title: Phytoliths in pottery reveal the use of spice in European prehistoric cuisine.
abstract: Here we present evidence of phytoliths preserved in carbonised food deposits on prehistoric pottery from the western Baltic dating from 6,100 cal BP to 5750 cal BP. Based on comparisons to over 120 European and Asian species, our observations are consistent with phytolith morphologies observed in modern garlic mustard seed (Alliaria petiolata (M. Bieb) Cavara & Grande). As this seed has a strong flavour, little nutritional value, and the phytoliths are found in pots along with terrestrial and marine animal residues, these findings are the first direct evidence for the spicing of food in European prehistoric cuisine. Our evidence suggests a much greater antiquity to the spicing of foods than is evident from the macrofossil record, and challenges the view that plants were exploited by hunter-gatherers and early agriculturalists solely for energy requirements, rather than taste.
authors.affiliation: BioArCh, University of York, York, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Hayley
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saul
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Madella
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Aikaterini
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Glykou
authors.forename: Sönke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hartz
authors.forename: Oliver E
authors.initials: OE
authors.lastname: Craig
mesh_terms: D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry; D002516:Ceramics; D003296:Cooking; D003297:Cooking and Eating Utensils; D003718:Denmark; D005502:Food; D005580:Fossils; D005843:Geography; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D052756:Nutritional Sciences; D010163:Paleontology / Q000379:methods; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism*; D017365:Spices
chemical_list: D002244:Carbon