Scientists at Cardiff University have reconstructed the cooking techniques of the early inhabitants of Puerto Rico by analysing the remains of clams. With cooking temperatures getting up to around 200oC according to the new analysis, the team believe the early Puerto Ricans were partial to a barbeque rather than boiling their food as a soup. The results also provide evidence that ceramic pottery technology was not widespread during this period of history — it’s likely that this would be the only way in which the clams could have been cooked. Says researcher Dr Philip Staudigel, “In many parts of the world, written records extend back thousands of years, which often includes recipes. This is not the case in the Caribbean, as there were no written texts, except for petroglyphs. By learning more about how ancient Puerto Rican natives cooked their meals, we can relate to these long-gone peoples through their food.”
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