Abstract
ABSTRACT Carbohydrate consumption in hunter-gatherer societies has been much debated, with dietary estimates from studies of modern hunter-gatherers used as a reference standard for modern human nutrition. However, relatively little is known about the role of carbohydrates in past hunter-gatherer diets in temperate Europe because farming has been the main mode of subsistence since early prehistory. Plant roots and rhizomes provide a major source of carbohydrates and archaeological evidence indicates that these resources were gathered, perhaps routinely for food by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers in Europe. This paper considers whether roots/rhizomes in Europe contained sufficient carbohydrates and energy to be utilised as staple foods using new food composition data, and considers the suitability of roots/rhizomes for intensive exploitation. The results reveal that the carbohydrate and energy content of wild roots/rhizomes can be higher than in cultivated potatoes, showing that they could have provided a major carbohydrate and energy source for hunter-gatherers in Europe.
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