Whatever we hear about paleolithic diets, the days have started when we start finding out the actual answers to what people ate. What Was The Pre-Agricultural Diet? It's one site, in Morocco, but it is at least real data.
Contrary to prevailing assumptions, the study suggests that the Iberomaurusians embraced a predominantly plant-based diet, incorporating diverse edible flora such as sweet acorns, pine nuts, and legumes into their culinary repertoire. This revelation challenges the notion that hunter-gatherer diets were primarily centered around animal proteins.
The animal proteins referred to were wild sheep. At least in this group, weaning of infants occurred earlier than expected as well. The paleo-diet lovers stress that they don't eat ultra-processed foods and in general avoid processing. Sheep, stored nuts, and many legumes require at least some processing. And the phrase "ultra-processed" has so many meanings that it has no meaning.
I remember 'foraging' with my mother in SW Colorado for wild asparagus and chokecherries. I also remember 'processing' the deer or elk my father killed. Of course, that's no comparison to what you're referencing, just a reminder that wild food sources are not limited to anthropologic discoveries. Also, a reminder that processing food is mostly about preservation.
ReplyDeleteChokecherry jelly was so good, but very much processed.