70,000 Year-old Neanderthals Were the First to Cook Food—Evidenced from Leftovers

Men discovering fire is one of the most advanced technology in prehistoric days, particularly as early Earth dwellers used direct heat to scorch food and render it of its bacteria when eaten raw. In recent studies, researchers discovered that Neanderthals from 70,000 years ago were the first to exhibit a cooking culture, giving more insight into their diets and lifestyle via their leftovers.

Human predecessors went from raw consumption of food to cooking it with fire, but the Neanderthals gave cooking a new flare with their technique and unique applications that exhibited dietary changes.

70,000-Year-Old Neanderthals Were the First to Cook, Leftover Evidence

Leftovers are more important than you thought, as research from Chris Hunt from Liverpool John Moores University analyzed these remnants and was able to determine that Neanderthals were the first to cook food. According to their research published in the Antiquity journal, these were found on the Shanidar Cave site, Zagros Mountains, 500 miles north of Baghdad.

These remnants from 70,000 years ago show that the Neanderthals showed the earliest signs of complex cooking culture among all early Earth dwellers, now extinct.

The Neanderthals also accounted for taste, centering on their food which resembles modern-day pancakes or flatbread with nut flavors.

Neanderthals Consumed Plant and Meat for Sustenance

Another research behind Neanderthals, published in Nature, brings evidence that the human predecessors switch diets from meat-exclusivity to mixing it with plants via dental plaque from recovered teeth.

The researchers argued that Paleolithic humans have remarkable dental health unlike Neanderthals, and this is due to their people switching their diets to both plant and meat, causing them bacteria and infections in their mouths.

Ancient Studies on Early People on the Planet

Neanderthals were one of the earliest people in the world, and they spread out through Eurasia and lived in different parts of the world. These people are the closest relative to modern-day humans, known as Homo sapiens, and the Neanderthals were the first to use complex tools and control fire, and most are regarded as seasoned hunters for their food.

There is still a lot to learn regarding the past, especially with many species of early human counterparts who first roamed the planet and helped shape the world for what it is today.

Modern-day humans also have similar traits to the early people on the planet, with the Neanderthal gene that passed to everyone now, having a resemblance to their skull shape and brain.

The study on these people gives insight as to how humans lived on the planet, as well as how they came to be in building different nations and technology with their ingenious connection to their environment.

A recent study shows compelling evidence that the Neanderthals were the first chefs of the ancient civilization, adding plant and meat to their diets, as well as centering on taste apart from sustenance. These 70,000-year-old leftovers brought more insight as to how the early Earth dwellers lived, also evidenced by their teeth.

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Written by Isaiah Richard