Gli Egizi Gran parte delle informazioni concernenti la dieta degli antichi egizi proviene dalle tombe. Qui sono raffigurate le cosiddette "liste delle offerte", in cui vengono elencati tutti gli oggetti di cui il defunto aveva bisogno nel mondo ultraterreno.
Altre informazioni provengono dalle rappresentazioni delle offerte. Molti recipienti trovati nelle tombe contenevano alimenti ormai scomparsi, but which have been identified through the inscriptions and scientific research. The heirs or descendants of the owner of the tomb had to ensure that the latter is no shortage of food and drinks necessary for the afterlife. Otherwise, art and writing would magically offset this absence. That's why deals are represented in the tombs of many foods, the most common of which were usually meat, bread, vegetables and fruit. The Egyptians were good cooks. The Ebers Papyrus
remember that they used butter, goose fat and cream. We used two types of fat: one animal (
adkh ) and the other plant (
merhet ). Vegetable oils were obtained sesame, from castor oil, from flax seed and radish. Olive oil was imported from Mediterranean countries. The milk was intended for both children and adults. The sea salt was considered unclean because came from the kingdom of Seth, the god of evil, but was obtained from the oasis of Siwa and other deposits. The Egyptians cooked with charcoal and firewood. The kitchen consisted of a small earthenware stove furniture, cylindrical, open top and a door at the bottom. Poor people used pots, placed on three stones were of clay, as well as casseroles. The Egyptians were two meals a day, morning and late afternoon. Ate kneeling in front of a coffee table and round, flat shared with his hands. I banchetti dei nobili erano invece assai sontuosi e preparati con cura. Si sa poco di come cucinavano la carne, ma Erodoto racconta come preparavano gli uccelli da cortile: «Alcuni uccelli, come quaglie, anatre e polli, venivano conditi e mangiati crudi; altri uccelli e i pesci, se non erano considerati sacri, si consumavano cotti o soltanto scottati». Gli egizi preparavano paste addolcite con miele e aromatizzate con sesamo, anice o frutta. I pasticceri non utilizzano un forno ma una lamiera con sostegni posta sul fuoco.
