Fermented beverage and food storage in 13,000 y-old stone mortars at Raqefet Cave, Israel: Investigating Natufian ritual feasting

Liu, Li; Wang, Jiajing; Rosenberg, Danny; Zhao, Hao; Lengyel, György; Nadel, Dani

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2018.08.008

Cited by 102 publications

(98 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…BP. A pre-Neolithic alcohol is not impossible, as exemplified by the discovery of 13,000-y-old wheat/barley-based beer brewing in stone mortars at Raqefet Cave, Israel (56). It is also unclear what other functions the early globular jars may have had, in addition to alcohol fermentation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The origins of specialized pottery and diverse alcohol fermentation techniques in Early Neolithic China

Liu

Wang

Levin

et al. 2019

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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In China, pottery containers first appeared about 20000 cal. BP, and became diverse in form during the Early Neolithic (9000–7000 cal. BP), signaling the emergence of functionally specialized vessels. China is also well-known for its early development of alcohol production. However, few studies have focused on the connections between the two technologies. Based on the analysis of residues (starch, phytolith, and fungus) adhering to pottery from two Early Neolithic sites in north China, here we demonstrate that three material changes occurring in the Early Neolithic signal innovation of specialized alcoholic making known in north China: (i) the spread of cereal domestication (millet and rice), (ii) the emergence of dedicated pottery types, particularly globular jars as liquid storage vessels, and (iii) the development of cereal-based alcohol production with at least two fermentation methods: the use of cereal malts and the use of moldy grain and herbs (quandcaoqu) as starters. The latter method was arguably a unique invention initiated in China, and our findings account for the earliest known examples of this technique. The major ingredients include broomcorn millet, Triticeae grasses, Job’s tears, rice, beans, snake gourd root, ginger, possible yam and lily, and other plants, some probably with medicinal properties (e.g., ginger). Alcoholic beverages made with these methods were namedli,jiu, andchangin ancient texts, first recorded in the Shang oracle-bone inscriptions (ca. 3200 cal. BP); our findings have revealed a much deeper history of these diverse fermentation technologies in China.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The origins of specialized pottery and diverse alcohol fermentation techniques in Early Neolithic China

Liu

Wang

Levin

et al. 2019

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

Self Cite

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“…; Liu et al . ). The starches with signs of enzymatic degradation were possibly altered during storage of the plants when they naturally became degraded by enzymes before being manipulated with these shell artefacts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Of the 334 recovered individual starches, 20 had signs of enzymatic degradation (including symmetric or irregular surface fractions, furrowing lines, pits) (Vinton et al 2009;Pagán-Jiménez 2015b;Wang et al 2017;Liu et al 2018). The starches with signs of enzymatic degradation were possibly altered during storage of the plants when they naturally became degraded by enzymes before being manipulated with these shell artefacts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Starchy shells: Residue analysis of precolonial northern Caribbean culinary practices

2020

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Determining culinary practices is critical for understanding phytocultural complexes, transported landscapes and human niche constructions. Starch analysis is an exemplary method for reconstructing human–plant dependencies. However, certain types of artefacts from the Greater Caribbean region, such as flaked lithics, lithic griddles, coral artefacts and shells, have not been extensively analysed for starch remains. Moreover, there has been no comparison of culinary practices between The Bahama archipelago and the Greater Antilles (the presumed origin of foodways transported to The Bahama archipelago). The paper investigates 60 bivalve shell artefacts for starch remains, which were recovered from three archaeological sites: El Flaco and La Luperona (Dominican Republic), and Palmetto Junction (Turks & Caicos Islands). In contrast to ethnohistorical narratives that characterize shell tools exclusively as manioc peelers, the starch remains recovered in this study suggest a broader suite of plants and functions. The results provide evidence that a diversity of plants (Dioscorea spp., Dioscorea trifida L., Fabaceae, Ipomoea batatas L., Manihot esculenta Crantz, cf. Zea mays L., cf. Acrocomia media O. F. Cook, and Zingiberales) were prepared with these shells. This new evidence contributes to ongoing discussions about culinary practices in the Caribbean and other related late precolonial (c.800–1500 ce) foodways.

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“…Fermentation has a particularly rich history in the baking and brewing of alcoholic beverages, with the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae being among the oldest domesticated organisms (3,6). While the first beer may have been brewed as long as 13,000 years ago (7), what we would now recognize as modern beer took shape in the Middle Ages, where malted barley was used as a source of fermentable sugars and hops were used as a bittering agent (8). During this time span, continuous selection of yeast in the brewing environment selected for a number of traits, including better utilization of wort carbon sources and increased fermentation efficiency.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Wild Yeast Laboratory Activity: From Isolation to Brewing

Scholes

Pollock

Lewis

2019

Preprint

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Microbial fermentation is a common form of metabolism that has been exploited by humans to great benefit. Industrial fermentation currently produces a myriad of products ranging from biofuels to pharmaceuticals. About one third of the world's food is fermented, and the brewing of fermented beverages in particular has an ancient and storied history. Because fermentation is so intertwined with our daily lives, the topic is easily relatable to students interested in real-world applications for microbiology. Here, we describe the curriculum for an inquiry-based laboratory course that combines yeast molecular ecology and brewing. The rationale for the course is to compare commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strains, which have been domesticated through thousands of generations of selection, with wild yeast, where there is growing interest in their potentially unique brewing characteristics. Because wild yeast are so easy to isolate, identify, and characterize, this is a great opportunity to present key concepts in molecular ecology and genetics in a way that is relevant and accessible to students. We organized the course around three main modules: isolation and identification of wild yeast, phenotypic characterization of wild and commercial ale yeast strains, and scientific design of a brewing recipe and head-to-head comparison of the performance of a commercial and wild yeast strain in the brewing process. Pre and post assessment showed that students made significant gains in the learning objectives for the course, and students enjoyed connecting microbiology to a real-world application.

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Fermented beverage and food storage in 13,000 y-old stone mortars at Raqefet Cave, Israel: Investigating Natufian ritual feasting

Cited by 102 publications

References 45 publications

The origins of specialized pottery and diverse alcohol fermentation techniques in Early Neolithic China

The origins of specialized pottery and diverse alcohol fermentation techniques in Early Neolithic China

Starchy shells: Residue analysis of precolonial northern Caribbean culinary practices

A Wild Yeast Laboratory Activity: From Isolation to Brewing

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Fermented beverage and food storage in 13,000 y-old stone mortars at Raqefet Cave, Israel: Investigating Natufian ritual feasting

Cited by 102 publications

References 45 publications

The origins of specialized pottery and diverse alcohol fermentation techniques in Early Neolithic China

The origins of specialized pottery and diverse alcohol fermentation techniques in Early Neolithic China

Starchy shells: Residue analysis of precolonial northern Caribbean culinary practices

A Wild Yeast Laboratory Activity: From Isolation to Brewing

Contact Info

Product

Resources

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Fermented beverage and food storage in 13,000 y-old stone mortars at Raqefet Cave, Israel: Investigating Natufian ritual feasting