IF YOU DARE!
Neanderthal Menu
I consulted archeological and historical periodicals to assemble these recipes and show what life 50,000 years ago might have been like. Yes, in real life they probably didn’t eat on our schedule, but they got hungry just like we do. Warning, I am not a cook. For safety’s sake (and your taste buds’ sake) consult a food expert before attempting these recipes.
Neanderthal Breakfast—Neanderthal Porridge
Ingredients:
Handful of wild barley
Handful of emmer wheat (AKA farrow), a wild wheat
Handful of einkorn wheat, another wild wheat
Handful of sorghum seed
Handful of pistachios or chestnuts
Yarrow leaves for seasoning
Handful of dates (Neanderthals in colder climes might have used cherries)
Directions:
Heat water in a birch bark tray, being careful to keep it out of direct flames to avoid a fire.
Mash wild barley, emmer wheat, einkorn wheat, and sorghum seed; add to the boiling water
Hull and crumble nuts, then add to boiling mixture
Pit dates or cherries and add to the boiling mixture to sweeten
Boil until the porridge is soft
Lunch—Neanderthal Cattail soup
Ingredients:
Half dozen of cattail flowers, pollen, & roots
Handful of chicory leaves & roots
Handful of dandelion leaves
Wild lentils with husks
Parsnips
Chamomile leaves for seasoning
Directions:
Heat water in a birch bark tray, being careful to keep it out of direct flames to avoid afire.
Add wild lentils with husks to water, allow husks to dissolve and release the lentils
Peel & pound cattail roots, remove the fibers
Peel & chop parsnips and add to water
Add chicory roots & cattail roots to boiling water
Add chicory leaves & dandelion leaves to boiling water
Finally add cattail flowers & pollen to boiling water
If meat is necessary (Neanderthals ate what they had), add small animals or birds
Neanderthal Dinner—Water-lily stew
Ingredients:
2 or 3 medium-sized Water lily pads
A handful of white acorns (hulls have round ends) or walnuts
One squirrel or other small animal such as rabbit or rats
Handful of wild onions
Wild parsnips
Wild olives
Directions:
Drop hot rocks into a bison-skin bag filled with water and boil lily pads until tender.
Peel & chop parsnips and pitted olives, add to mixture
Skin squirrel and broil it. Add meat, innards, and bones to the lily pads.
Add wild onions, olives
, and acorns to the mixture, and serve while warm.
C. T. Suddeth 