What did the ancient Egyptians eat?
The ancient Egyptians included images of people making and eating food in their art, described food in their texts, and even buried items of food in tombs with the deceased. Thus we have a fairly good idea of what they ate. The staples of the average person’s diet were bread—made in many different shapes—beer, and vegetables. Bread and beer are the first two items mentioned in standard offering formulas for the deceased. (Learn more about offerings.) Garlic, leek, lettuce, and cucumber have been found in Egyptian tombs. Legumes (especially lentils), fruit, oil, fish—either dried or cooked—milk, eggs, and cheese also supplemented the Egyptian diet. Wealthy people ate meat from cattle, sheep, and goats, and fowl such as ducks and geese. Archaeological finds of pig bones and mentions of pigs as offerings in texts suggest that the Egyptians also ate pork. They made wine from grapes and dates and sometimes even labeled the jars with remarks as to the quality of the contents, such as “very g
