Early man's diet included cooked plants not just meat

An international team of researchers led by the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona and the University of York found evidence that Neanderthals not only ate a range of roasted food, but also understood its nutritional and medicinal qualities, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

Until recently Neanderthals, who disappeared between 30,000 and 24,000 years ago, were thought to be predominantly meat-eaters.

The researchers studied material trapped in calcified dental plaque from five Neanderthals from the north Spanish site of El Sidron.

The results published in Naturwissenschaften also had evidence of medicinal plants being used by a Neanderthal.

"The varied use of plants we identified suggests that the Neanderthal occupants of El Sidron had a sophisticated knowledge of their natural surroundings which included the ability to select and use certain plants for their nutritional value and for self-medication," Lead author Karen Hardy, Research Professor at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona was quoted by the paper as saying.

"While meat was clearly important, our research points to an even more complex diet than has previously been supposed," she said.

The researchers found evidence for cooked carbohydrates in the roasted starch granules in dental calculus. Also proof of cooking and exposure to smoked food was found through a range of chemical markers including methyl esters, phenols, and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons.

Researchers also found that one individual had eaten bitter tasting plants.

"The evidence indicating this individual was eating bitter-tasting plants such as yarrow and camomile with little nutritional value is surprising," Dr Stephen Buckley, a Research Fellow at the University of York's BioArCh research facility, said.

"We know that Neanderthals would find these plants bitter, so it is likely these plants must have been selected for reasons other than taste," he said.