Smoked Eels and Dates: The Real Neanderthal diet

For a long time, Neanderthals were thought of as primitive creatures that ate just about anything. But recent scientific discoveries paint a much more complex and interesting picture. It turns out that the Neanderthal’s menu was diverse, depending on the region, and included not only mammoth meat, but also seafood, nuts, and even smoked eel. We understand what was on the tables of the Neanderthals.

What did the Neanderthals look like?

To understand the Neanderthals’ eating habits, it’s worth taking a look at them first. Neanderthals lived in Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia from about 600,000 years ago to 30,000 to 40,000 years ago. They were heavily built, stocky hunters, ideally adapted to the harsh climate of glacial Europe. They were shorter than modern humans (men were about 164 cm tall), but broader in bone, with massive chests and powerful arms.

Such an organism required a lot of energy — according to some estimates, up to 5,000 calories per day. The easiest way to get them is from high-calorie animal food. The Neanderthal’s large and wide nose was not just a feature of his appearance. It was a complex “biological conditioner” that effectively moistened and warmed the cold air, which was vital during long hunts in the cold.

Life was harsh and short, averaging about 20 years. But even before that age, only those who could maximize the use of environmental resources managed to live. Visit. A F R I N I K . C O M . For the full article.

Who were the Neanderthals hunting?

Neanderthals were skilled and courageous hunters who occupied the top of the food chain. Isotopic analysis La Côte de Saint-Brelade site, which was located on the island of Jersey in the English Channel, shows that Neanderthals left piles of mammoth and woolly rhinoceros bones after butchering. And to catch the animals, they probably used corral tactics, that is, the herd was sent to the cliff.

Neanderthals from the Spy cave in Belgium, who lived in the cold tundra, ate the meat of woolly rhinoceroses and European mountain sheep. In the Middle East, in the caves of Amud and Kebara, they preferred to extract gazelle, fallow deer, and tur.

And on the coast of Southern Europe, in the Portuguese Figueira Brava cave, Neanderthals included seafood in their diet: shellfish, crustaceans, and fish. Scientists suggest that Neanderthals fished and trapped in coves at low tide, with hands or spears. They could also collect fish washed ashore by the storm. In those days, the water level was much lower than it is now.

Is it true that Neanderthals were cannibals

Individual finds do indeed indicate cases of cannibalism among Neanderthals. At sites such as the Croatian Krapina cave or the Spanish El Sidron, Neanderthal bones have been found with butchering marks identical to those left on animal bones after meat removal.

However, scientists believe that this was not an everyday practice. Most likely, cannibalism was a necessary measure during periods of extreme famine, and in some cases, it could have a ritual significance. For example, analysis of the remains from El Sidron shows that the group that lived there was eaten by another group of Neanderthals. This may indicate strained relations between communities.

Were plants included in the diet of Neanderthals

The myth that Neanderthals were absolute meat eaters has long been dispelled. The variety of plant foods depended on the habitat. Neanderthals who lived in forest regions with a milder climate, for example, in the Spanish cave of El Sidrón, consumed significantly more plant food. Traces of cedar nuts, forest mosses, and fungi have been found in their tartar. In the Middle East, in the Shanidar cave (Iraq), their relatives ate dates, legumes, and wild barley. Even in cold Northern Europe, in the Belgian cave of Spy, Neanderthals ate the rhizomes of water lilies and mushrooms.

Moreover, an international team of scientists has analyzed the DNA of Neanderthal tartar. The study showed that a Neanderthal man suffering from a tooth abscess chewed the bark of a balsamic poplar tree, which contains a natural analgesic, salicylic acid. However, it is unclear whether he used it for medical purposes or not.

How Neanderthals cooked food

Neanderthals undoubtedly used fire — burnt bones are a common find at the sites. Moreover, a study of the remains of eels from the Figueira Brava cave has shown that they have a dark brown color. And this may indicate low—temperature cooking – in other words, the eels were probably smoked.

Different groups could have their own “branded” cutting techniques, passed down from generation to generation. A comparison of bones from two nearby caves in the Middle East — Amud and Kebara — showed that the cuts on them look different. Scientists suggest that this is a consequence of local traditions: perhaps one group was taught to cut meat in one way, another in another. It is also possible that they pre-processed the carcasses in different ways, for example, dried or fermented the meat.

Apparently, vegetable food was also prepared. Scientists note that the grains found on the Iraqi remains were most likely cooked in water, that is, boiled or baked. In fact, it was the prototype of modern porridge. Modern science definitively debunks the image of the Neanderthal as a primitive being. He was a skilled hunter who could get both mammoth and clam; a discerning collector who distinguished edible plants from poisonous ones; and, finally, a cook who used fire to cook food and, perhaps, even had “family recipes.”