No one could have predicted the invention of Michael Boyle, a farmer living in Donegal, Ireland. While digging up his land, on his Irish farm, he found 22 kilograms of peat butter (Bog butter) A butter that is over 5000 years old, in perfect condition!

Peat Butter, a Relic of Irish Prehistory

An extraordinary find!

The butter was found on a farm in Portnoo… The Irish farmer was digging in the ground when he found a lump of white fat that smelled salty and rancid.

Located at a depth of less than 30 cm, the block was a perfect square in shape, evidence of human intervention.

“It's like butter, unsalted butter. I had a piece, and I'm still here to tell the story.”

A 25kg “bog butter”, the biggest ever, was found in a backyard. #Ireland.https://t.co/Z1ekadWt1H pic.twitter.com/osaNPUyoSW

— 𝓕𝓕𝓕 September 28, 2024

As for Michael Boyle, there's no doubt: he's found a patch of butter. It is a 5000-year-old prehistoric rock that was usually buried near peat bogs to facilitate their preservation.

This is not the first time such a substance has been found in Ireland. The country is used to such inventions…Many prehistoric men and women were in the habit of burying butter in the ground to facilitate their preservation. Some buried this type of food for ritual and ceremonial purposes.

The Portnoo find is currently being analyzed by the National Museum of Ireland. Depending on their findings, it may later be displayed in Dublin or at the Kilclooney Dolmen Center in Kilcooney Beg, Donegal.

For archaeologist Paula Harvey, this butter is a real treasure! First of all, because it's one of the heaviest updates ever! Dating back over 5,000 years, it is an extraordinary testament to ancestral Irish customs.

For the researcher, peatlands are ideal for preserving food: the acidic environment and lack of oxygen made them the perfect environment for preserving food from weathering and rotting.

She must have tasted this kind of butter many times: to the archeologist, peat bog butter would taste like real butter. An unsalted and slightly spicy taste… it would have had no effect on his health or digestion!

And you? Are you ready to taste 5000 year old food?

to find out right now