On Fri, 18 Sep 1998, James Crocker wrote:

> >It would be reasonable to believe that they also
> >had fire.  If this is correct, then humans may have been eating
> >foods that are only edible when cooked for nearly a million
> >years.  An example would be rice, or wild rice.
> [snip]... Wild rice is different from regular rice, of course,
> >but it is an example of a "non-paleo" food that may have been
> >gathered and eaten by humans for a *very* long time.
>
> Very interesting.  I wonder what other "non-paleo" foods hunter/gatherers were processing, and
> how long ago?  What about sweet potatoes and yams?

I don't know.  Maybe someone else does.

> >I've mentioned before that some legumes can be made edible simply
> >by lengthy soaking (e.g., lentils).  While this is not something
> >that other primates would bother to do, it is something easily
> >within reach of paleolithic technology.  I need hardly add that
> >bean *sprouts* require no technology beyond soaking.
>
> Aren't beans supposed to be "non-paleo"?  Would this include the sprouts?  What about all the
> other sprouts for other plants (grains, etc.)  How do the nutritional profiles compare to the
> end product (like oat sprouts compared to whole oats)?

Yes, beans are supposed to be non-paleo because mature beans are
inedible raw.  But this begs the question.  If they could have
entered the human food supply long enough ago, by being eaten in
the immature state, or by being sprouted or by being soaked, then
the fact that they are inedible raw in the mature state is
irrelevant.  I believe the same is true of some grains.  I don't
know about the comparative nutritional values, although
raw-fooders say that the sprouts are more nutritious.

On page 47 of Neanderthin is written: "May beans are extremely
toxic if consumed raw, such as limas and soy, while others can
only be safely consumed raw for a few days during their immature
state (e.g., green beans)."  This is true, but appears to be an
argument in favor of eating those beans that can be eaten raw in
the immature state.  Beans are not, after all, the only food that
must be picked at just the right time.  For example, asparagus
shoots quickly become inedible if not harvested.  Presumably, HGs
knew this and ate the beans when they could.

The processes of soaking and sprouting do not require much
technology, but they do require a bit of time.  Neanderthin does
not mention these technologies, although they do seem to be at
about the "sharp stick" level.  That is, I think if you're smart
enough to sharpen a stick and use it, for example, to kill and
dismember a boar then you are smart enough to soak beans in water
for a day or two.  At least, I haven't encountered an argument to
the contrary yet.

I think it is a mistake to place all legumes under a single
interdict, just as it would be a mistake to think of all berries
as edible simply because many berries are.  It would be more
useful to find out which legumes ancient HGs did eat or could
have eaten.

Todd Moody
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