The oldest known written recipes in the world are three clay cuneiform tablets held by Yale University in their Babylonian Collection. From southern Mesopotamia, the tablets are written in Akkadian and date from approximately 1750 B.C.E. Although the recipes on these tablets do not contain the detailed instructions we expect in recipes today, they provide a fascinating and important glimpse into Mesopotamian food, as well as the cuisines that were likely its predecessors, including Islamic and Greek cooking.
As only highly educated scribes could have written these extremely complex tablets, it is not likely that these tablets, which Yale likes to refer to as ‘cookbooks’, were meant for ordinary people. They were more likely an effort to preserve culinary practices as they existed at the time, representing the kind of food enjoyed by the privileged.
How are These Tablets Unusual?
Most of the tablets concerning food we have from this era consist of lists. There are lists of foods delivered and lists of foods shipped, as well as payment records and other business documents. From this, we can learn about the standard types of foods the Mesopotamians ate.
According to the Yale University Library:
The meats included beef, lamb, goat, pork, deer, and fowl – the birds provided both meat and eggs. Fish were eaten along with turtles and shellfish. Various grains, vegetables, and fruits such as dates, apples, figs, pomegranates, and grapes were integral to the ancient Near Eastern diet.
Roots, bulbs, truffles, and mushrooms were also harvested for the table. Salt added flavor to the food as did a variety of herbs. Honey as well as dates, grape juice, and raisins, were used as sweeteners. Milk, clarified butter, and fats — both animal fats and vegetable oils, such as sesame, linseed, and olive oils — were used in cooking.
However, we learn little about how they prepared these foods. Not just anybody could produce an inscribed tablet. This was probably the work of highly educated scribes. Cooking knowledge would have been passed down verbally, not in written form. Writing was reserved mostly for keeping records.
These recipe tablets, or as close as we can get to recipes, are a fascinating glimpse into the “high cuisine” of the day.
What Foods Were Mentioned?
Here are some of the foods featured:
- Meats are featured, such as beef, lamb, goat, pork, deer, and birds, which includes eggs.
- Fish, shellfish, and turtles.
- Various grains.
- Fruits, including dates, apples, figs, pomegranates, and grapes. Various grains.
- Various bulbs and roots.
- Mushrooms and truffles.
- Various herbs for flavoring.
- Honey, dates, grape juice, and raisins for sweetening.
Breads feature heavily in the recipes, as well as spiced cakes.
Beer, of course, is included.
The recipes include brief instructions on both vegetable and meat stews, as well as bird pies.
The way the recipes are written is nothing like what we would call a recipe today. The ingredients and the order they should be added are given, but the amount of ingredients required and how long the cooking times should be are not. Some details may be omitted entirely.
Learn more about these fascinating tablets from The Yale University Library, Near Eastern Collection.