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Old Babylonian period (tablet: c. 1750 BCE)

Tuh'u — beet and lamb stew

A modern proposal for 2–3 servings of beet and lamb stew informed by an Old Babylonian account. Ancient ingredient identifications remain uncertain; modern lamb, beets and beer are not treated as identical to ancient foods.

AI-generated modern recreation of Tuh'u: lamb, beet and alliums in red broth in an earthenware-style bowl; vessel and setting are conjectural.

MODERN RECREATION

Modern Adaptation Proposal

Ingredient quantities, cooking times, and tools are proposed for modern home cooking. They are not measurements from the historical source.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Wash the vegetables. Dice beets to about 2 cm and lamb to 3 cm; chop onion and rocket, crush leek and garlic. Use separate utensils for raw meat and vegetables, and wash hands and utensils thoroughly after handling raw meat.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon fat in a pot and brown the lamb over medium heat. Surface color does not establish safe internal cooking.
  3. Add onion, beets, rocket, cumin and coriander; stir for roughly 1–2 minutes.
  4. Add 300 mL water, 200 mL beer and salt. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for a proposed 45–60 minutes. Prevent scorching; add a little water if needed. This time is untested.
  5. Add crushed leek and garlic; simmer another proposed 5–10 minutes. Use a thermometer in the thickest meat to confirm at least 75°C for at least 1 minute; cook longer if needed. Do not rely on time or tenderness alone.
  6. Adjust salt only after thorough cooking and serve, taking care with hot broth and cookware. Portion leftovers and refrigerate promptly.

HISTORICAL RECORD

Historical Sources and Evidence

These sources provide historical context. They do not necessarily support the quantities or cooking times in the modern adaptation.

Registered as a reconstruction based on sources. Distinguish the source's account from inference and modern adjustments.

Statements supported by sources

  • The Bottéro translation quoted by BAR lists lamb, water, fat, salt, beer, onion, coriander, cumin and beetroot, with crushed leek and garlic added.

    Source 1Source 3

Inference and interpretation

  • eBL presents Tuh'u on YBC 4644 as Recipe 22, reverse lines 26–28, opening tu-úḫ-ú. Its correspondence with Recipe 21 / lines 51–53 attributed to Bottéro 1995 in the manuscript, and the reasons for the numbering differences, remain unverified; no exact equivalence or conversion to continuous line numbers is asserted. Identifications such as samīdu vary; rocket and modern beetroot are not established as exact equivalents of ancient plants. Etymology, exclusive palace use and ancient beer taste are not asserted; this is distinct from our other Babylonian lamb stew.

Modern adjustments

  • Amounts, lamb shoulder, cooked beets, rocket, powdered spices, vegetable oil and browning are modern choices. Beer may contain barley/wheat allergens: check labels. Alcohol may remain after heating; do not serve to people who must avoid it. Replace beer with 200 mL water as a modern alternative. No residual percentage or strength was measured.
  • Untested: no cooking or tasting trial. Servings, quantities, temperatures, times, flavor, texture and results are proposals, not guarantees of success or safety.
  • Use clean hands and utensils. Do not leave the preparation at room temperature for long; divide into small portions and refrigerate promptly. No storage period is guaranteed. Discard suspect food without tasting; normal appearance or smell does not prove safety.

Sources and references

  1. YBC 4644: Tah’u（Bottéro英訳の再引用、BAR Test Kitchen）
    Author
    Jean Bottéro（訳の再引用）／Megan Sauter（2017年記事）
    Publication or composition year
    粘土板：約前1750年／引用元論文1985年／掲載記事2017年
    Open source: https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/daily-life-and-practice/bar-test-kitchen-tahu-stew/

    Read the quotation attributed to Bottéro 1985 p.42 in this 2017 article. Tablet and 1995 edition were not directly collated; recipe 21/lines 51–53 in the manuscript remain independently unverified. The article’s modern recipe is separate.

  2. 厚生労働省：家庭でできる食中毒予防の6つのポイントOpen source: https://www.mhlw.go.jp/www1/houdou/0903/h0331-1.html

    General modern hygiene, heating and cooling guidance; not a trial or shelf-life validation of this recipe.

  3. electronic Babylonian Library: YBC.4644, Recipe 22, reverse 26–28
    Author
    Klaus Wagensonner (transliteration); Enrique Jiménez (revision), electronic Babylonian Library, LMU Munich
    Publication or composition year
    eBL transliteration: 2023; revision: 2024
    Open source: https://www.ebl.lmu.de/library/YBC.4644

    Consulted the transliteration and English translation of Recipe 22, reverse lines 26–28 (opening tu-úḫ-ú), in the eBL electronic edition. The translation lists leg meat, beer, alliums and beet, and describes searing and crushing. Plant names reflect editorial interpretations, not proof of identity with modern varieties. Bottéro 1995, pp.25–57 appears in the eBL bibliography, but that printed text was not consulted. Correspondence with the manuscript’s Recipe 21 / lines 51–53 and the reasons for the numbering differences remain unverified. No independent decipherment from tablet photographs is claimed.

About this site

About our dish images
Image credits and sources

© History Meshi / Antigravity (AI-generated recreation, STEP 192)

Source: AI-generated modern adaptation / AI生成による現代再現イメージ; historical appearance and setting unverified

License: CC BY 4.0 (designation in STEP 192 image metadata)

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