The oldest surviving recipes in the world, dating from the mid-second millennium B.C.E., are here given their definitive transcription, translation, and commentary by a renowned Assyriologist and master chef. Examining each recipe in detail, Bottero identifies, insofar as we are able, the ingredients to be used, the methods of preparation, garnishment, and the presentation of the finished culinary delight. The series editor, Jerrold S. Cooper, also provides an English translation of the introduction and of the recipes. Winner of the 1996 Langhe Ceretto/Societa Editrice Internazionale Prize for food and wine culture.