Discover 'horror' food of Egyptian mummies

The meat is also "marinated" like embalming to take away food after the death of the Pharaohs and nobles.

Egypt is a famous and attractive country with mysteries revolving around ancient pyramids and mummies. Recently, biochemist Richard Evershed from Bristol University (UK) discovered the secret behind the embalmed 'embalmed meat' pieces buried with the bodies of Pharaohs and nobles. The ancient Egyptians believed that this was a food source for the king who died when he came to the afterlife.

The meat "marinated" in the form of embalming found on the grave of Tjuiu nobles

These slices of meat were soon found in many ancient Egyptian tombs, dating back to at least 3300 BC, and this custom was passed down until the fourth century AD. The famous pharaoh Tutankhamun is also buried with 48 slices of beef and poultry. However, until today, the scientific community learns about these marinated pieces.

Richard Eveshed and his colleagues were urged on how the ancient people prepared and embalmed them, is there anything different from the method of embalming the bodies and pets of the time? They conducted research on four specimens obtained from Cairo and British museums. The piece of meat is the longest date between 1386 and 1349 BC, belonging to Tjuiu's tomb - an ancient Egyptian noble and Yuya.

X-ray image of marinated meat

The second specimen is a piece of calf that dates from 1064 to 948 BC, found in the tomb of Isetemkheb D, his sister and wife of a powerful priest in Teeba. Two other samples include duck and goat meat, from the tomb of Henutmehyt - a nun of Teresa, who died around 1290 BC.

After conducting a chemical analysis on the tape around the marinated piece of meat or from the meat itself at all four samples, the team found that a layer of animal fat was coated on the surface of the bandages around the meat. calves and goats. In particular, for goat meat, this fat is not absorbed into the meat, proving it has been applied externally as a preservative and not to penetrate like grease.

Mummy of power couple Tjuiu - Yuya

However, the most interesting thing is in marinated beef. They found a high-class luxury luxury in the ancient Egyptian complex made of oil and resin Pistacia, a desert shrub.

It is used as incense and varnish on high-quality coffins, but it is not used to embalm the human body for at least 600 years after the death of Tjuiu and Yuya - the power couple in the commune. Ancient Egyptian society and concurrently the mother-in-law of King Amenhotep III. With the status of the mother's mother, they were buried with the most decorated grave, along with the precious aroma.