Gaby
In the latrine of an ancient Roman fast-food joint on the Spanish island of Mallorca, researchers uncovered 165 bones of the song thrush (Turdus philomelos). The team believes these birds were a popular snack among the establishment’s patrons.
Thrushes are still occasionally eaten on Mallorca. “From personal experience, they taste more like small game, such as quail, than chicken,” Alejandro Valenzuela, a researcher at the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies in Mallorca, told Live Science.
What Did the Scientists Discover?
In a study published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, Valenzuela provided a detailed analysis of the animal bones found at the fast-food establishment of ancient Pollentia.
This city was founded by the Romans after their conquest of the Balearic Islands in 123 B.C. Pollentia quickly developed into a busy port with a forum, temples, a cemetery, and shops.
One of those shops likely operated as a popina — a small fast-food venue where locals gathered to grab a bite and enjoy some wine. Archaeologists found six large amphorae embedded in the counter of this establishment.
Nearby, archaeologists found a latrine four meters deep, filled with refuse including broken pottery that helped date the fast-food joint’s activity to between 10 and 30 A.D. The trash also contained numerous bones from mammals, fish, and birds.
Valenzuela and his colleagues were particularly intrigued by the role of small birds in the diet of ancient Mallorca’s inhabitants. The delicate bones of these birds typically do not preserve well over long periods. Yet the studied latrine contained more song thrush bones than remains of other birds.
Valenzuela said the trash primarily contained skulls and breast bones of the thrushes, while almost no limb bones or the upper part of the sternum turned up — the parts associated with the meatier sections of the bird. This pattern indicates cooks removed the breast.
This method would let cooks quickly grill or pan-fry a snack while keeping it juicy.
The archaeological team concluded that “thrushes were widely consumed, forming part of the everyday diet and urban food economy” of Pollentia.
Historical records show Roman hunters often caught songbirds in large flocks using nets or pit traps and sold them in retail shops, where vendors frequently cooked and sold them as fast food.
The fragments of pottery found in the latrine may suggest that thrushes were served on plates. Given the birds’ small size and the street-food format, however, they were also likely served on skewers or sticks. Both options are plausible, Valenzuela said.
The latrine’s remains revealed that the Romans consumed not only thrushes but also domestic chickens (Gallus gallus) and European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus).
Valenzuela said the approach to food in ancient Roman cities was dynamic, and “street food was a fundamental component of urban life.”
