People get the most cautious when it comes to food. Most of us are very careful of not letting them out for a long time, consume them before the expiry date of the food approaches, and be careful of not wasting and throwing away food. Most parental and elderly concerns are undoubtedly on the nutrition and health level of the food if not eaten within a specific amount of time. Even if it gets five days for a loaf of bread, people would try getting rid of its on the sixth day praying and hoping that they don’t suffer with a grumbling stomach with just that one extra day of eating a left over bread. It’s not just a matter of bread, but one would be surprised to know the types and kinds of food people can eat and remain edible after a long period of time, and by this I do not mean days or week but months and years. People would certainly doubt the edibility of the food after a certain period of time, but believe it or not, various types of food items last longer than what we can actually think of. There are certain types of food which do not rot or get spoilt on consuming it after years as they are perfectly edible and healthy to eat. Here is a list of the top 10 foods edible after an incredibly long length of time, without any issues of stomach grumbling and diarrhea of course.
1. Animals eaten after 50,000 years
People also take a bite of animals which were extinct more than 50,000 years ago, such as Mammoth corpses. The flesh of these animal corpses stayed edible because of them lying in areas covered in permafrost. Travelers have also been confirmed taking a bite of this really old flesh which is edible and also free of disease and sickness. Apart from this, some paleontologists cooked and ate a dish made of the marrow of a 50,000 year old horse bone. Also, some researchers were also known to have cooked and ate a piece of meat from a 36,000 year old bison corpse.
2. Honey after 1000 years
Honey apparently last forever, which has been pointed out by Smithsonian Institute. Honey’s acidic nature and its quality of being hygroscopic makes the honey form the least moisture, thus keeping it good and safe to eat and consume even after 1000 years. Moreover, scientists have also found edible pots of honey found amongst the dead 500 year old mummies in Egyptian tombs.
3. Wine after 100 years
People pay exorbitant amounts to have the oldest and the finest wine possible. In 2010, some Finnish divers found 200 year old bottles of champagne and beer. After testing and tasting, the champagne bottles were declared to be perfectly fine for consumption. It was also noted and pointed out that champagne bottles stored under the sea remain in a better condition rather than being kept in wine cellars.
4. The 125 year old cake
Science says that under right conditions, fruitcakes could last forever. Proving this point, Fidelia Bates had baked a regular fruitcake for Thanksgiving in 1878. She died before the holiday, and her family preserved the cake under a plastic cover. In 2003, Fidelia’s 83 year old grandson sent this fruitcake to Jay Leno at the Tonight Show, where Leno took a bit of it and suffered no ill consequences.
5. 64 year old can of Lard
Lard is basically animal fat which can usually be used in cooking, or can also be eaten raw or with bread. A German food expert Hans Feldmeier had received a can of lard as a part of care package to Germany from the US in the year 1948, but Hans preserved the lard can until any emergency rose up. No there was no such case of emergencies, the can of lard remained the same for 64 years until one day Hans got into an argument with someone regarding canned food and their expiry dates. In order to win the argument, Hans opened the 64 year old can of lard and ate it, and suffered nothing except for a smelly breath.
6. Chicken eaten after 50 years
When Les Lialey and Beryl got married, they received a can of chicken as their wedding gift. Instead of opening the can, Les told his new wife that he would eat that can of chicken on their 50th wedding anniversary. The can of chicken stayed and served with him for over 50 years until the day came when Les opened the can and ate the chicken. There were definitely no complaints on eating the 50 year old canned chicken and Les did not suffer any problems as well.
7. 40 year old Rations
US Army Colonel Henry Moak, on the day he retired had a piece of a 40 year old cake, to which he put his thumbs up, probably signaling that the cake still tasted like a cake! The Colonel had made a promise that he would eat the 40 year old cake which was issued to him during the Vietnam War on the day of his retirement, and he definitely kept his word. The 40 year old cake was brought to him and without second thoughts or blinking an eye, he ate a piece of the cake and never complained that the cake was inedible.
8. Hardtack
Hardtack is a type of a cracker which has been in use by the soldiers and sailors, as these crackers can be stored for years and years, though the exact number of years is not known. These crackers are made out of water, flour and salt and are made as hard as possible so that they retain the same freshness and taste even after few years. The Hardtack cracker is mostly associated with the Civil War, and this cracker could be eaten by adding it to water, coffee or even whiskey.
9. Battle Butties
The Battle Butties is a sandwich which remains fresh even after two years. Especially made for the military personnel who had deep problems with feeding themselves with stale and long period frozen foods, scientists had found the Battle Butties which could be preserved for more than two years and yet it will still remain and look fresh and thus people can eat it. Soldiers have got nothing but just good things to say about these two year old sandwiches, which apparently taste good equal to how they look fresh.
10. Kiviaq
The Kiviaq is certainly not attractive and definitely not tasty as such, but it is edible. People can tolerate eating this 18 months stored food item called Kiviaq, which is made by inserting as many sea birds as possible into a seal carcass. The seal skin is then sewed up and stored under rocks. This food stays edible and people can eat and consume it even after 18 months of storing it underground. The Kiviaq was made to cope with the food scarcity during the winter months in Greenland. The most interesting fact about this food is that even after leaving it stored out for more than a year, this food can be eaten and consumed by people without a trouble.
Leave a Reply