Download or read book Cooking with Plants in Prehistoric Greece written by Soultana Maria Valamoti and published by . This book was released on 2019-10-31 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is the outcome of more than 20 years of archaeobotanical research conducted by the author at prehistoric sites in Greece. In its 13 chapters the book offers an overview of a wide range of plant food ingredients, starting from their retrieval in the field and proceeding with a presentation of their spatial and temporal distribution as well as an exploration of their potential uses in prehistoric cuisine. Cuisine transforms nature into culture and the book offers a journey from the prehistoric fields and harvests from the wild to the dishes prepared and consumed in daily meals and special occasions. The culinary innovations introduced by the first farmers European farmers become transformed into traditions of the Neolithic which, in turn, are further modified with crop introductions from far-away places during the Bronze Age. Changes in available ingredients and recipes observed in the course of time allow insights into contact networks, culinary innovations and identities forged on food preparation and consumption practices. Special plant based substances like oil, alcoholic drinks, medicinal and hallucinogenic preparations form the basis for a discussion of special contexts of consumption and the appropriation of power. The prehistoric recipes are investigated using actual archaeobotanical food remains as well as ethnography and experimental reproduction. Continuities and change from prehistory to the historic periods are explored through ancient Greek texts while current perceptions of prehistoric cuisine by the wider public are critically discussed. The book ends with a selection of delicious recipes with simple ingredients the author has compiled, the outcome of her passion for cooking grafted with her archaeobotanical knowledge on plant ingredients and recipes.