Chinese Archaeologist Examines 2,400 Year-Old Soup Cauldron
Imagine the world around 400 BCE. The Phonecians in Carthage were the dominant power in North Africa; Socrates had just been condemed to death; in Mesoamerica, the Olmec civilization entered a period of terminal decline; and a Chinese nobleman was laid to rest in his tomb in Xian with enough ancient soup and wine to see him through to the afterlife.
After 2,400 years the couldron or ting containing the soup has been opened and it was found to contain an oxidized liquid and a few stock bones. 2,400 year-old soup. I cannot help to wonder what it was made of. but I won’t have to wonder long, because tests are being done to determine the ingredients inside the pot. In the larger, unopened vessel in the photograph, a substance thought to be wine was also found.
I’m betting its a thin, salty, beef-based broth with a souring agent like vinegar to dissolve the calcium from the bones. Perhaps some daikon and mushroom or cabbage could have adorned the broth and Sichuan pepper or star anise was added for flavor along with a bit of ginger or garlic. Only time will tell what food/medicine this man brought with him to the grave. (Words by Laura Kelley, Photo borrowed from the internet alternatively seen with AFP and Xinhua credits.)
