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Warpy

(110,912 posts)
Thu Nov 24, 2022, 03:49 PM Nov 2022

Ancient Traces of Burnt Food Reveal a Surprising Truth About The Paleo Diet

Tl;Dr: They'd discovered cuisine and they ATE CARBS.

My team's analysis of the oldest charred food remains ever found show that jazzing up your dinner is a human habit dating back at least 70,000 years.

Imagine ancient people sharing a meal. You would be forgiven for picturing people tearing into raw ingredients or maybe roasting meat over a fire as that is the stereotype.

But our new study showed both Neanderthals and Homo sapiens had complex diets involving several steps of preparation, and took effort with seasoning and using plants with bitter and sharp flavors.


https://www.sciencealert.com/ancient-traces-of-burnt-food-reveal-a-surprising-truth-about-the-paleo-diet The article contains specific info about food prep and combining and is worth the read for food nerds.
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Ancient Traces of Burnt Food Reveal a Surprising Truth About The Paleo Diet (Original Post) Warpy Nov 2022 OP
"Please pass the Grey Poupon" DBoon Nov 2022 #1
according to this, they probably did grind mustard seed Warpy Nov 2022 #2
Wait a second, they are just studying the food that the Neanderthals threw out! Chainfire Nov 2022 #3
They'd also studied the scuzz on their teeth and knew the diet was varied Warpy Nov 2022 #4

Warpy

(110,912 posts)
2. according to this, they probably did grind mustard seed
Thu Nov 24, 2022, 04:19 PM
Nov 2022

and maybe even mixed it with some alcoholic fermented fruit for what we'd recognize as "gore-may" mustard.

Chainfire

(17,308 posts)
3. Wait a second, they are just studying the food that the Neanderthals threw out!
Thu Nov 24, 2022, 05:32 PM
Nov 2022

You have to wonder what the stuff they ate was like.

Warpy

(110,912 posts)
4. They'd also studied the scuzz on their teeth and knew the diet was varied
Thu Nov 24, 2022, 06:54 PM
Nov 2022

Humans are notoriously messy eaters and these little nubbins of food got swept into the hearth where the following day's fire would render them odorless. The samples just gave them an idea of the diet, which turned out to be bread and porridge as well as the other foodstuffs. The real surprise seems to be that it was seasoned food.

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