Paleoethnobotanical and experimental analysis of Geoffroea decorticans (Gill. ex Hook. & Arn.) and Sarcomphalus mistol (Griseb.) fruits in Cerro Colorado, Córdoba Province, Argentina.

SAUR PALMIERI, VALENTINA; TRILLO CECILIA; LOPEZ MARÍA LAURA

Braganza

Congreso; 58 annual Meeting of Society of Economic Botany; 2017

The aim of this paper is to generate information which will assist in the archaeobotanicalrecognition of post-harvest processing activities related with different consumptionpatterns of Chaco wild tree-fruits. Analyses of modern fruits imply the reproduction oftraditional post-harvest practices. In this way, to obtain data about past storage, processingand cooking patterns, paleoethnobotanical study and experimental analysis in laboratorywere carried out. Ethnobotanical data were recorded in Cerro Colorado community.Placed on Sierras of Norte (Cordoba province, Central Argentina) and near of main archaeologicalsite (Quebrada Norte 7) of the northern region, it offers the possibility to study therefuse of traditional post-harvest practices with to wild tree-fruit: Geoffroea decorticans(Gill. ex Hook. & Arn.) (?Chañar?) and Sarcomphalus mistol (Griseb.) (?Mistol?). Due tomistol fruits couldn?t be collected by environmental factors, the processing to cook it wascarried out in laboratory following the indications given by Cerro Colorado key-informant.Several samples of sub-products and refuse were collected during processing steps of?arrope? (traditional jam) as well as direct consumption of fruits. Although modern waysof consuming chañar and mistol may not be those used in the past, similar techniquessuch as boiled could be implemented. Laboratory analysis included finding distinctivefeatures among fruits or part of fruits (epicarps, mesocarps and endocarps) in differentprocessing stages, as well as evaluating the effect of charring on them. Endocarps werethe main refuse in all traditional consumption patterns. However, mesocarpo adhered ontheir surface shows different characteristic qualitative that allowed differentiating amongpost-harvest practices. In the same way, post-charred mesocarp samples showed differentpatterns that can be observed in archaeobotanical macro-remains. This researchconstitute a qualitative step to recognize ancient practices of two wild tree-fruits, chañarand mistol, in Argentina those are added to ?algarrobo? (Prosopis sp.) research with thesame objective carried out in North and Central Argentina.