Food preparation
The Society for Experimental Prehistoric Archaeology got involved also in food preparation. Students try to use only primeval tools and products available in a given period, so one can learn, among others, what amount of work was necessary for it or determine the caloric content of particular pabula.
Since when cereals became available, one of the most basic dishes has been the so-called crumpets. For their preparation used is wheat previously grated into flour on querns. In SEPA tested has been the simplest form of a quern. To produce to “cake” one has to the obtained flour a bit of water and an egg. After forming thin pancakes, we put them on stones heated by the fire. Depending on the thickness and heat emitted by the fire, they bake for about 10 min. The most laborious is in this case the grain grinding, however, for a skilled person it does not take much time.
Very interesting to prepare is a meat dish baked on fire. Well, a big chunk of meat (e.g. pork neck) is carefully wrapped in long grass and tightly plastered with clay (high admixture of sand). Such protection is necessary due to the process of baking itself, as the whole is going to be dug only about 10 cm beneath embers. Unfortunately, the waiting time is quite long – more or less 2 to 3 hours with maintaining a constant temperature. However, it is worth waiting, because the meat is delicate and moist. A drawback is here the sand crunching between the teeth (similarly as in the case of crumpets). People form that periods were accustomed to it, what is evidenced by the studies of dentition of found skeletons. In a similar manner, one can prepare a fish.
From both the meat and fish dishes prepared were also smoked flaps, dried over fire.
Despite appearances, food preparation methods are quite a broad area of life of ancient people. Probably, similarly as in pot molding or making an arrowhead, it was not treated as an ordinary activity. Obtaining food was not easy, thus they might have surrounded also this sphere with magical thinking. This, however, we will not find out.
Joanna Struwe
Gallery:
Since when cereals became available, one of the most basic dishes has been the so-called crumpets. For their preparation used is wheat previously grated into flour on querns. In SEPA tested has been the simplest form of a quern. To produce to “cake” one has to the obtained flour a bit of water and an egg. After forming thin pancakes, we put them on stones heated by the fire. Depending on the thickness and heat emitted by the fire, they bake for about 10 min. The most laborious is in this case the grain grinding, however, for a skilled person it does not take much time.
Very interesting to prepare is a meat dish baked on fire. Well, a big chunk of meat (e.g. pork neck) is carefully wrapped in long grass and tightly plastered with clay (high admixture of sand). Such protection is necessary due to the process of baking itself, as the whole is going to be dug only about 10 cm beneath embers. Unfortunately, the waiting time is quite long – more or less 2 to 3 hours with maintaining a constant temperature. However, it is worth waiting, because the meat is delicate and moist. A drawback is here the sand crunching between the teeth (similarly as in the case of crumpets). People form that periods were accustomed to it, what is evidenced by the studies of dentition of found skeletons. In a similar manner, one can prepare a fish.
From both the meat and fish dishes prepared were also smoked flaps, dried over fire.
Despite appearances, food preparation methods are quite a broad area of life of ancient people. Probably, similarly as in pot molding or making an arrowhead, it was not treated as an ordinary activity. Obtaining food was not easy, thus they might have surrounded also this sphere with magical thinking. This, however, we will not find out.
Joanna Struwe
Gallery:
