What Were People Eating 5000 Years Ago? How Did They Prepare Food? Find It Here

The world of gastronomy is much older than you might have imagined. While some of it is well-documented in history, others still need exploration. We recently got a glimpse of one such unseen period that has not been much spoken about by historians. Researchers at Kiel University (CAU) recently found what people used to eat in Eastern Holstein, a site of the Neolithic Age (which now is a part of Germany), around 5000 years ago. Sounds fascinating? The findings were published in the journal PLOS ONE.

What Did People Eat 5000 Years Ago?

During their study, the team of researchers came across ceramic vessels from the then-Holstein civilization, with burnt food residues in them. According to their analysis, these ceramic vessels were from one of the "oldest villages in Schleswig-Holstein, the Neolithic settlement Oldenburg LA 77 in Ostholstein." Upon analysis, it was found that people back then were much more dependent on plant-based foods (mostly wild plants) and different types of cereals.

"The 'food crusts' contained tissue remnants of emmer and barley grains, as well as seeds from the white goosefoot, a wild plant that grows as a weed and ruderal plant and produces many starchy seeds," explained the researchers. The researchers also came across ceramic discs of different colours, suggesting the use of different materials to make the utensils. It was also assumed that the ceramic discs were used to prepare bread for their daily consumption.

In addition, the study also suggested that the barley consumed by the people in Eastern Holstein was harvested while the grain was not fully ripe yet.

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How Was Food Prepared 5000 Years Ago?

The analysis of the ceramics went on to reveal that food in the Neolithic age was by no means bland. It was quite varied and included different types of ingredients.

"A look at the crusts burnt onto the cooking pot now shows that cereals and dairy products were probably processed into porridge for everyday use in the same vessels and formed a balanced dietary basis," the study read. This also shows that Neolithic people used different cooking methods for different ingredients to create flavours.