Lecture 2: What Early Agriculturalists Ate
Bottéro, The Oldest Cuisine in the World.
Brothwell, Food in Antiquity.
McGovern, Uncorking the Past.Making Neolithic Flatbread
This is a simple fl atbread such as would have been eaten before ovens came
into common use. It is something like pita bread, but chewier and with a
lot more fl avor. If you can fi nd freshly ground whole wheat, or even grind
it yourself, all the better. Any whole wheat fl our will work well. Begin
by fermenting half of a cup of the fl our by mixing it with water until a
thick batter is formed. Leave this out on the counter, uncovered. The next
morning, add another half of a cup each of fl our and water. Continue every
morning for about one week, at which time the mixture will be bubbling and
smell sour. You have just captured and nurtured wild yeast and lactobacilli.
Remove half of this starter to another bowl, and add another cup of water
and enough fl our—and a good pinch of salt—to make a stiff dough. Knead
this well, and set aside for several hours until risen. This will happen quickly
in the summer and slowly in the winter. Keep the rest of the starter to make
another batch or for risen bread.Divide the dough into fi st-sized balls, and pat out into fl at rounds with your
hands. Stretch each one until thin, but not so thin that they break. If you have
an outdoor fi re, these can be cooked on a fl at stone set over hot coals, but
indoors is just as good. Heat a pan, and simply throw in one fl atbread. Count
to 30, and turn over. Count to 30 again, and then move the bread directly to an
open burner (assuming that you have a gas stove) or a barbecue. With tongs,
fl ip repeatedly until lightly charred on each side. Then, put into a covered
plate or casserole and continue with the rest of the fl atbreads. They will stay
warm for a long time. Serve with a dip like hummus or baba ganoush, made
of charred eggplant. These are also the Neolithic ancestors of pizza and can
be topped with a fresh cheese to wonderful effect.Suggested ReadingCulinary Activity