Grain-paste, porridge and bread. Ancient cereal-based food

Abstract

The charred food remains that are frequently fmind on archaeological excavations constitute a rather neglected artefact group. These residues of human activity can provide valuable information on prehistoric diet both with regard lo ingredients and to techniques of preparation. A classification of five, more or less fragmentary, findings of charred organic material from five separate Swedish archaeological sites, of different dates, is here presented. The results of macro- and micro-botanical as well as chemical analyses and a comparative study of types of cereal-based dishes known from Classical texts and Swedish ethnological records serve as a basis for
classification. The article is mainly concemed with grain-pastes, porr-idges and bread