unsaveSave
expand-left
full screen The 5,000-year-old porridge find made in Oldenburg, Germany LA 77. Photo: Biax/W Van Der Meer
Are you burning your porridge in the pan?
It is a historical mistake. To say the least.
Even in the Stone Age, not everyone could cook porridge.
In Germany, they have recently discovered an old clay pot with porridge that was burned 5,000 years ago, writes Live Science.
Archaeologists discovered the failed boil after examining a pile of mixed sherds of clay objects at Oldenburg LA 7. LA 7 is a settlement that researchers believe is one of the oldest communities in Germany, according to a study published in the journal PLOS One on January 19.
– As soon as we looked at the inside of the cooking vessel, it was obvious that something had gone wrong, says the study’s lead author Lucy Kubiak-Marten to Live Science.
expand-left
fullscreen Close-up of the burnt Stone Age porridge. Photo: Biax/W Van Der Meer
Chemical analyzes of lumps on the inside of the clay shards showed traces of various types of ancient grains, among them emmer wheat (duplicate wheat) and barley.
They also discovered remains of the wild plant white goosefoot, known for its starchy seeds, according to a statement from the University of Kiel, and reminiscent of quinoa.
– It looked like someone had mixed grain with the protein-rich seeds and boiled with water. It wasn’t a coincidence, it was a choice, says Lucy Kubiak-Marten.
There is evidence that humans were grinding wild oats, probably for use as flour, 32,000 years ago in Italy. But the recently found clay vessel may be the world’s first evidence of a (failed) attempt to cook porridge.
– This is more than just burnt grain. We see here how people prepared their daily meals thousands of years ago.