Over 100 pounds of 'bog butter' have been discovered in Tullamore, County Offaly (Ireland). This ancient food substance, thought to been buried as a form of refrigeration, is thought to be 5,000 years old.
     Brian Clancy and his uncle Joe were cutting turf in Ballard Bog when they made the discovery. Joe explained "We were cutting turf and I found what looked like a huge piece of timber. We took it out with a spade and it turned out to be bog butter." When the men found the container Joe returned to his house and researched bog butter on the Internet. He then returned to the bog and "filled a wheelbarrow with the peat and put the keg into it and brought it home and contacted the National Museum of Ireland."
     The container has carving marks around the edges with a removable lid with handles and holes, possibly for carrying. The wooden vessel measures a foot in diameter and is almost two feet tall. The 100 pound container was buried seven-feet down.
     Some believe 'bog butter' was a special type of butter made at a certain time during the years and buried so that it might be preserved. Joe said the butter still has a dairy smell. In the past some 'bog butter' that has been tested has been meat based.

Edited from Irish Central (29 April 2011)