2500-year-old Persian food was found in Oluz Mound excavations

At Oluz Höyük (Oluz Mound), with settlement layers dating back to around 4500 BC, 2,500-year-old food remnants were discovered in the palace kitchen from the Persian period.

Bone fragments and cereal grains found inside a clay pot closely resemble a dish known as “keşkek” today.

Prof. Dr. Şevket Dönmez, the head of the excavation and a professor of Protohistory and Near Eastern Archaeology at Istanbul University, stated, “It closely resembles the beloved Anatolian dish keşkek. The shape of the pot we found and the ingredients inside closely match the keşkek culture of today.”

After encountering the monumental entrance and kitchens of the Persian palace during their continued work, they found numerous animal bones, grain remnants, and grinding stones. Prof. Dr. Dönmez remarked, “In the newly found cooking pot, we discovered animal bones belonging to sheep and cereal remnants. We believe these could be the remnants of a dish similar to Anatolian stew or keşkek.”

Highlighting the excitement of the excavation as they encountered the 2,500-year-old Persian road and complexes such as the first-ever found “ateşgede” and a multi-columned place of worship in Anatolia, Dönmez expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, the Turkish Historical Society, Amasya Governorship, and Amasya Municipality for their support in the excavation project.