New research suggests that prehistoric European societies were preparing surprisingly complex dishes as early as 7,000 years ago, combining fish with a variety of plants and fruits in ways that reflect established culinary traditions.
Dr Lara González Carretero, part of a team of archaeologists at the University of York, said the group had investigated food remnants from ancient pottery from northern and eastern Europe.
Their results, published recently in PLOS ONE, contradict the long-held belief that early hunter-gatherers primarily subsisted on fish or meat and maintained rather basic dietary needs.
By combining microscopic analysis with chemical testing, the scientists identified not only the animal fats but also any plant residues in ceramic fragments.
Traditionally, archaeologists have analysed fatty residues on pottery to reconstruct ancient diets. However, these methods primarily detect animal products. The new approach allowed researchers to identify microscopic plant remains that had previously gone unnoticed.
“Our combined microscopic approach allowed us to focus on prehistoric recipes,” the researchers said. “We discovered that hunter-gatherer-fisher communities did not subsist solely on fish but processed and consumed a wide range of plants.”
The study examined organic residues in 58 pottery fragments identified at 13 archaeological sites across northern and eastern Europe. Among these sites were the Don River basin, the upper Volga River basin, the Dnieper-Dvina basin, and coastal sites around the Baltic Sea, such as that of Dąbki on Poland’s Baltic coast.
The analyses corroborated earlier findings that freshwater fish were the primary component of many meals, and marine fish also played a role in coastal areas. Yet almost two-thirds of the pottery samples also contained traces of plant material.
Researchers found remains of wild grasses, legumes, members of the amaranth family, roots, and tubers of herbaceous plants and fruits such as guelder rose berries (Viburnum opulus).
One of the most striking discoveries came from pottery fragments found in Dąbki, where traces of viburnum berries—both seeds and pulp—were consistently found alongside fish remains. Viburnum fruit, common in Eastern Europe today, has a distinctive bitter taste and mild toxicity when raw, but cooking reduces the bitterness and alters its aroma.
Scientists speculate that viburnum mixed with fish may have enhanced flavour and nutritional value and improved digestion. The research also uncovered differences between regions in cooking practices.
In the Don River basin, fish were commonly cooked with wild grasses and legumes, and communities in parts of modern-day western Russia frequently used fish along with the stems, leaves, and flowers of goosefoot plants. The discoveries also imply an association between the techniques used to make pottery and the kinds of dishes made in them, indicating that different communities developed distinctive culinary traditions.
Researchers say these results demonstrate that regional “cooking styles” already existed in northern and eastern Europe during the Neolithic period, offering new insight into the cultural sophistication of prehistoric societies.
Image Credit : iStock
Sources : PAP
