Interpreting ancient food practices: stable isotope and molecular analyses of visible and absorbed residues from a year-long cooking experiment

dc.contributor.authorMiller, Melanie J.
dc.contributor.authorWhelton, Helen L.
dc.contributor.authorSwift, Jillian A.
dc.contributor.authorMaline, Sophia
dc.contributor.authorHammann, Simon
dc.contributor.authorCramp, Lucy J. E.
dc.contributor.authorMcCleary, Alexandra
dc.contributor.authorTaylor, Geoffrey
dc.contributor.authorVacca, Kirsten
dc.contributor.authorBecks, Fanya
dc.contributor.authorEvershed, Richard P.
dc.contributor.authorHastorf, Christine A.
dc.date.accessioned2020-10-06T00:08:27Z
dc.date.available2020-10-06T00:08:27Z
dc.date.issued2020-08-27
dc.descriptionModified from original published version to conform to ADA standards.
dc.description.abstractChemical analyses of carbonized and absorbed organic residues from archaeological ceramic cooking vessels can provide a unique window into the culinary cultures of ancient people, resource use, and environmental effects by identifying ingredients used in ancient meals. However, it remains uncertain whether recovered organic residues represent only the final foodstuffs prepared or are the accumulation of various cooking events within the same vessel. To assess this, we cooked seven mixtures of C3 and C4 foodstuffs in unglazed pots once per week for one year, then changed recipes between pots for the final cooking events. We conducted bulk stable-isotope analysis and lipid residue analysis on the charred food macro-remains, carbonized thin layer organic patina residues and absorbed lipids over the course of the experiment. Our results indicate that: (1) the composition of charred macro-remains represent the final foodstuffs cooked within vessels, (2) thin-layer patina residues represent a mixture of previous cooking events with bias towards the final product(s) cooked in the pot, and (3) absorbed lipid residues are developed over a number of cooking events and are replaced slowly over time, with little evidence of the final recipe ingredients.
dc.format.extent17 pages
dc.identifier.citationMiller, M.J., Whelton, H.L., Swift, J.A. et al. Interpreting ancient food practices: stable isotope and molecular analyses of visible and absorbed residues from a year-long cooking experiment. Sci Rep 10, 13704 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-70109-8
dc.identifier.doi10.1038/s41598-020-70109-8
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10790/5506
dc.language.isoen-US
dc.publisherSpringer Nature
dc.relation.urihttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-70109-8
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/
dc.subjectLipids
dc.subjectFood
dc.subjectCooking
dc.subjectEnvironmental Effects
dc.titleInterpreting ancient food practices: stable isotope and molecular analyses of visible and absorbed residues from a year-long cooking experiment
dc.typeArticle
dc.type.dcmiText
prism.publicationnameNature - Scientific Reports
prism.volume10

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
vacca.k-2020-0001.pdf
Size:
2.48 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.73 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:

Collections