Egyptian Food of the New Kingdom

E1: We have arrived in the outskirts of the city of Thebes, New Kingdom Egypt. The Nile is visible from our location. It appears to be around 30 degrees Celsius.

The insertion was virtually soundless. We were deposited in a quiet alley between two houses, and no one seemed to notice our abrupt appearance, save for a stray cat.

We exited the alley to find ourselves on a busy street filled with vendors selling fish, wheat, and other foodstuffs. The din of the street made it difficult to converse with my compatriots.

As we advanced through the street, I took note of the variety of goods offered. Poultry, unplucked and plucked, no doubt both domesticated and feral, salted and dried. Sacks of lentils, onions, and garlic. Spices sold at expectedly high prices. Cumin, coriander, salt. I purchased a loaf of bread from a vendor for a silver piece as a sample.

We made our way to a mud brick house and request to share their meal with them. I offered a silver piece in exchange, to which the residing family agreed.

A woman of the household was shaping dough in a stone mold. The dough was transferred to an oven. Another woman was preparing a beverage and poured it into a clay cup. Each of us received a cup and drank from it. It appeared to be a variety of barley beer flavoured with dates.

A senior woman took note of my imperfect Egyptian and inquired as to my origins. I replied, “Upriver”, to which she seemed to take as a satisfying answer. The bread was thoroughly baked and served with a bowl of fish stew. There were no utensils to speak of. The meal was described as “wholesome” by one of my compatriots. We excused ourselves from the house after finishing and returned to the same alley whence we came, and returned to normal reality. The bread was taken for testing.

Fresco of a rich household's dining scene

E2: We have returned to Thebes. The location of our insertion has changed, however. We appear to be in the midst of the city. Our abrupt appearance startled the crowd around us, which promptly formed a circle. They appeared to have taken us as ambassadors or personifications of deities. We broke through the circle without violence and continued down the street. Eventually, it became evident that there was a man following us. He caught up with us and prostrated himself at our feet. I assured him that we were not envoys of Amun-Ra, as he thought we were. My accent only seemed to convince him further. Nevertheless, he introduced himself as Paser, a rich landowner. He invited us to supper at his house. As it suited our purpose, I accepted.

We were escorted into a relatively large complex which was presumed to be his residence.

We were seated amongst other guests. We were served stews and roasts of beef, catfish, perch, goat, and a plethora of other meats. Both beer and wine were poured out and drunk. As dessert, melons, figs, and dates were served. Servants were on hand to refill quantities of bread and drink. I obtained several samples of food for testing. We thanked Paser for the meal and made our excuses to leave. We returned to normal reality at approximately 1900 hours.

Fresco of meats, wine, and dates