MESOLITHIC MEAL
I write history books, and a couple of years ago I started a sort of beginner's guide to Prehistoric Britain, but other things got in the way. I had gotten to assembling photographs. This one was for the first (Mesolithic) chapter, a hearty family meal!
The illustration, below, shows a typical late autumn spread of food collected by a typical mesolithic family. There is beef (from the wild cattle, the auroch) as well as venison. To the right is a selection of shellfish gathered from the seashore, including mussels, razor shells and oysters. The contents of the basket represent gathered produce from the wild wood: hazelnuts, beech nuts and the berries from hawthorn and dog rose. Although hazelnuts can be eaten raw, the author has found that they are far more edible when first baked (typically in a layer of sand underneath a small camp fire). In this form they resemble roast chesnuts, tasting deliciously soft and starchy. At the top left are two flint blades and an elk bone knife, all used for cutting up the food.
- Paul Elliott
The illustration, below, shows a typical late autumn spread of food collected by a typical mesolithic family. There is beef (from the wild cattle, the auroch) as well as venison. To the right is a selection of shellfish gathered from the seashore, including mussels, razor shells and oysters. The contents of the basket represent gathered produce from the wild wood: hazelnuts, beech nuts and the berries from hawthorn and dog rose. Although hazelnuts can be eaten raw, the author has found that they are far more edible when first baked (typically in a layer of sand underneath a small camp fire). In this form they resemble roast chesnuts, tasting deliciously soft and starchy. At the top left are two flint blades and an elk bone knife, all used for cutting up the food.
- Paul Elliott