Archaeologists Discover What Ancient Romans Ate as Fast Food

Archaeologists excavating a site in Mallorca have discovered Roman-era fast food which dates back 2,000 years, within a pile of trash, according to a new study published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology.

Scientists discovered the bones of songbirds in the ancient city of Pollentia, atop a pile of refuse, indicating that thrushes were a common street food thousands of years ago. "Based on local culinary traditions here in Mallorca—where song thrushes (Turdus philomelos) are still occasionally consumed—I can say from personal experience that their flavor is more akin to small game birds like quail than to chicken," Alejandro Valenzuela, a researcher at the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies in Mallorca, Spain, told Live Science.

Pollentia was established in 123 B.C. and rapidly developed into a central port town, featuring a series of stores, cemeteries, and worship sites. One of the shops, known as a “popina,” was similar to a modern-day cafe or bodega where residents would gather for light snacks and drinks. Remaining at the site was a 13-foot trash pit which was filled with an assortment of fish, mammal, and bird bones as well as ceramics which date the area’s use to between 10 B.C. and 30 A.D.

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After analyzing the thrush bones found in the pit, which outnumbered all other bones at the site, Valenzuela found that there were few arm and leg bones left over, with many of the fragments belonging to skulls and breastbones. As arms and legs contain the most meat, this "suggests that thrushes were widely consumed, forming part of the everyday diet and urban food economy."

Valenzuela believes that the sternum bones were removed to flatten the breast, which would have allowed the chef to quickly cook the bird without sacrificing its texture. The fragments of ceramic were likely the dishes on which the songbirds were served. "However, given their small size and the street food context, it's also entirely plausible that they were presented on skewers or sticks for easier handling—both options are possible," Valenzuela noted. "Street food was a fundamental component of the urban [Roman] experience,” he concluded.