A methodological approach to the study of archaeological cereal meals: a case study at Çatalhöyük East (Turkey) - PubMed (original) (raw)

A methodological approach to the study of archaeological cereal meals: a case study at Çatalhöyük East (Turkey)

Lara González Carretero et al. Veg Hist Archaeobot. 2017.

Abstract

This paper presents an integrated methodology for the analysis of archaeological remains of cereal meals, based on scanning electronic microscopic analyses of microstructures of charred food fragments from Neolithic Çatalhöyük (Turkey). The remains of cereal foods as 'bread-like' or 'porridge-like' small charred lumps of various amalgamated plant materials are frequently recovered from Neolithic and later archaeological sites in southwest Asia and Europe. Cereal food remains have recently attracted interest because the identification of their plant contents, the forms of food that they represent and the methods used in their creation can provide unique information about ancient culinary traditions and routine food processing, preparation and cooking techniques. Here, we focus on three methodological aspects: (1) the analysis of their composition; (2) the analysis of their microstructure to determine preparation and cooking processes; (3) the comparison with experimental reference materials. Preliminary results are presented on the botanical composition and cooking processes represented by the charred cereal preparations found at Neolithic Çatalhöyük (Turkey), for example cereals processed into bread, dough and/or porridge.

Keywords: Food remains; Near East; Neolithic; Palaeoethnobotany; Parenchyma.

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Figures

Fig. 1

Fig. 1

Fragments of processed plant food from Çatalhöyük East: a Fl.10661; b Fl.11860; c Fl.10721; d Fl.9875

Fig. 2

Fig. 2

Experimental flour types: fine (<0.5 mm), coarse grain or fine bulgur (>0.5 mm) and coarse bulgur (>1 mm) mixed with cracked grain and flakes

Fig. 3

Fig. 3

Fragments of experimentally prepared cereal foods, charred at 300 °C for 3 h: a no water treated wheat flat bread; b no water treated wheat dough, c no water treated wheat porridge

Fig. 4

Fig. 4

Attribute set A: particles. Estimation chart based on size and quantity of visible plant particles in the matrix

Fig. 5

Fig. 5

Attribute set B: voids. Estimation chart based on size and percentage of voids (air bubbles) in the matrix

Fig. 6

Fig. 6

Attribute set C: type of voids. Estimation chart based on shape of voids (air bubbles) in the matrix

Fig. 7

Fig. 7

SEM micrographs showing plant components in food fragments: a Fl.9822, Hordeum grain and bran fragments embedded in food matrix; b Fl.7860, remains of aleurone layer from food fragment; c Fl.10742, unicellular aleurone layer from food fragment; d Fl.6939, fragment of cf. Triticum bran transverse cells; e Fl. 3099, Descurainia sophia seed embedded in food matrix and detail of seed coat; f Fl.11137, remains of visible pulse palisade cells layer; g Fl.11240, remains of pulse palisade cells layer and cereal bran, marked by arrows, mixed together in food matrix

Fig. 8

Fig. 8

SEM micrographs showing different food matrices identified from processed foods at Çatalhöyük East: a, b Matrix type 1; c, d Matrix type 2; e, f Matrix type 3; g, h Matrix type 4

Fig. 9

Fig. 9

SEM micrographs showing correlation between matrices from archaeological (left) and experimentally prepared food samples (right) : a, b correlation between Matrix type 1 and experimental doughs; c, d correlation between Matrix type 3 and experimental flat breads; e, f correlation between Matrix type 4 and experimental porridges

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