Archaeologists find ancient Egyptian cheese

The remains of a white cheese were found in pottery vessels unearthed at Saqqara

Another Egyptian mission at Saqqara has discovered a group of Late Period pottery vessels marked with demotic inscriptions, some of which contained the remains of a white cheese. This type of cheese was called ‘haram’ by the ancient Egyptians – a word that became ‘haloum’ during the Coptic Period, and is now known as halloumi.

left Excavations at Saqqara at the site where pottery vessels containing cheese were discovered.
Excavations at Saqqara at the site where pottery vessels containing cheese were discovered. Image: copyright of the Ministry for Tourism and Antiquities

Some of the pots – all of which date to the Twenty-sixth and Twenty-seventh Dynasties – were found sealed and will be investigated at a later date.