It may not look like much, but this 6,100-year-old pottery sherd and the ancient leftovers stuck on it are actually an archaeological treasure! Researchers at the University of York analyzed burnt food remains from clay cooking pots, like this one, that were found in Neolithic dwellings in Denmark and Germany. On the clay, along with deer fats or traces of fish, they found the distinct remains of ground-up garlic mustard seeds.
While cumin, coriander, capers, basil, poppy and dill have been collected at other sites in southern Europe, the Middle East and India – and some of those sites have been older than 6,100 years – they may have been around for medicinal or even decorative purposes. These pots in Denmark and Germany are the first clear-cut evidence of spices being used with food, for food. Since no whole seeds were found, the Neolithic communities probably used well-ground seeds rather than whole ones in their cooking. One of the researchers tried re-creating the basic garlic mustard seed recipe. She reported it was pretty good, and tasted a lot like the mustard seed used by modern chefs!
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