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Caribbean Deep-Time Culinary Worlds Revealed by Ancient Food Starches: Beyond the Dominant Narratives

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Journal of Archaeological Research Aims and scope

Abstract

Analysis of starch grains recovered from ancient human dental calculus provides unique insights into the spectrum of starchy plants that were available and consumed at different spatiotemporal scales. Applying this methodological approach to a dataset of dental calculus samples from 60 individuals from different Caribbean islands, we unfold new perspectives on the culinary practices from precolonial to colonial times in this region. Our phytocultural interpretations from the studied scenarios contrast with dominant historical and archaeological narratives of the Caribbean regarding the emergence and evolution of manioc-reliant plant food systems. Instead, our analysis strongly suggests that a diversity of plant-based culinary practices was in operation throughout the islands, and over time, the switching dietary role of maize and other important economic plants such as wild marunguey, manioc, bean, and sweet potato (among others) was the trademark of ancient Caribbean culinary scapes.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Leiden University Byvanck Fund grant number 10605/Byvanck. We are most grateful to Raymundo Dijkhoff, Dr. Jay B. Haviser, Dr. Corinne L. Hofman, Dr. Menno L.P. Hoogland, Harold Kelly, Kathy Martin, Glenis Tavarez-Maria, Mike Roca, Dr. Mary K. Sandford, and Dr. Roberto Valcárcel-Rojas for providing access to archaeological information or for arranging permission to select samples for analyses. Dr. Elvira Cuevas and Larry Díaz (Center for Applied Tropical Ecology and Conservation, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Río Piedras) and Wim Kuijper (Leiden University) facilitated working space while Dr. James Ackerman (Universidad de Puerto Rico, Río Piedras) provided laboratory equipment. Ana M. Guachamin-Tello and Martha E. Romero-Bastidas (Instituto Nacional de Patrimonio Cultural, Ecuador) provided access to working space for the microscope analysis. Finally, the critical assessments and excellent recommendations made by five anonymous reviewers, as well as by Dr. William F. Keegan and Dr. Juan José García-Granero, and the journal’s editorial team, Dr. Gary M. Feinman, Dr. William A. Parkinson, and Linda M. Nicholas, are highly appreciated. These reviews substantially improved the quality and reach of our paper.

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  1. Jaime R. Pagán-Jiménez

    Present address: Cultural Heritage and Plantscape Research (CUPLAR), Bargelaan 200, 2333 CW, Leiden, The Netherlands

  2. Hayley L. Mickleburgh

    Present address: Department of Cultural Sciences, Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden

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  1. Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Jaime R. Pagán-Jiménez & Hayley L. Mickleburgh

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Pagán-Jiménez, J.R., Mickleburgh, H.L. Caribbean Deep-Time Culinary Worlds Revealed by Ancient Food Starches: Beyond the Dominant Narratives. J Archaeol Res 31, 55–101 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10814-021-09171-3

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