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The tiger nut was eaten, the Egyptians used it to make a dessert from dried and crushed tubers, which were mixed with honey. Lilies and other aquatic flowering plants were eaten, such as lotus roots, which were eaten raw or ground into flour, using both the root and the stem. A number of pulses and legumes, such as peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas, were significant sources of protein. During the excavations of the workers' village in Giza, they found ceramic vessels, obviously brought from the Middle East, in which olive oil was stored and transported as far back as the 4th dynasty.
Halves of a container for a goose carcass, in which she recovered to the tomb of the deceased, so that he could get enough of him in the next world. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Dates, figs, grapes (and raisins), nuts for the Egyptians were the most common food. Moreover, dates were sometimes even used for fermentation and making "palm wine", and the poor ate them all the time, since honey was an expensive pleasure for them. Vegetables were grown all year round in Egypt, but fruits were a more seasonal delicacy. It was customary to put pomegranates and grapes in the tombs of the dead.
"Clarifier" for the deceased. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Greek historian of the XNUMXth century BC. e. Herodotus claimed that the Egyptians did not eat the meat of cows, since they were considered sacred because of their connection with Isis, and did not eat pigs - the animals of the evil god Seth. They sacrificed bulls, but they didn’t eat them, but buried them, having previously mummified them. However, excavations at the Giza Pyramid Village have unearthed evidence of mass slaughter, so researchers estimate that the workers who built the Great Pyramid were fed meat every day. Yes, and no wonder, with such hard work, which required a lot of strength.
Vessel for wine. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
So the Egyptians ate both bulls, and rams, and pigs, since their bones with traces of use were found by archaeologists among the garbage. Birds, both wild and domestic, and river fish were available to all Egyptians, well, except perhaps the most destitute. In addition to meat, protein sources were legumes, eggs, and cheese made from cow's milk. Mice and hedgehogs were also eaten, the latter being usually prepared by smearing the hedgehog with clay and roasting it in coals. When the clay was split and removed, thorns remained in it.
Vessel for wine. New kingdom. Walters Art Museum
Vessel for water. Tomb of Tutankhamen. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Foie gras, the delicacy we know today, was also invented by the ancient Egyptians. Mouth feeding of domesticated geese and ducks dates back to 2500 BC. BC, when the Egyptians were just starting to keep domesticated birds for food.
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