If you've ever felt disconnected from people of the past (What did they do without internet and electricity?), a study of some ancient poop might help you bridge that gap. Scientists studying salt mines at a UNESCO World Heritage site in Austria discovered fossilized feces that held vital clues about what prehistoric people ate.
And in some ways, it wasn't too different from what I eat today. The scientists found microscopic evidence that indicated blue cheese and beer were a part of the diet of prehistoric salt miners that lived in what is now modern-day Austria.
"These results shed substantial new light on the life of the prehistoric salt miners in Hallstatt and allow an understanding of ancient culinary practices in general on a whole new level," Kerstin Kowarik, of the Museum of Natural History Vienna, told Eureka. "It is becoming increasingly clear that not only were prehistoric culinary practices sophisticated but also that complex processed foodstuffs, as well as the technique of fermentation, have held a prominent role in our early food history."
It is quite cool to think about the fact that processed food isn't a new thing. According to this study of poop, we've been processing food longer than humans knew how to read. The scientists found that these prehistoric miners' fermentation methods are similar to those we still use today. Of course, they didn't exclusively subsist on beer and cheese. The feces also showed evidence of nuts, granola, various plants, and some meat and other animal products. The miners probably had a much more balanced diet than I do, but they didn't have access to Dunkin', did they?
Opheli Garcia Lawler is a staff writer at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter @opheligarcia and Instagram @opheligarcia.