15 June 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The “food” thousands of years ago may be the ancestor of a Turkish dessert

The rock paintings and kitchen materials found in the cave, which were discovered by a shepherd and emerged as a result of a landslide Mustafakemalpasa, located in the northwest of Turkey, created excitement.

Mustafakemalpaşa Dessert, which belongs to the Mustafakemalpaşa district of Bursa, is one of the traditional desserts of Bursa cuisine. This dessert can shed light on the history of a recent discovery.

The modern-day cheese dessert has remarkable parallels to a “meal” that stayed unspoiled due to a resin coating it. The dessert-like meal was discovered within a cave discovered by a local shepherd following a landslide. The cave near town was also found to have rudimentary old paintings on its walls as well as archaic culinary equipment.

According to the news of İHA, archaeologists believe the findings, which include complete and shattered pots, date back to 10,000 B.C. The meal in issue was comprised of wild wheat, unidentifiable plant roots, and a milk-like liquid.

A "foodstuff" that remained unspoiled due to a resin covering it bears striking similarities to the modern-day cheese dessert.
A “foodstuff” that remained unspoiled due to a resin covering it bears striking similarities to the modern-day cheese dessert. Photo: İHA

In the first examinations, it was determined that an animal like a buffalo or a cow was hunted and tried to be domesticated in the cave drawings, which were clearly evident despite not seeing light for many years.  Local authorities designated the cave as a protected area, and more information is expected to be gleaned from the detailed work of archaeologists working at the cave and a nearby location thought to be an ancient settlement.

The cave’s walls are adorned with drawings showing a “hunt” for animals resembling cows and how to breed them.  Photo: İHA
The cave’s walls are adorned with drawings showing a “hunt” for animals resembling cows and how to breed them. Photo: İHA

Mustafakemalpaşa Mayor Mehmet Kanar, who announced that detailed information will be given in the coming days as the area is taken under protection and the investigations have started, stated that the first investigations were enough to get them very excited.

Mustafakemalpasa, located in the northwest of Turkey, is an agricultural hub. The rural town already made a name for itself in the world of archaeology with the discovery of what experts described as one of the largest elephant fossils ever found in Turkey, dating back some 15 million years, and named Gamphotherium Pasalarensis after the town’s Paşalar district. Calcium carbonate and resin-rich woods in the larger region known as the “Gönen Basin,” according to scientists, help in the preservation of items such as food and fossils for generations.

Related Articles

Archaeologists Unveil Sanctuary of Odysseus on Ithaca: A Monumental Discovery Rooted in Myth and History

15 June 2025

15 June 2025

A major archaeological breakthrough on the Greek island of Ithaca has brought new clarity to the island’s legendary past. Researchers...

A cave in Argentina houses the oldest known pigment-based rock art in South America

15 February 2024

15 February 2024

An astounding collection of almost 900 rock paintings, dating back approximately 8,200 years, has been discovered in northwestern Argentina. The...

Archaeologists find Viking Age shipyard in Swedish island

15 June 2022

15 June 2022

Archaeologists from Stockholm University have discovered a Viking Age shipyard at Birka on the island of Björkö in Lake Mälaren,...

An Anthropologist’s life work uncovers the first ancient DNA from the Swahili Civilization

2 April 2023

2 April 2023

Chapurukha Kusimba, an anthropologist at the University of South Florida, has uncovered the first ancient DNA from the Swahili Civilization,...

Unique Iron Age Divination Spoon Found on the Isle of Man

21 February 2025

21 February 2025

A unique bronze spoon, dating back 2,000 years and believed to have played a role in divination rituals, has been...

Archaeologists Uncovered a Unique Ancient Roman Winery with Marble Tiling and Fountains of Grape Juice

17 April 2023

17 April 2023

Archaeologists have uncovered a unique ancient Roman winery at the luxurious Villa of the Quintilii, just to the south of...

In Oman, a 4,000-year-old Early Bronze Age settlement was unearthed

25 January 2022

25 January 2022

A large settlement dating back more than 4,000 years has been discovered in Oman. Archaeological excavations in the Wilayat of Rustaq,...

Offerings to goddess Demeter uncovered in archaic temple on Crete island, Greek

17 November 2022

17 November 2022

Nestled between two mountain peaks overlooking the harbor, excavations in the ancient city of Phalasarna revealed hundreds of offerings to...

Earliest evidence of forest management discovered at the La Draga Neolithic site in Spain

19 July 2023

19 July 2023

Archaeologists have discovered the earliest evidence of forest management at the La Draga Neolithic site in northeastern Spain. A scientific...

World’s Oldest Settlement Plan Found in “Çatalhöyük”

15 February 2021

15 February 2021

With the beginning of the Holocene period, many lakes have dried up and have become suitable for settlement. It is...

Ancient stone grenades discovered at Badaling Great Wall in Beijing

16 October 2023

16 October 2023

Chinese archaeologists have unearthed 59 ancient stone grenades from the ruins of a building in the western section of the...

An ancient necropolis and coins discovered in Kastel Fortress, a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina

11 November 2024

11 November 2024

During excavations at Kastel Fortress, the national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina, students and professors of Archaeology and History found...

Archaeologists uncovered over 100,000 ancient coins, some more than 2,000 years old

4 November 2023

4 November 2023 8

In an excavation at the Sosha Village East 03 archaeological site in Maebashi City, Japan, archaeologists stumbled upon a remarkable...

Beautiful’ Water-Nymph Marble Statue Found in Amastris ancient city

8 September 2023

8 September 2023

Excavations in the ancient city of Amastris, located in the Black Sea province of Bartın’s Amasra district, have unearthed a...

Archaeologists may have Found a Viking Age Marketplace in Norway

21 February 2024

21 February 2024

Archaeologists from the University of Stavanger have identified the possible remains of a marketplace from the Viking Age on a...