Late precolonial (c. 800–1500 CE) culinary practices in the northern Caribbean have received limited investigations. Determining foodways has been integral for the study of cultures, yet there has... Show moreLate precolonial (c. 800–1500 CE) culinary practices in the northern Caribbean have received limited investigations. Determining foodways has been integral for the study of cultures, yet there has never been a comparison of foodway dynamics in the Caribbean between the Greater Antilles (the presumed origin of people who migrated into The Bahamas) and the Bahama archipelago. The objective of our study was to analyze microbotanical residues (starches) extracted from 45 clay griddles (food preparation platters) to illuminate a partial view of the phytocultural repertoire of this region and explicate variations of the identified culinary practices. The griddles were excavated from three archaeological sites: El Flaco and La Luperona in northwestern Dominican Republic and Palmetto Junction on the western coast of Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands. Regarding the production of plant-based food on griddles, our produced data suggests that the people who lived at El Flaco focused on the production of maize (Zea mays L.) derivatives, La Luperona residents prepared guáyiga/coontie/zamia (Zamia spp.) food products, and Palmetto Junction ostensibly had a focus on the production of manioc (Manihot esculenta Crantz) based foods. This survey of foodways has exposed particular cultural niches, different adaptation strategies, and associated culinary practices. Show less
Descriptions of precolonial foodways in the Caribbean Islands have relied primarily on contact-period European descriptions, which have been used to inform archaeological research. The use of... Show moreDescriptions of precolonial foodways in the Caribbean Islands have relied primarily on contact-period European descriptions, which have been used to inform archaeological research. The use of ethnohistoric and indirect archaeological evidence is debated, and competing reconstructions of potential botanical foods and their cooking processes have resulted. To address this issue, starch analysis, which is suitable to provide information on human-plant interactions in tropical regions with poor botanical preservation, was carried out on samples from shell and limestone potential plant-processing tools from the Rolling Heads site, Long Island, The Bahamas. Results of this study revealed that some of these shell and lithic tools were used to process several different starchy food sources: maize (Zea mays L.), manioc (Manihot esculenta Crantz), and coontie (Zamia spp.). The presence of more than one plant species on both the microlith and shell tools, demonstrates their multi-purpose use. These novel data have also generated interpretations of plant processing with limestone grater chips. Overall, our research provides integral data regarding regional-specific processing of manioc, maize, and coontie. This report provides new information regarding human-plant interactions in the Caribbean. Finally, this study provides data on the use of shell tools and lithic graters for processing plants it contributes to ongoing discussions of reconstructing ancient Bahamian and related Caribbean foodways. Show less
