Multiproxy Analysis of Adhered and Absorbed Food Residues Associated with Pottery

The application of multiple lines of evidence is necessary to understand past complex behaviors such as diet and cuisine. This paper advocates for the use of multiple proxies to analyze the compositional content of absorbed and adhered food residues associated with ceramic cooking pots. Foods represented by starches and phytoliths in adhered carbonized residues, carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values in adhered residues, and absorbed lipid residues are identified. Patterns of interior carbonized food remains are used to interpret cooking mode or style, and, when considered in context with identified food types, allow for the reconstruction of ancient cooking practices and cuisine. The collective results provide a more holistic picture of ancient cuisine than any individual proxy because of the unique yet complementary data each provides. The efficacy of this approach is demonstrated with a curated pottery assemblage from the Northern Great Lakes in what is today the state of Michigan. However, the multiproxy analysis described is applicable to pottery collections found anywhere in the world.