Quintana Morales, Eréndira M., Craig, Oliver E. orcid.org/0000-0002-4296-8402, Prendergast, Mary E. et al. (7 more authors) (2022) Diet, economy, and culinary practices at the height of precolonial Swahili urbanism. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology. 101406. ISSN 0278-4165
Abstract
Swahili cuisine is known across Africa and globally as a highly distinctive product of a cosmopolitan, coastal, urban society. Here we present a comprehensive study of precolonial Swahili diet and culinary practices at the coastal town of Songo Mnara, positioning archaeological and ethnographic understandings of cuisine in a long-term coastal tradition. We explore contemporary food cultures and then present the first direct evidence for precolonial cuisine by combining ceramic lipid residue analysis with archaeobotanical, zooarchaeological, and faunal and human stable isotopic data. Integrating these datasets produces a detailed picture of diet at the site of Songo Mnara during the peak of precolonial Swahili urbanism. Lipid residue analysis demonstrates how plant and animal products were consumed and valued in ways not discernible from plant and animal remains alone. We also note special treatment for particular foodstuffs, including an association of fish consumption with high-status spaces and vessels, and preferential management of cattle for milk. A more complex picture of urban life emerges, recognizing influences of taste, class, and culture. Our findings demonstrate the potential of multi-layered anthropological studies for exploring cuisine and urban life in coastal contexts across the globe.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2022 The Authors |
Keywords: | Archaeobotany,Cuisine,Eastern Africa,Lipid residue analysis,Stable isotope analysis,Zooarchaeology |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (York) > Archaeology (York) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number AHRC AH/J502716/1 |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 16 Mar 2022 10:20 |
Last Modified: | 20 Feb 2025 00:10 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaa.2022.101406 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.jaa.2022.101406 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:184802 |
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Description: Diet, economy, and culinary practices at the height of precolonial Swahili urbanism
Licence: CC-BY-NC-ND 2.5