Uncovering Ancient Cuisine

Archaeologists and chefs reconstruct ancient recipes using scientific inference and creativity

• Scholars at New York University’s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World hosted a tasting event of reconstructed ancient dishes
• The dishes were prepared using molecular evidence, archaeological analysis, and culinary instinct
• The task of understanding what people in the past ate and how they prepared and consumed it is an exercise in scientific inference and creativity
• Archaeologists use the residue and soot on ancient ceramic cooking pots to understand the stories of their use
• Anthropological archaeologist Yitzchak Jaffe found a puzzling cooking pot with unusual oxidation and soot patterns
• Jaffe joined forces with anthropologist Karine Taché to analyze the residue and found evidence of millet, a staple of ancient Chinese diet
• Chef Raymond Childs experimented with different ways of preparing millet in a clay La Chamba pot to recreate the stew
• The team believes the pot was used to cook a stew, simmered with the pot tipped on its side
• There are still unanswered questions about the pot’s use, such as whether it was from a domestic kitchen or for a funerary feast
• The team added pork and eggplant to the stew, based on pig bones found at the cemetery and archaeobotanical research, and spiced it with cumin, cloves, and star anise
• Researchers use the limits of palatability as a guide in selecting ingredients, as there is a threshold at which a dish might be too much
• The resulting millet-pork stew was served in little paper cups and topped with a millet crisp, shredded carrot, and herbs, and was deemed earthy and aromatic by tasters.

Archaeologists and chefs reconstruct ancient recipes using scientific inference and creativity

• Scholars at New York University’s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World hosted a tasting event of reconstructed ancient dishes
• The dishes were prepared using molecular evidence, archaeological analysis, and culinary instinct
• The task of understanding what people in the past ate and how they prepared and consumed it is an exercise in scientific inference and creativity
• Archaeologists use the residue and soot on ancient ceramic cooking pots to understand the stories of their use
• Anthropological archaeologist Yitzchak Jaffe found a puzzling cooking pot with unusual oxidation and soot patterns
• Jaffe joined forces with anthropologist Karine Taché to analyze the residue and found evidence of millet, a staple of ancient Chinese diet
• Chef Raymond Childs experimented with different ways of preparing millet in a clay La Chamba pot to recreate the stew
• The team believes the pot was used to cook a stew, simmered with the pot tipped on its side
• There are still unanswered questions about the pot’s use, such as whether it was from a domestic kitchen or for a funerary feast
• The team added pork and eggplant to the stew, based on pig bones found at the cemetery and archaeobotanical research, and spiced it with cumin, cloves, and star anise
• Researchers use the limits of palatability as a guide in selecting ingredients, as there is a threshold at which a dish might be too much
• The resulting millet-pork stew was served in little paper cups and topped with a millet crisp, shredded carrot, and herbs, and was deemed earthy and aromatic by tasters.

Archaeologists and chefs reconstruct ancient recipes using scientific inference and creativity

• Scholars at New York University’s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World hosted a tasting event of reconstructed ancient dishes
• The dishes were prepared using molecular evidence, archaeological analysis, and culinary instinct
• The task of understanding what people in the past ate and how they prepared and consumed it is an exercise in scientific inference and creativity
• Archaeologists use the residue and soot on ancient ceramic cooking pots to understand the stories of their use
• Anthropological archaeologist Yitzchak Jaffe found a puzzling cooking pot with unusual oxidation and soot patterns
• Jaffe joined forces with anthropologist Karine Taché to analyze the residue and found evidence of millet, a staple of ancient Chinese diet
• Chef Raymond Childs experimented with different ways of preparing millet in a clay La Chamba pot to recreate the stew
• The team believes the pot was used to cook a stew, simmered with the pot tipped on its side
• There are still unanswered questions about the pot’s use, such as whether it was from a domestic kitchen or for a funerary feast
• The team added pork and eggplant to the stew, based on pig bones found at the cemetery and archaeobotanical research, and spiced it with cumin, cloves, and star anise
• Researchers use the limits of palatability as a guide in selecting ingredients, as there is a threshold at which a dish might be too much
• The resulting millet-pork stew was served in little paper cups and topped with a millet crisp, shredded carrot, and herbs, and was deemed earthy and aromatic by tasters.