Journal Articles by Andy J . Ciofalo
Late Precolonial (CE 1200-1492) foodways in the northern Caribbean have received limited investig... more Late Precolonial (CE 1200-1492) foodways in the northern Caribbean have received limited investigations. This paper is a synopsis of interpretations based on empirical evidence from microbotanical residues (starches) extracted from clay griddles (flat ‘cooking’ plates) excavated from three archaeological sites: El Flaco and La Luperona in northwestern Dominican Republic, and Palmetto Junction on the western coast of Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands. Determining foodways has been integral for the study of cultures, yet there has never been a comparison of foodways in the northern Caribbean between the Greater Antilles (the presumed origin of people that migrated into The Bahamas) and the Bahama archipelago. We aimed to reconstruct some of the culinary practices and more thoroughly understand variations of foodways. This research adds another dimension to previous general archaeological comparisons between the Greater Antilles and The Bahamas. This survey of foodways has exposed cultural niches, transported plants, different adaptation strategies, and associated culinary practices.
Late Precolonial Culinary Practices: Starch Analysis on Griddles from the Northern Caribbean, 2019
Late precolonial (c. 800-1500 CE) culinary practices in the northern Caribbean have received limi... more Late precolonial (c. 800-1500 CE) culinary practices in the northern Caribbean have received limited investigations. Determining foodways has been integral for the study of cultures, yet there has never been a comparison of foodway dynamics in the Caribbean between the Greater Antilles (the presumed origin of people who migrated into The Bahamas) and the Bahama archipelago. The objective of our study was to analyze microbotanical residues (starches) extracted from 45 clay griddles (food preparation platters) to illuminate a partial view of the phytocultural repertoire of this region and explicate variations of the identified culinary practices. The griddles were excavated from three archaeological sites: El Flaco and La Luperona in northwestern Dominican Republic and Palmetto Junction on the western coast of Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands. Regarding the production of plant-based food on griddles, our produced data suggests that the people who lived at El Flaco focused on the production of maize (Zea mays L.) derivatives, La Luperona residents prepared guáyiga/coontie/ zamia (Zamia spp.) food products, and Palmetto Junction ostensibly had a focus on the production of manioc (Manihot esculenta Crantz) based foods. This survey of food-ways has exposed particular cultural niches, different adaptation strategies, and associated culinary practices. Resumen Las prácticas culinarias precoloniales (c. 800-1500 CE) en el norte del Caribe han sido investigadas de manera limitida. Determinar lasdimensiones de la alimentación ha sido fundamental en el estudio de las culturas; no obstante, en el Caribe nunca se ha realizado unacomparación de estas dinámicas entre las Antillas Mayores (el atribuido origen migratorio de humanos a las Bahamas) y el archipiélago delas Bahamas. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar los residuos microbotánicos (almidones) extraídos Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory https://doi.
Starchy Shells: Residue Analysis of Precolonial Northern Caribbean Culinary Practices, 2020
Determining culinary practices is critical for understanding phytocultural complexes, transported... more Determining culinary practices is critical for understanding phytocultural complexes, transported landscapes and human niche constructions. Starch analysis is an exemplary method for reconstructing human-plant dependencies. However, certain types of artefacts from the Greater Caribbean region, such as flaked lithics, lithic griddles, coral artefacts and shells, have not been extensively analysed for starch remains. Moreover, there has been no comparison of culinary practices between The Bahama archipelago and the Greater Antil-les (the presumed origin of foodways transported to The Bahama archipelago). The paper investigates 60 bivalve shell artefacts for starch remains, which were recovered from three archaeological sites: El Flaco and La Luperona (Dominican Republic), and Palmetto Junction (Turks & Caicos Islands). In contrast to ethnohistorical narratives that characterize shell tools exclusively as manioc peelers, the starch remains recovered in this study suggest a broader suite of plants and functions. The results provide evidence that a diversity of plants (Dioscorea spp., Dioscorea trifida L., Fabaceae, Ipomoea batatas L., Manihot esculenta Crantz, cf. Zea mays L., cf. Acrocomia media O. F. Cook, and Zingiberales) were prepared with these shells. This new evidence contributes to ongoing discussions about culinary practices in the Caribbean and other related late precolonial (c.800-1500 CE) foodways. El estudio de las prácticas culinarias esesencial para comprender los complejos fitoculturales, el transporte de paisajesvegetales y la construcción de nichos humanos. En particular, el análisis dealmidones es un método ejemplar para la reconstrucción de las interaccionesentre humanos y plantas. A pesar de ello, los residuos amiláceos depositados enciertos tipos de artefactos provenientes del Gran Caribe-como la líticatallada, las posibles planchas [de cocción] líticas, los corales modificados y las herramientas en concha-no han sido examinados exhaustivamente. Asimismo, no se han efectuado trabajos comparativos de las prácticas culinarias entre elarchipiélago de las Bahamas y las Antillas Mayores (el posible lugar de origende las tradiciones alimentarias a Bahamas). Con el objeto de remediar estalimitación, el presente estudio ha sido diseñado para investigar los residuos (almidones) extraídos de 60 herramientas de bivalvos. Estas herramientas fueronrecuperadas en tres sitios contemporáneos: El Flaco y La Luperona (noroeste dela República Dominicana), y Palmetto Junction (Islas Turcas y Caicos). Losalmidones recuperados explican el posible uso de los bivalvos, estableciendoque las herramientas de concha etnohistóricamente asociadas exclusivamente alraspado de la yuca fueron incorporadas en el procesamiento de una gama másamplia de especies y funciones. Nuestros resultados proveen evidencia empíricade que *
Uses of pre-Hispanic kitchenware from Central Nicaragua, 2020
Archaeobotanical investigations in central Nicaragua are absent and preservation of organic remai... more Archaeobotanical investigations in central Nicaragua are absent and preservation of organic remains is poor; therefore, we have applied starch analyses to samples from fragments of clay vessels excavated from layers dated to cal 1224 and 1391 CE at the Barillas site, Nicaragua. The approach to this dataset reveals the ways people interacted with edible plants in southern Central America. The scarcity of griddles recovered from ancient Nicaraguan archeological contexts has previously co-determined narratives on human mobility or cultural influence from the Mesoamerican culture area, due to the debatable presumption that this type of artifact necessarily entangles production and consumption of maize tortillas. In this article, we present results demonstrating evidence for the use of several starchy plants. The reconstructed culinary practices are vital for disentangling human-plant interrelationships and challenge earlier conceptions of ancient foodways in Central America. This research constitutes the first starch analysis in Nicaragua and the recovered plant remains belonging to manioc (Manihot esculenta Crantz), chili pepper (Capsicum sp.), and maize (Zea mays L.) have provided empirical evidence of ancient foodways. Concomitantly, these results have invalidated the preconception that griddles were tools used exclusively for the production of maize tortillas.
Resumen
Debido a la escasez de investigaciones arqueobotánicas en el centro de Nicaragua y a la supuesta deficiente preservación de restos orgánicos, esta investigación propone el análisis de granos de almidones provenientes de vasijas excavadas en el sitio Barillas (1224-1391 años Cal E.C.). Los datos obtenidos en este trabajo echan luz acerca de las diferentes formas en que los antiguos habitantes del sur de Centroamérica preparaban y consumían alimentos. La ausencia de comales en contextos arqueológicos nicaragüenses ha determinado ciertas narrativas acerca de movimientos poblacionales y la influencia del área cultural mesoamericana, ya que se presume que este tipo de artefactos necesariamente implica la producción y consumo de tortillas de maíz. En este artículo presentamos los resultados de los análisis arqueobotánicos de granos de almidón extraídos de implementos de cocina que fueron recuperados en el contexto de excavaciones estratigráficas. Las prácticas alimentarias identificadas en este trabajo son fundamentales para elucidar las interrelaciones entre plantas y seres humanos, así como para desafiar las preconcepciones relacionadas con las tradiciones culinarias en la antigua América Central. Los datos presentados constituyen los primeros resultados de análisis de granos almidones en el país y los restos recuperados de mandioca (Manihot esculenta Crantz), chile (Capsicum sp.) y maíz (Zea mays L.) proporcionan evidencia empírica del antiguo uso de alimentos de origen vegetal en el centro de Nicaragua. De igual manera, los resultados invalidan la idea de que los comales consistían en implementos de cocina utilizados exclusivamente para la producción de tortillas de maíz.
Determining precolonial botanical foodways: starch recovery and analysis, Long Island, The Bahamas, 2018
Descriptions of precolonial foodways in the Caribbean Islands have relied primarily on contact-pe... more Descriptions of precolonial foodways in the Caribbean Islands have relied primarily on contact-period European descriptions, which have been used to inform archaeological research. The use of ethnohistoric and indirect archaeological evidence is debated, and competing reconstructions of potential botanical foods and their cooking processes have resulted. To address this issue, starch analysis, which is suitable to provide information on human-plant interactions in tropical regions with poor botanical preservation, was carried out on samples from shell and limestone potential plant-processing tools from the Rolling Heads site, Long Island, The Bahamas. Results of this study revealed that some of these shell and lithic tools were used to process several different starchy food sources: maize (Zea mays L.), manioc (Manihot esculenta Crantz), and coontie (Zamia spp.). The presence of more than one plant species on both the microlith and shell tools, demonstrates their multipurpose use. These novel data have also generated interpretations of plant processing with limestone grater chips. Overall, our research provides integral data regarding regional-specific processing of manioc, maize, and coontie. This report provides new information regarding human-plant interactions in the Caribbean. Finally, this study provides data on the use of shell tools and lithic graters for processing plants it contributes to ongoing discussions of reconstructing ancient Bahamian and related Caribbean foodways.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2020
Archaeobotanical investigations in central Nicaragua are absent and preservation of organic remai... more Archaeobotanical investigations in central Nicaragua are absent and preservation of organic remains is poor; therefore, we have applied starch analyses to samples from fragments of clay vessels excavated from layers dated to cal 1224 and 1391 CE at the Barillas site, Nicaragua. The approach to this dataset reveals the ways people interacted with edible plants in southern Central America. The scarcity of griddles recovered from ancient Nicaraguan archeological contexts has previously co-determined narratives on human mobility or cultural influence from the Mesoamerican culture area, due to the debatable presumption that this type of artifact necessarily entangles production and consumption of maize tortillas. In this article, we present results demonstrating evidence for the use of several starchy plants. The reconstructed culinary practices are vital for disentangling human–plant interrelationships and challenge earlier conceptions of ancient foodways in Central America. This research constitutes the first starch analysis in Nicaragua and the recovered plant remains belonging to manioc (Manihot esculenta Crantz), chili pepper (Capsicum sp.), and maize (Zea mays L.) have provided empirical evidence of ancient foodways. Concomitantly, these results have invalidated the preconception that griddles were tools used exclusively for the production of maize tortillas.
Papers by Andy J . Ciofalo
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2021
Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology, 2021
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology
Maya Use and Prevalence of the Atlatl: Projectile Point Classification Function Analysis from Chichén Itzá, Tikal, and Caracol, 2012
Conference Presentations by Andy J . Ciofalo
Culinary contributions: What was prepared on griddles in the northern Caribbean, 2019
Late Precolonial (800-1500 CE) foodways in the northern Caribbean have received limited investiga... more Late Precolonial (800-1500 CE) foodways in the northern Caribbean have received limited investigations. This paper is a synopsis of interpretations based on empirical evidence from microbotanical residues (starches) extracted from clay griddles (flat ‘cooking’ plates) excavated from three archaeological sites: El Flaco and La Luperona in northwestern Dominican Republic, and Palmetto Junction on the western coast of Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands. Determining foodways has been integral for the study of cultures, yet there has never been a comparison of foodways in the northern Caribbean between the Greater Antilles (the presumed origin of people that migrated into The Bahamas) and the Bahama archipelago. We aimed to reconstruct some of the culinary practices and more thoroughly understand variations of foodways. This research adds another dimension to previous general archaeological comparisons between the Greater Antilles and The Bahamas. This survey of foodways has exposed cultural niches, transported plants, different adaptation strategies, and associated culinary practices.
Starchy Foodways: Botanical residue analysis of northern Caribbean artifacts, 2019
Late precolonial (c. CE 800-1500) investigations of botanical foodways in the northern Caribbean ... more Late precolonial (c. CE 800-1500) investigations of botanical foodways in the northern Caribbean have yet to be systematically carried out. The culinary practices and the pathways that dietary plants coursed through can be reconstructed through analyzed microbotanical residues (starches). To provide a view of human-plant interactions, this paper synthesizes evidence from 105 plant related artifacts. This study was carried out to explicate variations of culinary practices from three archaeological sites: El Flaco and La Luperona in northwestern Dominican Republic, and Palmetto Junction in the southern Bahama archipelago. The concept of human niche construction has been applied to interpret the evidence and explore culinary practices in this part of the northern Caribbean. This reconstruction of foodways has exposed varied human niche constructions.
Recent archaeobotanical research on the Palmetto Junction archaeological site located in Providen... more Recent archaeobotanical research on the Palmetto Junction archaeological site located in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, has provided new insights into the livelihoods and subsistence practices of the peoples who inhabited this coastal region from c. AD 1280-1455. The microbotanical remains, identified primarily as originating from seeds and tubers, provide evidence for a continuation in the consumption and manipulation of traditional Antillean plant resources. During the late precolonial period, people used domesticated plants such as maize, sweet potato, and yam, and employed plant-processing techniques that permitted the consumption of otherwise inedible geophytes. Some of the pottery may have been used as serving vessels and others such as Palmetto-style griddles for cooking. Interpretations of foodway dynamics in this region will serve to build a unique Caribbean perspective of food patterns. In this regard, this research contributes to modern-day global appreciations of ancient foodways, which offer significance and meanings to both socially learned practices and other life-ways. An in-depth analysis covering the style and form of the Palmetto Junction pottery in conjunction with information from ancient starch grains creates a fuller interpretation of how the interrelationships amongst past human societies, plants, and material culture were entangled.
Since 2007, the Proyecto Arqueológico Centro de Nicaragua, directed by Alexander Geurds, has exca... more Since 2007, the Proyecto Arqueológico Centro de Nicaragua, directed by Alexander Geurds, has excavated several archaeological sites in Chontales, Nicaragua, northeast of Lake Cocibolca. This paper reports on fragments of ceramic griddles recovered in layers dated to cal AD 1255 and 1391 at the Barillas site - unprecedented finds challenging our views on ancient foodways in the region. The paucity of these comales has hitherto co-determined narratives on human mobility from Mesoamerica, due to the debatable assumption that this type of artifact necessarily entangles consumption of maize tortillas.
In this paper, we present results on paleoethnobotanical and archaeometric analyses, discussing technological and provenance aspects related to the ceramic fragments and interpretations of the ancient starch remains attached to the earthenware retrieved during the excavations. The interdisciplinary approach to this dataset will shed light onto the ways people prepared and consumed food in southern Central America. Studying foodways is vital to understanding socially learned food practices, which intertwined with ceramic manufacturing technology. This research on cooking dynamics will help expose the unique Central Nicaraguan perspective of foodways.
CV by Andy J . Ciofalo
Thesis Chapters by Andy J . Ciofalo
Starchy Foodways, 2020
The foodways approach to archaeobotanical investigation is used in this dissertation for reconstr... more The foodways approach to archaeobotanical investigation is used in this dissertation for reconstructing lost and forgotten lifeways. Food is a social lubricant that deeply engages with identity. As such, understanding culinary practices contributes towards inferring elements of group identity. The deep history of the Greater Caribbean is rich with culinary practices. Through different forms of plant management, the foundations for diverse and distinct culinary practices were created that the Europeans started to exploit in 1492 and afterwards spread across the world. In this research, microbotanical residues (starches) were recovered from different types of presumed plant-related artifacts excavated in three geographic regions: the northwestern Dominican Republic, the Bahama archipelago, and central Nicaragua. Four case studies from five archaeological sites were examined. The first case study is a residue analysis of shell and limestone artifacts from the archaeological site LN-101 (cal. 1088 ± 68 CE) on Long Island, Commonwealth of The Bahamas. This case study contributes the first examination of limestone tools and the first certain identification of manioc (cassava) in the Bahama archipelago. The second case study is a starch analysis of shell artifact samples from three archaeological sites: El Flaco (cal. 1309 ± 81 CE) and La Luperona (cal. 1352 ± 60 CE) in the northwestern Dominican Republic, and Palmetto Junction (cal. 1391 ± 41 CE) on Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands. This case study provides additional evidence for the use of exogenous plants in the northern Caribbean and recognizes culinary practices according to which certain plants were pre-cooked before being processed further using bivalve shells. In the third case study, the recovered material remains derived from the same sites, but the artifacts represent fired clay griddles. This case study provides the first evidence of manioc being prepared on such griddles in the insular Caribbean. The fourth case study expands the scope of this dissertation to mainland Nicaragua. From unique finds of pottery griddle fragments at the Barillas site (cal. 1261 ± 37 CE) in central Nicaragua, it challenges preconceived views of ancient foodways in the region. These results invalidate the preconception that griddles were tools used exclusively for the production of maize tortillas in pre-Hispanic Central America, which helps explicate associations drawn between ethnic identities and culinary practices. Overall, this dissertation creates a more refined insight into how starchy culinary practices varied in the Greater Caribbean prior to the advent of European invasions.
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Journal Articles by Andy J . Ciofalo
Resumen
Debido a la escasez de investigaciones arqueobotánicas en el centro de Nicaragua y a la supuesta deficiente preservación de restos orgánicos, esta investigación propone el análisis de granos de almidones provenientes de vasijas excavadas en el sitio Barillas (1224-1391 años Cal E.C.). Los datos obtenidos en este trabajo echan luz acerca de las diferentes formas en que los antiguos habitantes del sur de Centroamérica preparaban y consumían alimentos. La ausencia de comales en contextos arqueológicos nicaragüenses ha determinado ciertas narrativas acerca de movimientos poblacionales y la influencia del área cultural mesoamericana, ya que se presume que este tipo de artefactos necesariamente implica la producción y consumo de tortillas de maíz. En este artículo presentamos los resultados de los análisis arqueobotánicos de granos de almidón extraídos de implementos de cocina que fueron recuperados en el contexto de excavaciones estratigráficas. Las prácticas alimentarias identificadas en este trabajo son fundamentales para elucidar las interrelaciones entre plantas y seres humanos, así como para desafiar las preconcepciones relacionadas con las tradiciones culinarias en la antigua América Central. Los datos presentados constituyen los primeros resultados de análisis de granos almidones en el país y los restos recuperados de mandioca (Manihot esculenta Crantz), chile (Capsicum sp.) y maíz (Zea mays L.) proporcionan evidencia empírica del antiguo uso de alimentos de origen vegetal en el centro de Nicaragua. De igual manera, los resultados invalidan la idea de que los comales consistían en implementos de cocina utilizados exclusivamente para la producción de tortillas de maíz.
Papers by Andy J . Ciofalo
Conference Presentations by Andy J . Ciofalo
In this paper, we present results on paleoethnobotanical and archaeometric analyses, discussing technological and provenance aspects related to the ceramic fragments and interpretations of the ancient starch remains attached to the earthenware retrieved during the excavations. The interdisciplinary approach to this dataset will shed light onto the ways people prepared and consumed food in southern Central America. Studying foodways is vital to understanding socially learned food practices, which intertwined with ceramic manufacturing technology. This research on cooking dynamics will help expose the unique Central Nicaraguan perspective of foodways.
CV by Andy J . Ciofalo
Thesis Chapters by Andy J . Ciofalo
Resumen
Debido a la escasez de investigaciones arqueobotánicas en el centro de Nicaragua y a la supuesta deficiente preservación de restos orgánicos, esta investigación propone el análisis de granos de almidones provenientes de vasijas excavadas en el sitio Barillas (1224-1391 años Cal E.C.). Los datos obtenidos en este trabajo echan luz acerca de las diferentes formas en que los antiguos habitantes del sur de Centroamérica preparaban y consumían alimentos. La ausencia de comales en contextos arqueológicos nicaragüenses ha determinado ciertas narrativas acerca de movimientos poblacionales y la influencia del área cultural mesoamericana, ya que se presume que este tipo de artefactos necesariamente implica la producción y consumo de tortillas de maíz. En este artículo presentamos los resultados de los análisis arqueobotánicos de granos de almidón extraídos de implementos de cocina que fueron recuperados en el contexto de excavaciones estratigráficas. Las prácticas alimentarias identificadas en este trabajo son fundamentales para elucidar las interrelaciones entre plantas y seres humanos, así como para desafiar las preconcepciones relacionadas con las tradiciones culinarias en la antigua América Central. Los datos presentados constituyen los primeros resultados de análisis de granos almidones en el país y los restos recuperados de mandioca (Manihot esculenta Crantz), chile (Capsicum sp.) y maíz (Zea mays L.) proporcionan evidencia empírica del antiguo uso de alimentos de origen vegetal en el centro de Nicaragua. De igual manera, los resultados invalidan la idea de que los comales consistían en implementos de cocina utilizados exclusivamente para la producción de tortillas de maíz.
In this paper, we present results on paleoethnobotanical and archaeometric analyses, discussing technological and provenance aspects related to the ceramic fragments and interpretations of the ancient starch remains attached to the earthenware retrieved during the excavations. The interdisciplinary approach to this dataset will shed light onto the ways people prepared and consumed food in southern Central America. Studying foodways is vital to understanding socially learned food practices, which intertwined with ceramic manufacturing technology. This research on cooking dynamics will help expose the unique Central Nicaraguan perspective of foodways.