Back to the stone age: The Menu
The 17th edition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology’s two-day long family festival, “Back to the Stone Age” was dedicated to the diet of our ancestors on September 21/22. Through experimental archaeology the findings from the museum’s current special exhibition “PAST FOOD 15,000 years of nutrition” were presented and could also be tasted in beautiful summer weather.
On the Talvera Meadows in Bolzano there was a small sea of tents where experts demonstrated what we know about how our ancestors prepared food. All offers and activities were based on local archaeological finds that document what was eaten, cooked, baked, and brewed in the Alpine region during the Copper and Bronze Ages.
At different stations, children and adults were guided by experts so they could experience how difficult it was to get a meal in the past firsthand. Participants gained an understanding of the amazing knowledge our ancestors had about materials as well as their impressive technical skills.
Tent stations:
Tent 1: Grain processing
In South Tyrol, the grain einkorn was first documented in Villanders/Villandro dating to around 5000 BC. In contrast to wheat, the grain must be laboriously freed from the husk in which it grows by hand (dehusking).
Tent 2: Bread dough preparation
In the “bakery”, einkorn flour was combined with water, worked into a dough, and formed into small flatbreads.
Tent 3: Baking bread
The flatbread could either be baked in a clay oven or on hot stones.
Tent 4: All kinds of sweets
Participants could experience the natural diversity of flavors by tasting old local apple varieties and several types of honey.
Tent 5: Stew and cheese
Cheese production begins with warmed raw milk. Once rennin is added, the milk curdles and can be made into cheese. Nutritious soups were made from grains, legumes, and vegetables; for example, from spelt, peas, wild carrots, and celery. And with a little bit of luck, with meat too!
More information about the topic can be found in the special exhibition “PAST FOOD – 15,000 years of nutrition” in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology. During the “Stone Age Weekend,” there was an archaeological quiz with a surprise waiting for young and old alike!
Photos:
(c) South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology / Manuela Tessaro
