(p. D4) LONDON (Reuters) — Starch grains found on 30,000-year-old grinding stones suggest that prehistoric humans may have dined on an early form of flatbread, contrary to their popular image as primarily meat eaters.
The findings, published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal on Monday, indicate that Paleolithic Europeans ground down plant roots similar to potatoes to make flour, which was later whisked into dough.
“It’s like a flatbread, like a pancake with just water and flour,” said Laura Longo, a researcher on the team, from the Italian Institute of Prehistory and Early History.
. . .
The findings may . . . upset fans of the so-called Paleolithic diet, which follows earlier research that assumes early humans ate a meat-centered diet.
For the full story, see:
REUTERS. “Paleolithic Humans Had Bread Along With Their Meat.” The New York Times (Tues., October 19, 2010): D4.
(Note: ellipses added.)
(Note: the online version of the article is dated October 18, 2010.)