Oldest bog butter

Bog butter, or butyrellite, is a manmade butter-like waxy substance that can be found buried in wooden containers within peat bogs. It is believed to be an example of ancient food preservation owing to the cool, acidic and low oxygen environment within peat bogs. Found mainly in Ireland and the UK, these ancient food reserves are either dairy in origin or composed of animal fats and have the appearance and texture of paraffin wax. The oldest known example to date was discovered in Ballard Bog, Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland, in 2013. It was contained within a wooden vessel measuring a foot across and almost two foot high and weighing more than 100 lb. The bog butter within the container still had a dairy smell when unearthed and is estimated to be around 5,000 years old.