Forntida bönor och ärter

Abstract

The author has analysed the prebistoric cultivation of peas and beans (Pisum sativum and Vicia faba) dealing with aspects of their origin, problems of cultivation and manuring, and their role as nutritional elements in food. Special attention has been paid to the high protein content and composition of amino acids found in the seeds of these legumes. An explanation is suggested for why cultivation of these crops was motivated at a time when cultivation of cereals was initiated. A brief chronological and chorological study of the prehistoric cultivation of peas and beans is presented on the basis of paleo/ethno/botanical finds; special attention beiqg given to finds from Sweden, and in particular, bread containing microscopical particles of leguminous plants. The feasability of relating Nordic ethnological data to that in historical sources from Classical Antiquity is discussed. A possible continuity for certain food dishes using pulses is explored, and associated social practices are also dealt with. Preservation factors and the "find-situation" for leguminous seeds, compared to cereals, is investigated. A selection of SEM micrographs of the cellular structure of the pea testa, for
reference when analysing breads, supplements this section.