An Iron Age Feast

This article from Discovery News indicates that the Iron Age Britons knew how to party.  The article describes an archaeological find in Chiseldon of the remains of a feast that took place more than 2,000 years ago.

According to the article, the find included 13 copper-alloy cauldrons with iron frames which bore traces of meat fats, and cattle skulls.  Also, the cauldrons were decorated with cow's head motifs, further suggesting that the meat prepared in them had been beef, though that hypothesis has not yet been either refuted or confirmed.  They were found in a pit that measures approximately 6.6 feet wide.

The article suggests that DNA testing of the fat remnants may at least tell us whether the meat cooked in the cauldrons was beef or something else (such as pork).  Perhaps we will learn that multiple types of meat were stewed in the cauldrons, making the main course of the meal a kind of bigos, a multiple-meat stew favored by Polish nobility in the 16th century.

It would also be interesting to learn whether any vegetables or grains were involved in the feast, though if the find had contained any obvious remains of such the article likely would have mentioned them.  Having prepared pot roast in my own slow cooker, I'm well aware that stewing meat by itself can still produce tasty food.  I hope to find out more about Iron Age cooking as the work in Chiseldon continues.