Posted on 02/06/2022 8:05:25 AM PST by SunkenCiv
Over 450 prehistoric pots were examined, 66 of them contained traces of lipids, that is, substances insoluble in water. On behalf of the Nok research team at Goethe University, chemists from the University of Bristol extracted lipid profiles, with the aim of revealing which plants had been used. The results have now been published in “Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences”: over a third of the 66 lipid profiles displayed very distinctive and complex distributions – indicating that different plant species and parts had been processed.
Today, leafy vegetables, for example the cooked leaves of trees such as the baobab (Adansonia digitata) or of the shrubby – nomen est omen – bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina), accompany many West African dishes. These leafy sauces are enhanced with spices and vegetables as well as fish or meat, and complement the starchy staples of the main dish, such as pounded yam in the southern part of West Africa or thick porridge made from pearl millet in the drier savannahs in the north. By combining their expertise, archaeology and archaeobotany researchers at Goethe University and chemical scientists from the University of Bristol have corroborated that the origins of such West African dishes date back 3,500 years...
“Carbonised plant remains such as seeds and nutshells preserved in archaeological sediments reflect only part of what people ate back then,” explains Professor Katharina Neumann. They hoped, she says, that the chemical analyses would deliver additional insights into food preparation. And indeed, with the help of lipid biomarkers and analyses of stable isotopes, the researchers from Bristol were able to show, by examining over 450 prehistoric pots, that the Nok people included different plant species in their diet.Goethe University
(Excerpt) Read more at eurekalert.org ...
I was going to followup with a fork joke, but got sidetracked -- the earliest known fork utensil was dug up in Gansu China (slightly ironic), and that is much older than the knife that originated in Ginsu. The earliest known table fork was only about 1000 years ago. So, this joke really does write itself. It doesn't happen to be funny, but hey, we're talking about one of my jokes, so...
Yes, it was discovered by Ebenezer Twist, the famous professor’s older brother.
Wht a coinky-dink: just in time time for Black History Month!
What about Collard Greens?
So you saying that they lost their only fork and have been using sticks ever since?
Before pottery and cooking became the norm, I’m sure they munched the greens and seeds right off the plant.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
