Neanderthals knew how to cook
New research says Neanderthals were «sophisticated cooks» who could cook small birds for dinner.
There's nothing quite like a Sunday roast, writes the Daily Mail. And it turns out the practice may have been going on for tens of thousands of years — evidence suggests Neanderthals may have roasted small birds for dinner.
Previous research has shown that our closest ancient relatives hunted large game such as mammoths and rhinos for their meat.
However, more recent research suggests that they also caught and butchered small birds. Because these small items can leave little archaeological trace, experts have set out to prepare food in the way Neanderthals would have done, including mimicking how they may have butchered and cooked birds.
Researchers from the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution collected five wild birds that had died naturally in Portugal. They selected two carrion crows, two collared doves and a wood pigeon, all of which are similar to the species eaten by Neanderthals.
The scientists chose their cooking methods based on archaeological finds and previous studies of Neanderthal society. All the birds were hand-plucked, and the carrion crow and collared dove were then butchered raw using flint flakes.
These are small, sharp pieces of rock that have been cut from a larger core and have been used throughout history as a cutting tool.
The remaining three birds were roasted over hot coals until cooked, then butchered, which the scientists found was much easier than butchering the birds raw.
Lead author Dr Mariana Nabais said: «Using flint flakes to cut meat required a great deal of precision and effort that we had not fully appreciated before this experiment. The flakes were sharper than we initially thought and required careful handling to make precise cuts without injuring our fingers. These hands-on experiments highlighted the practical challenges associated with Neanderthal food processing and preparation, providing a tangible link to their daily lives and survival strategies.»
Analysis of flint flakes and bone remains from the carcasses showed that the marks left by the cuts made on raw poultry were similar to those found on birds found at archaeological sites.
However, because the bones of roasted poultry were more fragile, their increased fragility may mean that no evidence has stood the test of time, suggesting that roasting also took place.
"Roasting poultry over coals requires maintaining a constant temperature and carefully monitoring the cooking time to avoid overcooking the meat," says Dr. Nabais. "Perhaps because we butchered the bird before cooking, the roasting process went much faster than we expected. In fact, we spent more time preparing the coals than the cooking itself, which took less than 10 minutes."
The research team believes the study should be expanded to provide a more complete picture of the Neanderthal diet by including more small prey species.
Dr Nabais added: «The sample size is relatively small, consisting of only five bird specimens, which may not fully reflect the diversity of bird species that Neanderthals may have used. Second, the experimental conditions, although carefully controlled, cannot fully reproduce the exact environmental and cultural conditions of Neanderthals.»
Previous studies have shown that Neanderthals, who lived approximately 130,000 to 40,000 years ago, also ate nuts, fruits, mushrooms, crabs, fish, sheep, reindeer, bison, mammoths, rabbits, and woolly rhinoceroses.
In 2022, experts even discovered the oldest flatbread in a Neanderthal cave, possibly dating back 70,000 years.
The new study was published in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology.
Свежие комментарии