780,000-year-old fish teeth might indicate the first cooked meal, Israeli study shows
The transition to eating cooked instead of raw meals was seen as a key development in human evolution, according to a newly published study.
The question of “the first meal” has long been debated, but researchers might have a new answer thanks to some fish bones found in northern Israel, a new study shows.
The study was led by Irit Zohar, a researcher at Tel Aviv University, and published Nov. 14 in Nature Ecology and Evolution. Researchers said they looked at ancient fish teeth from the carp family recovered from Gesher Benot Ya’aqov, a waterlogged area that once sat on the shore of the paleolithic lake Hula in the Jordan Valley.
The massive carp-like fish may have been as long as 6.5 feet, according to a news release.
Using three tests, researchers determined that the 780,000-year-old bones indicated that humans cooked fish before eating it, according to the study. This marks the earliest evidence that hominins, early humans, cooked.
Researchers said they were unable to find any traces of preserved cooking apparatuses at the site, but noted that it is possible that inhabitants instead used an oven in the earth to prepare their fish.
“The remarkable configuration of clumped fish teeth in the vicinities of the hearths, and the absence of fish bones, may suggest fish processing with controlled heat, as in fish cooked under low-to-moderate temperatures (<500°C) the bones are softened and quickly disintegrate while the fish teeth preserve,” the study explained.
In a combined statement Zohar and researcher Dr. Marion Prevost said: “These new findings demonstrate not only the importance of freshwater habitats and the fish they contained for the sustenance of prehistoric man, but also illustrate prehistoric humans’ ability to control fire in order to cook food, and their understanding the benefits of cooking fish before eating it.”
Archaeological geochemist Dr. Bethan Linscott, who wasn’t involved in the study, described it as “an incredibly important discovery,” according to CNN.
This story was originally published November 15, 2022 at 6:30 PM with the headline "780,000-year-old fish teeth might indicate the first cooked meal, Israeli study shows."
