Near Eastern Archaeology reviews a 2004 book for the general audience on the food of ancient Mesopotamia called
The Oldest Cuisine in the World: Cooking in Ancient Mesopotamia, by Jean Bottéro. The book is divided into sections on food preservation, cooking and serving, which the ancients did with much effort put into presentation, as well as sections on food in religion, festivals, and the afterlife. Although it contains 40 recipes, it is not a cookbook. It focuses on literary sources and draws from economic tablets and correspondences. The reviewer mentions that there was a major change in the way people lived when they switched from raw, off-the-tree type food to prepared and cooked foods.
Sounds interesting, although it might be frustrating in its shortage of recipes that one can actually replicate. The review lists one recipe with unknown as well as vague items, like cake crumbs. Also, the reviewer says Bottéro says the ancients wanted to keep recipes secret.
Source: [The Oldest Cuisine in the World: Cooking in Mesopotamia by Jean Bottéro, Review by: Michael M. Homan; Near Eastern Archaeology, Vol. 70, No. 4 (Dec., 2007), p. 231]
