Roman-era 'fast food' discovered in an ancient Mallorcan rubbish heap

Songbirds were on the menu 2,000 years ago on the Roman island of Mallorca, archaeological evidence reveals.

- WORDS KRISTINA KILLGROVE

Bones of small thrushes were discovered in a rubbish pit near the ancient ruins of a fast-food shop, giving researchers new clues about Roman-era street food. "Based on local culinary traditions here in Mallorca - where song thrushes are still occasionally consumed today - I can say from personal experience that their flavour is more akin to small game birds like quail than to chicken," said Alejandro Valenzuela, a researcher at the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies in Mallorca.

In a new study published in the