The last meal of Iceman was a feast rich in fats and calories

Fat and wild goat deer, plus the sides of ancient wheat and fern.

This is not a menu likely to appear on Masterchef, but for some of our ancestors, it was a nutritious treat

. Oetzi's last dinner Iceman was well balanced but also alarming.

The man lived 5,300 years ago and died on a frozen glacier. His body was kept in ice for millennia until his discovery in 1991.

Scientists were able to discover many aspects of his life, including what he ate before he died.

They say that he filled his stomach with wild goat fat, red deer meat, an ancient grain known as einkorn and toxic fern

How much fat ?

The fat content was 50%, which is much higher than the 10% diet.

"If you consider the altitude where the Iceman hunts, you need this type of energy supply," said Dr. Frank Maixner, of the Research Institute. Eurac for studies on the mummy in Bolzano, Italy.

"And the best way to do that is to eat fat, it gives you the energy to survive in this difficult environment."

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What does this say about the diet of our ancestors? In Current Biology, gives a rare glimpse of what was on the menu during the Copper Age.

The Iceman diet was badyzed before, but not in these details. The latest survey is based on the examination of its stomach contents.

Surprisingly, this organ was only discovered recently because it was not in the normal place, because of the way its body was mummified over time. to deduce that the fat did not come from dairy products, but from Alpine ibex, a species of wild goat that lives in the mountains of the European Alps.

"His diet was a balanced blend of carbohydrates, protein and fat," said Dr. Maixner. "Just as amazing was the high-fat content that he ingested."

Copyright of the image
Southtyrolarchaeologymuseum Eurac M.Samadelli

Nutritious, but how did he taste?

The meal would have supported Oetzi in his snowy trek, but he may not have tasted too good

"It's goat fat and it's hard to imagine said Dr. Maixner. "This is certainly not as tasty as we would do today.

" Whereas there was no salt, the pure taste of this meat, this fat – of all these components – I think it's barely edible. "

the Iceman did not have to deal with the processed food, there was a negative side to his diet.

He already had signs of arteries blocked at the time of his death

He may have died in battle, as he had done, several wounds to his body and carried weapons, including a copper ax.

Did Iceman take medicinal plants?

He may have taken herbal medicine as well, as researchers found traces of fern, a type of fern, in his stomach.

Alternatively, he often wrapped his food in fern leaves and ingested toxic spores by mistake.

Wild meat may have been eaten fresh or perhaps dried.

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