Historical referrals and archaeological findings
The research study, published today (October 17) in the journal Nature Communications, reveals that while marine resources were exploited, the historical evidence for seaweed is only hardly ever recorded and is almost always considered in regards to non-edible uses like fuel, food wrappings, or fertilizers.
Historic accounts report laws related to collection of seaweed in Iceland, Brittany, and Ireland dating to the 10th Century, while sea kale is discussed by Pliny as a sailors anti-scurvy treatment.
By the 18th Century, seaweed was considered a starvation food, and although seaweed and freshwater aquatic plants continue to be financially crucial in parts of Asia, both nutritionally and medicinally, there is little consumption in Europe.
The stone building is Isbister in Orkney, likewise known as Tomb of the Eagles where some of the seaweed samples evaluated in the research study originated from. Credit: Professor Karen Hardy
Scientific Investigation and Evidence
The team, led by archaeologists from the universities of Glasgow and York, examined biomarkers extracted from dental calculus from 74 individuals from 28 historical sites throughout Europe, from north Scotland to southern Spain, which revealed “direct proof for prevalent usage of seaweed and submerged marine and freshwater plants.”
Samples, where biomolecular evidence made it through, revealed usage of red, green, or brown seaweeds, or freshwater marine plants, with one sample from Orkney also containing proof for a Brassica, probably sea kale.
There are roughly 10,000 various species of seaweeds on the planet, nevertheless, just 145 types are consumed today, principally in Asia.
Ramifications and Expert Comments
The researchers hope that their study will highlight the capacity for including more seaweeds and other local freshwater plants in our diets today– assisting Europeans to end up being healthier and more sustainable.
Karen Hardy, Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology at the University of Glasgow and Principal Investigator of the Powerful Plants task, stated: “Freshwater, today and seaweed aquatic plants are virtually missing from standard, western diet plans and their marginalization as they gradually altered from food to famine resources and animal fodder, probably happened over an extended period of time, as has actually also been found in other places with SOME plants.
” Our research study likewise highlights the potential for rediscovery of alternative, regional, sustainable food resources that may add to addressing the negative health and ecological effects of over-dependence on a little number of mass-produced agricultural products that is a dominant feature of much these dayss western diet, and certainly the global long-distance food supply more generally.”
” It is extremely amazing to be able to show definitively that seaweeds and other regional freshwater plants were eaten throughout an extended period in our European past.”
Co author on the paper, Dr. Stephen Buckley, from the Department of Archaeology at the University of York, said “The biomolecular proof in this study is over 3 thousand years earlier than historical proof in the Far East.
” Not just does this brand-new evidence show that seaweed was being consumed in Europe throughout the Mesolithic Period around 8,000 years back when marine resources were understood to have actually been exploited, however that it continued into the Neolithic when it is typically presumed that the introduction of farming caused the desertion of marine dietary resources.
” This strongly recommends that the dietary benefits of seaweed were sufficiently well understood by these ancient populations that they maintained their dietary link with the sea.”
Reference: “Human intake of seaweed and freshwater marine plants in ancient Europe” 17 October 2023, Nature Communications.DOI: 10.1038/ s41467-023-41671-2.
Recent research has found definitive proof of seaweed and freshwater plant consumption by European forefathers for thousands of years. The research study, which examined biomarkers in dental calculus, exposed that such dietary habits persisted even throughout the transition to farming in the Neolithic era. The findings highlight the possible benefits of reestablishing these nutrient-rich foods into modern European diets for health and sustainability.
Historical research indicates that European forefathers taken in seaweed and freshwater plants for millennia, emphasizing the potential health benefits and sustainability of reestablishing these foods into contemporary diets.
Seaweed Consumption in Ancient Europe
For lots of people seaweed holds a track record as a superfood, heralded for its health advantages and sustainability, however it appears our European ancestors led the game and were consuming the nutrient-rich plant for thousands of years.
Researchers say they have found “conclusive” historical evidence that seaweeds and other regional freshwater plants were eaten in the Mesolithic, through the Neolithic shift to farming and into the Early Middle Ages, suggesting that these resources, now seldom consumed in Europe, only ended up being limited a lot more just recently.
