To better understand Neanderthal cooking techniques for small game, a team of scientists took to observing the birds themselves.
They recreated the way early humans slaughtered, prepared and roasted pigeons, drawing on archaeological evidence from Portuguese sites dating back 90,000 years. The culinary scientists result Eeeeeee The Front Line of Environmental Archaeology.
“study Various small prey “This study could help us better understand the diverse diet of Neanderthals and their adaptation to different environments and food sources,” said Mariana Nabais of the Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social in Spain and lead author of the paper.
Did Neanderthals Leave Burns and Wounds?
The inspiration for the menu came from the Middle Paleolithic sites of Figueira Brava and Oliveira in Portugal, where archaeologists found bird bones with burn marks and cuts, but wanted to rule out other causes before definitively saying that Neanderthals were the cause.
“It is often difficult to determine whether these marks were created by human activity, natural processes or other animals,” says Navais.
They have studied archaeological evidence closely and turned to the study of ancient human cultures to find out how Neanderthals cooked. For example, there is research that investigates how Neanderthals might have cooked larger game. Much of the evidence points to them using sharp flint pieces as knives.
Based on this study, they removed the feathers of the birds by hand, butchered two birds using a piece of granite, roasted them over charcoal, and butchered a third bird afterward. They found that it was much easier to butcher the birds after they were cooked.
“This allowed us to compare our experimental results with archaeological evidence from sites such as Figueira Brava and Oliveira, helping us identify specific cut marks, burns and fractures caused by human activity,” Nabais said.
Neanderthal skills and practices
One of their biggest catches? “It’s hard to use flint for slaughter,” says Nabais.
She found the pieces to be sharper and more difficult to handle than she had expected, indicating a level of practice and skill that Neanderthals would have achieved.
Because of such insights, it is important to reproduce a variety of early human cooking techniques.
“Hunting and processing fast-moving prey, such as birds, is generally a good indicator of cognitive ability, showing that Neanderthals were able to plan their prey in advance and use traps – traits often referred to in the scientific community as ‘complex behavior,’” says Nabais.
The scientists used five wild birds that had died naturally at the Wildlife Ecology, Rehabilitation and Surveillance Center (CERVAS) in Gouveiá, Portugal. They selected two carrion crows, two collared pigeons and a wood pigeon.
Scientist-chefs avoided Paleolithic cuisine because they feared the birds might have carried diseases.
“I have to admit, though, that pigeon is quite charming!” said Navais.
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Before joining Discover Magazine, Paul Smaglik worked as a science journalist for more than 20 years, specializing in U.S. life science policy and global science career issues. He started his career in newspapers but transitioned to science magazines. His work has appeared in publications including Science News, Science, Nature, and Scientific American.
