Ancient Mediterranean people were eating bananas & othe exotic Asian food

[FfFfFfFF 58,060]

A surprising new discovery is revealing that ancient residents of what is today Israel were enjoying south Asian fruits and spices as early as 3,500 years ago.

A recent analysis of fossilized dental plaque from more than a dozen skeletons dating from the Middle Bronze to early Iron Age (ca. 1500-1100 B.C.) turned up evidence for bananas, turmeric, and soybeans—all crops that grew in far-off south Asia at the time.

The finds add to artistic and archaeological evidence showing that ancient Mediterranean civilizations were importing everything from chickens to black pepper and vanilla from as far away as India and Indonesia.

While dental calculus from upper-class graves at Megiddo showed that people there were eating lots of grains, including wheat and millet, and fruits like dates, they were also eating delicacies from much farther afield. Samples from several people yielded evidence that they were eating soybeans and the bright-orange spice turmeric—both crops native to South and East Asia that archaeologists didn't think were familiar on the tables of people in the ancient Mediterranean region.

“We once thought people got their food locally and imported precious stones from far away,” says co-author Philipp Stockhammer, an archaeologist at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. “But even in the Bronze Age they’re a lot like us, importing their food from all over.”

Source: National Geographic

[Chic 20,830]

TIL I have no idea where most fruits are native to

[Eido 3,681]

What... How were the conserving them? 

[TSUNAMI 21,297]

I have a strange affection towards bananas.

[weed 78,870]

7 minutes ago, Eido said:

What... How were the conserving them? 

Bananas cut while green will stay green for a long time until you activate them 

[Ariana Grindr 3,173]

7 minutes ago, TSUNAMI said:

I have a strange affection towards bananas.

[Economy 52,837]

18 minutes ago, Eido said:

What... How were the conserving them? 

They could of been picked very green

 

Also they had other preservation methods before refrigeration or rapid transportation. I know here in Canada before the industrial era brought grocery stores with convieniently brought stuff from other Countries having fresh produce was an issue because you have literally 6 months out of the year where it's too cold to grow anything

 

One common way they kept some fruit was by putting them in jars and essentially pickling them so they would be edible for months

[TSUNAMI 21,297]

23 minutes ago, Ariana Grindr said:

Ye but I'm a Mediterranian. 

[RAMROD 116,994]

We been knew, Europeans been colonizing Asia for spices and more reasons.

[PunkTheFunk 125,703]

So when Jesus turned water into wine he paired it with some crackers topped with black pepper and spicy soy-based vegan cheese

[ARTPOPe 10,169]

1 hour ago, Eido said:

What... How were the conserving them? 

Although a lot of produce, including unripe harvested bananas, can stay "fresh" for quite a long time, if handled and stored correctly, the consuming of dried bananas seems much more likely in this case. As is stated in the article:

"In the case of bananas, archaeological evidence is particularly hard to come by: The domesticated fruit is seedless, and its soft flesh decays quickly. That’s why it’s unlikely bunches of bananas were being shipped to Megiddo. Instead, people there might have been importing and eating dried banana chips, which would have survived a long sea voyage with ease."

That being said, the bananas that were eaten back then still contained seeds.

The first seedless bananas, predecessors of our commercial bananas today, were bred into existence 1200-1300 years ago and by that time Megiddo had already been abandoned for over 1000 years.

But since the bananas back then did contain seeds, there might be a slight possibility that in some isolated cases they were actually grown from seeds and cultivated somewhere close(r) to the area, as the climate allowed it, therefore making it possible for the people there to have eaten fresh bananas.

Lots of banana talk, sorry

@FfFfFfFF I love your random, but always interesting threads, never stop posting them 

[Chromatislaps 34,854]

4 hours ago, TSUNAMI said:

I have a strange affection towards bananas.

same, I love to peel them