The role of corn fungus in Basketmaker II diet: A paleonutrition perspective on early corn farming adaptations

Abstract

Dependence on maize as a staple often leads to nutritional deficiencies when corn is not properly supplemented with other protein sources. Basketmaker II peoples in the northern Southwest relied on maize for approximately 80% of their diet, but without the complementary inclusion of bean horticulture or regular consumption of supplementary animal protein. As such, dietary investigations into this period have begun to focus on the apparent gap between nutritional requirements and subsistence strategy. One potentially important supplemental resource came from maize plants themselves, in the form of an edible fungal infection—corn smut. Paleodietary analyses from Turkey Pen Ruin, Utah, revealed that Ustilago maydis spores from corn smut were prevalent in human paleofeces, indicating intentional consumption. Since this fungus is still eaten and used medicinally among modern Pueblo groups, these findings have important implications regarding the time-depth of corn smut consumption in this region. These findings and their significance from the perspectives of paleonutrition and strategic subsistence practices are explored here.