Spices have been traded between south Asia and South-East Asia greater than 3000 years in the past
Peter Schickert/Westend61/Getty Images
People could have been cooking curries in South-East Asia for no less than 2000 years, based on traces of spices discovered on freshly unearthed stone instruments in Vietnam.
During their digs on the Oc Eo archaeological website in southern Vietnam, Hsiao-chun Hung on the Australian National University in Canberra and her colleagues uncovered a number of sandstone grinding instruments alongside remnants of spices.
An evaluation of 717 grains of starch recovered from the instruments revealed eight forms of spices: turmeric, ginger, galangal, sand ginger, fingerroot, clove, nutmeg and cinnamon. Many of the grains additionally confirmed indicators of deformation, which means that they have been broken from grinding and look much like the starch granules present in trendy curry powder.
“This finding strongly suggests that the ancient inhabitants of Oc Eo utilised turmeric, ginger and other spices like cinnamon, clove and nutmeg as essential ingredients in their culinary practices, highly likely in the preparation of curry,” says Hung.
A sandstone grinding slab discovered at Oc Eo in Vietnam, on which traces of spices have been recognized
Khanh Trung Kien Nguyen
Maritime buying and selling routes between South-East Asia and south Asia have been established greater than 3000 years in the past, with spices corresponding to nutmeg and clove coming from Indonesia and others corresponding to turmeric and cinnamon from south Asia.
Stone grinding instruments first appeared in South-East Asia 2000 to 3000 years in the past, together with different cultural components originating in south Asia, corresponding to Indian ornaments and spiritual monuments. Therefore, it’s extremely possible that these instruments, spices and recipes have been launched to the area by migrants or travellers from south Asia, says Hung. The spices discovered at Oc Eo in all probability got here from merchants, however might have been grown domestically from seeds introduced by merchants, say the researchers.
The findings present useful details about the dietary habits of South-East Asian societies on the time and likewise supply a glimpse into the cultural and buying and selling connections between totally different areas over 1000’s of years, says Hung.
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Source: www.newscientist.com