Ötzi The 5,300-Year-Old Iceman Helped Scientists Bake Sourdough (With His Guts)

You could say that taking an unorthodox approach to testing theories and experimenting with various outcomes is a scientist's bread and butter. A recent scientific discovery found that Ötzi, a 5,300-year-old mummified corpse, was harboring active bacteria and yeast in various tissues, including his guts. The revelation is being hailed as something that can provide a keen insight into what human gut health looked like before we were introduced to things like antibiotics and ultra-processed food. In a surprising turn of events, the researchers took the next logical step after making this scientific breakthrough by using the yeast they found in the iceman's guts to bake a loaf of sourdough bread.

For those who may not be familiar with the story, some German hikers stumbled across a unique discovery in 1991 when they found a naturally mummified body in northern Italy. Ötzi, as the frozen corpse was later named, has since been preserved at 21 degrees Fahrenheit and periodically studied ever since.

Why the researchers decided to use the yeast they discovered to make sourdough bread (or anything edible, for that matter) is anyone's guess. For what it's worth, they indicated the bread was quite tasty. The thought it might end up being stomach-churning, but apparently if you can just forget where the yeast comes from it's a decent baked good.

Given the conditions Ötzi has been preserved in since his discovery in the '90s, researchers were somewhat shocked to find living yeast present in his guts, but the truth is yeast is everywhere. The tiny fungus accounts for an estimated 2.2% of all the biomass on the planet. The fact that some found its way into the iceman's guts may be odd, but not all that surprising when you think about it.

Baking a loaf of sourdough from that yeast is an interesting (albeit a fairly unappetizing) idea, but that's not exactly revolutionary either. You can source yeast for a sourdough starter from just about anywhere. There's even natural yeast in the air you breathe which can be utilized to create a sourdough starter.

As for the researcher's next culinary plans for Ötzi, they're apparently going back in for some more yeast. This time they're planning a refreshment to accompany their tasty sourdough bread by brewing beer with it. After all, if you can make beer with prehistoric yeast and from Roald Dahl's writing chair, brewing some cold ones from a 5,300-year-old mummy should be a piece of cake.