By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Ancient Indian Food
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Wellness > Ancient Indian Food
Wellness

Ancient Indian Food

Dov Michaeli
Dov Michaeli
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

 

 

Egyptian kitchen, 3800 years ago.

More Read

Benefits of Green Apples
America Has A Health Care Paradox
Top Three Essentials for General Health Care during Pregnancy
Leveraging Health IT to Strengthen Patient Engagement
Here are the 6 must-have ingredients for the ‘perfect plan’ for your physical well-being in future?

 

 

Egyptian kitchen, 3800 years ago.

For years anthropologists have been basically guessing what the ancients’ diet consisted of. After all, it was a good assumption that since they were hunters and gatherers they must have eaten meat, vegetables, grains, nuts and fruits -depending on geographic and seasonal availability. This has changed. Using sensitive analytical methods (MS/GC of mass spectroscopy/gas chromatography) we even know that with the advent of agriculture about 10,000 years ago farmers in Southern Turkey and Northern Iraq were brewing beer by fermenting various grains. Using high power microscopy of dental surfaces of mummies it was possible to tell, by the micro scratches and pits left by different foods, what types of food were consumed. But was an ancient meal similar to a modern one? Did they have recipes that could be identified in today’s terms? Did the use spices?

The less-known civilization

A report in Science ( vol 337, p, 228-229) on a meeting of the European Association of South Asian Archeology and Art adds significant amount of knowledge on the subject of ancient diets.

Egypt and Mesopotamia are well-known as the first urban civilizations. Blame the pyramids, hieroglyphics, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and the Bible for our quite deep knowledge of those 5000 years old civilizations. There was a third civilizations at the same time -the Indus River civilizations. Why do we know so little about it? Blame the slow pace of archaeological investigations in the area. After all, we are dealing with the modern states of India and Pakistan. Nonetheless, progress is being made, thanks to new analytical techniques that allow amazing new insights into the daily life of people, both aristocracy and humble farmers, who lived there 4500 years ago.

 As Andrew Lawler reports in Science ,”archaeologists have long spotted burnt grains such as wheat, barley, and millet at Indus sites, but identifying vegetables, fruits,nuts, roots, and tubers has been more challenging.

 Researchers are increasingly using phytoliths—the mineral secretions left by plants—to identify specific plant remains, as well as starch grain analysis . Plants store starch granules as food, and the microscopic leftovers can be identified by researchers. For example, anthropologists Arunima Kashyap and Steve Weber of Washington State University, Vancouver, analyzed starch grains from human teeth from the ancient town of Farmana, west of Delhi, and found remains of cooked ginger and turmeric (which are ingredients of curry). They also found those ingredients inside a cooking pot. Dated to between 2500 and 2200 B.C.E., the finds are the first time either spice has been identified in the Indus.

 Cow teeth from Pakistan’s Harappa—a major Indus city—yielded the same material. “It’s like India today,” Weber says. “Cattle wander around eating trash,” including the remains of cooked meals. In some Indian regions such as the western province of Gujarat, some families still leave food remains outside the house as a ritual offering to cattle

I find it fascinating that cooks of the 20th century B.C.E  and chefs of the 20th century A.D. prepare the same delicious food, down to the last ingredient. I get the same feeling that I did when I saw the sandals that ancient Egyptians wore 3800 years ago -just like today’s Teva sandals. When it comes to the basics -nothing is new under the sun.

.

 

TAGGED:dietnutrition
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

eHealthWellness

Anxious? Try These Healthcare Gadgets That Relieve Anxiety

June 19, 2019

Interview With Giovanna Marsico, on Patients and Digital Tools #doctors20

May 26, 2015
Wellness

Healthy Winter Skin

December 26, 2012
Home HealthWellness

How To Tailor Your Kitchen To Your Health Goals

August 13, 2019
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?