How did Neanderthals cook? Scientists investigate by getting into the ‘kitchen’

A group of Spanish, Portuguese and French researchers has tried to reproduce the ancient methods used by the Neanderthals to cut up and cook birds and thus better understand the diet of these hominids. The study, published by Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, involved, among others, the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES), the Rovira i Virgili University and the Archeology Center of the University of Lisbon.

It is difficult to know what Neanderthals ate and how they prepared food, especially when it comes to small animals such as birds, as they leave few archaeological traces.

Research indicates that fire-roasted birds are easier to process, but only those slaughtered raw show cut marks, evidence that can be used to understand the Neanderthal diet.

Beware of flint flakes

Scientists encountered unforeseen difficulties such as using flint flakes for butchery, which “required considerable precision and effort,” which they had not fully appreciated before this experiment, according to the study’s lead author, Mariana Nabaisfrom IPHES.

The blades were sharper than expected, so they had to be handled carefully to make precise cuts without injuring your fingers.

These experiments “emphasized the practical challenges of Neanderthal food processing and cooking, providing a tangible connection to their everyday lives and survival strategies,” Nabais said.

Researchers tested food preparation methods that Neanderthals might have used, to see what traces they might leave on the bones and how they compare with damage caused by natural processes or the actions of other animals.

From crows to doves

Five wild birds that died of natural causes at the Gouveia Wildlife Ecology, Rehabilitation and Monitoring Centre (Portugal) were used: two black crows, two collared doves and a wood pigeon, which are species similar to those eaten by Neanderthals. For their study, The team selected cooking methods using archaeological evidence and ethnographic data. All birds were plucked by hand.

A black crow and a collared dove were butchered raw with a flint flake and the remaining three birds were roasted over embers and then butchered, which the scientists found much easier than doing so with raw birds.

“Roasting the birds over the embers required maintaining a constant temperature and carefully controlling the cooking time to avoid overcooking the meat,” Nabais explained. Plucking the birds beforehand meant they were roasted in less than ten minutes, meaning they spent more time preparing the embers than cooking.

Looking for brands

The scientists cleaned and dried the bones and examined them under a microscope for cut marks, fractures and burns. They also They examined the flint flake they had used for signs of wear.

Although they had used their hands for most of the butchering, the raw birds required considerable use of the flint, which showed small crescent-shaped marks on the edge. The cuts used to remove the meat from the raw birds left no marks on the bones, but those aimed at the tendons created marks similar to those on birds found at archaeological sites.

The bones of roasted birds were more brittle, and some shattered beyond recovery. In any case, almost all had brown or black burns consistent with controlled exposure to heat. Black stains on the inside of some bones suggested that the contents of the inner cavity had also been burned.

These tests shed light on how Neanderthal food preparation might have worked, and how visible that preparation might have been in the archaeological record. Although roasting makes the meat easier to access, the greater fragility of the bones means that the remains may not be found by archaeologists.

Further research

The team noted that this research should be expanded. to better understand the Neanderthal diet with studies that include more small prey species, as well as the processing of birds for non-food products such as claws or feathers.

Nabais acknowledged that the sample size is “relatively small” — just five bird specimens — which may “not fully represent the diversity of bird species that Neanderthals could have used.”

Experimental conditions, although carefully controlled, cannot fully reproduce the exact environmental and cultural contexts of Neanderthal life, so further research with larger samples, varied species and more diverse experimental conditions is needed to expand on these results.