Experimental Study of Lentil Taphonomy in Gangetic Early Farming Period to Understand Culinary Practices

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Advances in Macrobotanical and Microbotanical Archaeobotany Part 1" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Archaeological studies can uncover various foods associated with different cultures, where species selection holds ecological importance and preparation/consumption bear cultural significance. Regrettably, there is a shortage of research on food-related behaviors. This is especially true in the India Gangetic Early to Developed Farming periods, despite the excavation of numerous crops, native and exotic alike. Recent findings at the site of Sakas in Uttar Pradesh have uncovered diverse assemblages, including lentils which show taphonomic changes, yet our knowledge about how they were used in their dietary culture remains limited. To address this gap, we conducted an experiment aimed at reconstructing culinary behaviors. We evaluated how various cooking techniques influenced the structure of the seeds, comparing them with the archaeological material. Our results suggest that soaking in water or roasting methods closely align with the archaeological context, warranting further investigation. Considering that lentils in the Ganges were a non-native crop, it is likely they were unfamiliar to people at the time. By examining their preparation and change over time, we can gain insight into how people responded to a new ingredient. This sheds light on the cultural aspects of food preparation and offers a fresh perspective on understanding prehistoric subsistence economies.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Advances in Macrobotanical and Microbotanical Archaeobotany Part 1   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39111.0