Surprisingly tasty’: putting Neanderthal cooking to the test
Gone is the stereotype of Neanderthals tearing into raw tubers or gnawing on a leg of roasted animal meat. Microscopic analysis of
ancient food scraps unearthed from a hearth in Shanidar Cave, in Iraq, has provided the first real indication of complex cooking – and thus of food culture – among Neanderthals.
So, what did a Neanderthal meal taste like, and how easy was it to prepare? On a rainy afternoon in urban Bristol, I decided to find out.
According to Dr Ceren Kabukcu, of the
University of Liverpool, who carried out the analysis, a typical dish would probably have contained a pounded pulp of pulses, nuts and grass seeds, bound together with water and flavoured with bitter tannins from the seed coats of pulses such as beans or peas, and the sharp taste of wild mustard.
Neanderthal patties recipe
Soak a handful of dried fava beans, alongside similar quantities of puy lentils and wheat berries, plus a smattering of brown lentils, overnight. Rinse in clean water and then pound these ingredients – including their skins – into a rough pulp. Add a generous tablespoon each of pounded unsalted almonds and pistachios (both with their skins on), and yellow mustard seeds. Gradually add enough water to bind these ingredients into a paste that can be shaped into thin patties with your hands (think drop scones, or American pancakes).
Cook the patties on any flat surface close to a fire for at least 10 minutes. For a more authentic experience, use a hot flat stone in a fire (but take care, as wet stones can explode). A frying pan is an acceptable alternative. The oils from the nuts should prevent the patties from sticking. Bon appétit, Neanderthals!
