10,000-year-old food found in Bursa cave

BURSA

What is believed to have been food once upon a time – around 10,000 B.C. – has been found in the northwestern province of Bursa in a cave that has come to light after a landside and was discovered by a shepherd.

Experts have said the food has remained intact because it has been covered in resin to this day, likening it to modern Turkey’s “Mustafakemalpaşa cheese dessert.”

Rock paintings and kitchen materials found in the cave in the Mustafakemalpaşa district, 85 kilometers from the city center, have thrilled archaeologists.

The food, product covered in resin and calcium carbonate, was found next to a pottery believed to be 10,000 years old.

The food, experts have said, was made with wild wheat, plant root and a substance similar to milk.

Experts believe the pieces found in the cave will shed light on many unknowns about ancient culinary culture.

The Mustafakemalpaşa district has the largest number of buffaloes in the region. The dessert was named Mustafakemalpaşa cheese dessert because of the cheese in it that is made from milk produced in the region.

Preliminary examinations showed that the cave drawings, which are clearly seen, depicted an animal similar to a buffalo or a cow being hunted and trying to be domesticated. The bowls, pots, spoons, stirrers and sharp kitchen utensils found in the cave that have remained intact due to calcium carbonate were also taken for examination.

Mustafakemalpaşa district, formerly called Apolyon and located on the shore of Ulubat Lake, is the most versatile agriculture and livestock center in the region. The district, where there are over 100 large and small caves, has huge marble beds.

The largest elephant fossil in the world was found during the long-time excavations in the Paşalar area of Mustafakemalpaşa district, and the giant elephant fossil was registered with the name Paşa Elephant (Gamphotherium Paşalarensis).

British and Finnish natural history experts and faculty members from various universities in the United States have been participating in the studies carried out for many years under the leadership of the Culture and Tourism Ministry and Ankara University’s Berna Alpagut.

There are fossils dating back 15 million years on the wide plain called the Gönen Bowl, which includes the Mustafakemalpaşa district.

Scientists say that calcium carbonate in the marble beds in the region and dense forests, which are rich in terms of resin, are also important factors in the durability of fossils.