2,000-YEAR-OLD SOUP

Demonstrating conclusively that there is no such thing as a use-by date, archeologists in Henan province were thrilled in December when they came across a bowl of beef soup that dates back to the Warring States period (475 BCE – 221 BCE). Mostly, they found ox bones in the bowl, indicating that the ancient Chinese liked their soup pretty chunky. Media reports were at first confused, and it turned out that what was thought to be actual liquid soup discovered by the team was just water that had seeped into the bowl and mingled with remnant soup matter. Perhaps this is why there was no taste test. It wasn’t the first time ancient foods had been found. Dumplings from the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907) and ancient booze have also been found in past excavations elsewhere in China. -D.D.