Early Europeans Used Spices in Cooking

Researchers have now found traces of garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) in pottery dating back to nearly 7,000 years, indicating that our early ancestors used spices in cooking.

The discovery was made by researchers at the University of York along with colleagues in Denmark, Germany and Spain.

The pottery studied in the current research traced its origins back to the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition from hunter-gathering to agriculture. Researchers used microfossil analysis of carbonized food samples and found traces of garlic mustard and fish residues. The pottery was retrieved from archaeological sites in Germany and Denmark.

Previously, it was believed that spices and herbs were exclusively used in medicinal preparations or to make flavored oils for religious purposes. Many civilizations around the world have documented the use of sesame seeds and garlic. By the time Greeks and Romans arrived, spices and herbs were used to flavor food and drinks. According to this study, people probably began using spices due to their taste and medicinal properties.

The methodology used in the study is also unique as researchers tested for silicate residue rather than starches.

Other experts usually looked at starches to test the use of spices in ancient cooking. However, in the present study, the scientists looked for traces of phytoliths, which are silicate deposits from plants. Phytoliths are known to survive even in charred cookery pots for a long time.

Silica is taken up by plants via groundwater and gets deposited along the cells. Over time, these deposits make a 3D copy of the plant cells. These copies vary according to the type and size of the plant. These "plant copies" can be used by archaeologists trying to learn about ancient plants and human diet.

"The traditional view is that early Neolithic and pre-Neolithic uses of plants, and the reasons for their cultivation, were primarily driven by energy requirements rather than flavour. As garlic mustard has a strong flavour but little nutritional value, and the phytoliths are found in pots with terrestrial and marine animal residues, our findings are the first direct evidence for the spicing of food in European prehistoric cuisine," Dr Hayley Saul, of the BioArCH research centre at at the University of York, lead author of the study.

"Our evidence suggests a much greater antiquity to the spicing of foods in this region 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," Saul said in a news release.

The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE.