It would appear to be a case of crying over ruined cheese rather than burnt milk.
Archaeologists have discovered a 3,000-year-old pot with the burned remains of cheese still encrusted on the bottom.
Discovered in central Jutland, Denmark, it appears the Bronze Age cook took their eye off the pan while trying to heat milk to create cheese, only to have it char to the bottom of their clay pot.
Now that's a ruined meal: 3,000-year-old cooking pot is found with burned CHEESE welded to the bottom
Archaeologists discovered the pot near Silkeborg, in Jutland, Denmark
It contained a yellow white substance welded to the bottom of the clay pot
Experts believe it was a failed attempt to make a type of brown cheese
The cook appears to have thrown out the pot after burning the curd
By Richard Gray for MailOnline
15 September 2016
It would appear to be a case of crying over ruined cheese rather than burnt milk.
Archaeologists have discovered a 3,000-year-old pot with the burned remains of cheese still encrusted on the bottom.
Discovered in central Jutland, Denmark, it appears the Bronze Age cook took their eye off the pan while trying to heat milk to create cheese, only to have it char to the bottom of their clay pot.
A clay pot discovered on a Bronze Age rubbish dump in central Jutland, Denmark, has been found to contain the burned remnants from a failed attempt to make cheese encrusted on its bottom (pictured). It is providing a rare insight into the diet and lives of early communities
They appear to have been so enraged by the failure that they threw the pot out into the street.
But thousands of years later it is now providing important clues about the everyday life and diet of Bronze Age people in Scandinavia.
Archaeologists say it could be one of the earliest examples of Brunost, the brown Norwegian cheese made from whey.
The poit was discovered during an excavation at Balle Kirkeby, close to Silkeborg in central Jutland. It was found among the remains of other broken pieces of pottery that lay in what was an ancient waste pit.
Kaj Rasmussen, an archaeologist at the Museum Silkeborg in Denmark, told ScienceNordic: 'We found the clay pot in what was once a pit.
'Normally you find black, charred deposits in the remains of pots that are typically from corn or seeds, but here we found a white yellow crust that we hadn't seen before.'
The archaeologists sent the pot to the Danish National Museum so it could be examined in more detail.
The pot (pictured) was surprisingly in tact and appears to have been thrown out into the street after the cheese was burned onto the bottom of it, which has now been analysed
Researchers analysed samples of the burned material at the bottom of the bot and found it contained molecules typically seen in fat from cows.
Mads Christensen, a materials chemist at the National Museum, said: 'It's an unusual find. You don't often find these types of deposits.'
The researchers believe the fat may be the remnants of curds used to create traditional hard cheese, where the whey is boiled down to leave a caramel coloured mass.
Archaeologists believe the burnt residue may have been an early attempt to make Brunost, the brown Norwegian cheese made from whey (stock picture)
However, it appears whoever was making it took their eye off the pot and let the cheese burn.
Dr Rasmussen believes the pot may have been thrown away to hide the evidence of what had happened.
He said: 'I cannot help but wonder if someone had a guilty conscience. It's well and truly burnt and must have smelt terrible.'
Archaeologists have discovered a 3,000-year-old pot with the burned remains of cheese still encrusted on the bottom.
Discovered in central Jutland, Denmark, it appears the Bronze Age cook took their eye off the pan while trying to heat milk to create cheese, only to have it char to the bottom of their clay pot.
Now that's a ruined meal: 3,000-year-old cooking pot is found with burned CHEESE welded to the bottom
Archaeologists discovered the pot near Silkeborg, in Jutland, Denmark
It contained a yellow white substance welded to the bottom of the clay pot
Experts believe it was a failed attempt to make a type of brown cheese
The cook appears to have thrown out the pot after burning the curd
By Richard Gray for MailOnline
15 September 2016
It would appear to be a case of crying over ruined cheese rather than burnt milk.
Archaeologists have discovered a 3,000-year-old pot with the burned remains of cheese still encrusted on the bottom.
Discovered in central Jutland, Denmark, it appears the Bronze Age cook took their eye off the pan while trying to heat milk to create cheese, only to have it char to the bottom of their clay pot.
A clay pot discovered on a Bronze Age rubbish dump in central Jutland, Denmark, has been found to contain the burned remnants from a failed attempt to make cheese encrusted on its bottom (pictured). It is providing a rare insight into the diet and lives of early communities
They appear to have been so enraged by the failure that they threw the pot out into the street.
But thousands of years later it is now providing important clues about the everyday life and diet of Bronze Age people in Scandinavia.
Archaeologists say it could be one of the earliest examples of Brunost, the brown Norwegian cheese made from whey.
The poit was discovered during an excavation at Balle Kirkeby, close to Silkeborg in central Jutland. It was found among the remains of other broken pieces of pottery that lay in what was an ancient waste pit.
Kaj Rasmussen, an archaeologist at the Museum Silkeborg in Denmark, told ScienceNordic: 'We found the clay pot in what was once a pit.
'Normally you find black, charred deposits in the remains of pots that are typically from corn or seeds, but here we found a white yellow crust that we hadn't seen before.'
The archaeologists sent the pot to the Danish National Museum so it could be examined in more detail.
The pot (pictured) was surprisingly in tact and appears to have been thrown out into the street after the cheese was burned onto the bottom of it, which has now been analysed
Researchers analysed samples of the burned material at the bottom of the bot and found it contained molecules typically seen in fat from cows.
Mads Christensen, a materials chemist at the National Museum, said: 'It's an unusual find. You don't often find these types of deposits.'
The researchers believe the fat may be the remnants of curds used to create traditional hard cheese, where the whey is boiled down to leave a caramel coloured mass.
Archaeologists believe the burnt residue may have been an early attempt to make Brunost, the brown Norwegian cheese made from whey (stock picture)
However, it appears whoever was making it took their eye off the pot and let the cheese burn.
Dr Rasmussen believes the pot may have been thrown away to hide the evidence of what had happened.
He said: 'I cannot help but wonder if someone had a guilty conscience. It's well and truly burnt and must have smelt terrible.'