The use of Prosopis L. species as food: Old World and New World evidence

MC. LAREN, F. Y CAPPARELLI, A

Canterbury. UK

Congreso; 9th International Congress of The International Society of EthnobiologyPanel 27: Ethnobotanist of distant pasts: in honour of Gordon Hillman.; 2004

Society of Ethnobiology

Chemical analysis (infrared and gas chromotography/mass spectroscopy) of a stone pestle residue from the Palaeolithic site of Hayonim Cave, in the southern Levant, produced evidence of the processing of Prosopis pods.  Ethnographic evidence from the old world produces little verification for the use of Prosopis in human diet.  Where evidence of Prosopis is recovered from an archaeological site it is interpreted that Prosopis pods are proof of animal consumption and is associated with dung deposits.  Clearly the evidence from the pestle indicates that Prosopis was processed presumably for human consumption during the Palaeolithic.   In contrast in the New World archaeological evidence (dated between 540 BC and AD 600) from the guts of Chilean mummies has shown that Prosopis was consumed in prehistory.     In Argentina today Prosopis is still eaten as flour products.  Prosopis pods are still processed by grinding them in huge mortars and pestles by the indigenous and semi indigenous peoples because the current economic climate has dictated that in order to survive they have had to revert to “famine foods”.  Fortunately the techniques required to process Prosopis in this manner had not been forgotten in Argentina.    This paper discusses the past use of Prosopis species for food and methods of preparation required.