Ancient European hunter-gatherers were far more advanced in their cooking methods than previously thought, a new study has found, combining ingredients in “remarkably selective” ways, with cuisines even varying by region.Researchers analyzed the burnt remains of food stuck to the side of pots, called “foodcrusts,” and found that Stone Age cooks used a range of plant and animal products to create meals.The team’s findings, published Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE, provide new insights into the diets of Europeans who lived between 5,000 and 8,000 years ago.AdvertisementAdvertisementResearchers analyzed 85 pottery sherds, of which 58 had identifiable fragments of plants.The pottery came from 13 sites, spanning from modern-day Denmark to what is now Ivanovo oblast in eastern Russia.The team first found plant remnants in the foodcrust and then, using microscopes, looked for samples that were well preserved enough that they were able to identify the plants through their cell structure.The initial research revealed some plants that had been used, so the team cooked some of the “recipes,” Oliver Craig, a co-author of the study and a professor of archaeological science at the University of Leeds, England, told CNN.AdvertisementAdvertisementThey combined carp and viburnum berries, and oak-leaved goosefoot and beet, and cooked them in replica clay pots over a fire. This gave them new samples with which to compare the ancient foodcrusts.The standard narrative around hunter-gatherers was that they were “just putting stuff in the fire,” said Craig.Most analyzes of hunter-gatherer diets focused on the fatty residue left on cookware and the bones of slaughtered animals, Craig said, meaning researchers knew a lot about the hunters, but little about the gatherers.“(Lead study author) Lara (González Carretero) simply looked where no one else had,” Craig said.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe new study shows that Stone Age people had “sophisticated ways of cooking foods,” he said, and that they were “remarkably selective” in which foods they cooked.Researchers found that some plants, like the viburnum berry shown above, were popular across regions, and they are still used in the modern day. – Lara González Carretero/University of York et al.These hunter-gatherers “had deep knowledge of all the roots, tubers, fruits and berries that… (were) available to them,” Craig said.More in ScienceBut when the team analyzed what was in the pot, they only found a limited variety.“We’re onl …
