Exploring the Ancient Flavor: A Tale of Tasting a 50,000-Year-Old Animal Discovery

In the year 1979, gold miners in the vicinity of Fairbanks, Alaska stumbled upon a treasure that wasn’t gleaming gold but rather an astonishingly well-preserved creature from the last ice age, nestled within the frozen tundra. This exceptional find sparked a journey of scientific curiosity that led paleontologists to explore not only the history of this ancient animal but also its taste, culminating in an unexpected culinary experiment.

Initially thought to be around 36,000 years old, the creature’s age was later recalibrated to an astonishing 55,000 years based on recent estimates. The ice age steppe bison, discovered entombed in the ice, provided a unique opportunity for scientists to delve into the past through its remarkably preserved remains.

These discoveries of frozen animals from the last ice age, though rare, provide invaluable insights into our distant history. In this Alaskan case, the question arose – what might an animal taste like after millennia of deep freeze? The idea of tasting such ancient meat wasn’t entirely novel. Reports of Russian scientists consuming frozen bison and mammoth meat sparked curiosity among paleontologists, and thus, a culinary endeavor was born.

In 1984, University of Alaska Fairbanks paleontologist Dale Guthrie orchestrated an unconventional dining experience. He invited friends to partake in tasting a stew made from a small portion of the bison’s neck, which had remained frozen since its demise. The meat, freeze-dried while still fresh, emitted a faint beef-like aroma upon thawing. Blending an earthy essence with hints of mushrooms, the meat was prepared alongside vegetables, spices, garlic, onion, and potatoes to create a stew that harkened back to the ancient past.

Around a dozen individuals attended this unprecedented dinner party, as recounted in Guthrie’s book “Food History Almanac.” The consensus on the ancient stew’s flavor was that it was “okay,” devoid of any adverse health effects. Guthrie’s wife, Mary Guthrie, who was among the brave taste-testers, affirmed that it was indeed a pleasant experience on the “Every Little Thing Podcast.” She recollected that “It was a good stew, and then we put the bison in.”

While the culinary journey into the ice age through “Blue Babe,” as the bison was affectionately known, yielded no gastronomic revelations, it offered a taste of history that bridged millennia. This daring exploration stands as a testament to human curiosity, pushing the boundaries of scientific inquiry and culinary curiosity alike. Ultimately, this unique endeavor reminds us that even the most ancient stories can be told through our senses, connecting us to our past in ways we might never have imagined.