2000 years old bog butter found in Ireland

While cutting peat in the Emlagh marsh, turf cutter Jack Conaway made a surprising discovery. Around 12 feet into the ground, Conaway found a huge (10 kilogram) portion of butter that is likely to be 2000 years old, the CNN reported. 

Finding old lumps of butter in the area is not as unusual as it sounds.

Numerous lumps of bog butter as old as a thousand years have been found in Ireland and Scotland, according a study published in The Journal of Irish Archaeology.

Three years ago, another turf cutter had come across a container that held a massive 100 pounds (45 kilogram) of bog butter and was estimated to be 5000 years old.

The Cavan County Museum says in medieval times, butter was a luxury product that was used to pay taxes and rents. "It was sometimes used as a offering to the spirits and gods to keep people and their property safe when used as offerings it would have been buried and never dug up again," said the museum’s website. 

The temperatures in marshes are low, with high levels of acidity and minimal oxygen that provide a preserving environment for butter. 

According to archaeologists, the butter is crumbly with a waxy texture and strong cheesy smell and even though it is technically edible, researchers advise against its consumption.

-(Photo courtesy: CNN)