5 Ancient Egyptian Foods to Make With Kids
Taste history. Explore the Nile.
What Did Ancient Egyptians Eat?
Bread and beer were staples of ancient Egyptian life, alongside foods such as dates, figs, onions, garlic, lentils, grains, vegetables, fish, and other foods that varied across time, place, and social setting. But no complete ancient Egyptian cookbook survives to tell us exactly what everyone ate. So how do we know?
A TABLE LEFT BEHIND
How can we know what people ate thousands of years ago?
Imagine finding a piece of bread made thousands of years ago.
Then a handful of ancient seeds.
Then a painted wall showing people harvesting grain.
Each is a clue. But does each clue tell us the same thing?
NOTICE
What can you observe?
WONDER
What might each clue tell us?
MAKE A THEORY
How could these clues help us reconstruct an ancient table?
Hold onto your theory. Now let's examine the evidence. ↓
Not ready for the complete Doorway? Start with two investigations from the journey—yours free.
THE CLUE CONTINUES
Food is only one doorway into Ancient Egypt.
Follow the evidence beyond the table — into the Nile, ancient materials, writing, engineering, belief, archaeology, and the questions that still remain.
Not ready for the complete Doorway? Start with two investigations from the journey—yours free.
OBSERVATION
What can we actually see?
Different clues tell us different things.
Ancient food can leave many kinds of evidence. Archaeologists study preserved grains and plant remains, animal bones, cooking vessels, ovens, grinding tools, and traces left at ancient settlements. Paintings, inscriptions, and objects can add other pieces to the story.
But no single clue tells us everything.
EVIDENCE
What does the clue support?
HOW DO WE KNOW?
INTERPRETATION
What do we think the evidence might mean?
LOOK AGAIN
Think back to your first theory.
Which clue gives you the strongest evidence about what ancient Egyptians ate?
Would one clue be enough?
Did the evidence change your thinking?
Evidence can tell us a great deal. But it has limits.
WHAT DON'T WE KNOW?
A preserved loaf can show us that bread was made. Seeds can reveal plants that were present. A painting can show us how ancient Egyptians chose to represent food, farming, or preparation.
But these clues cannot tell us exactly what every person ate, how every meal was prepared, or whether the same foods were eaten everywhere and throughout thousands of years of Egyptian history.
What might be missing from the evidence?
TIME
Did people eat the same foods throughout ancient Egypt's long history?
PLACE
Did people living in different parts of Egypt have the same foods available?
PEOPLE
Did a farmer, craftsperson, priest, and royal household eat the same way?
FOLLOW THE CLUE
One clue keeps appearing behind the grain, gardens, harvests, and meals.
How could so much food grow beside a desert?
Follow the water. ↓
