Ancient Europeans ate seaweed thousands of years before it became a trendy 'superfood'

[Judi Lynn]

Seaweed was popular in Europe long before it became a hit in Asia.

Alexandra Gerea by Alexandra Gerea October 19, 2023
Edited and reviewed by Tibi Puiu

Nowadays, seaweed is seen as an exotic or New Age type of food in Europe. But back in the day -- by which I mean 8,000 years ago -- it was quite common. An analysis of ancient teeth showed that seaweed was popular in Europe from the Mesolithic period up until the Middle Ages.

Researchers have found telltale signs of seaweed consumption. They examined biomarkers found in human dental calculus (tartar) using advanced techniques. Notably, this wasn't a one-off thing. The practice was spread from Spain to Lithuania, spanning a period from 6400 BC to the Early Middle Ages.

Overall, researchers looked at 74 individuals from 28 archaeological sites and uncovered “direct evidence for widespread consumption of seaweed and submerged aquatic and freshwater plants.” Out of the 74, almost half (33) consumed seaweed.

This isn't something researchers were expecting to find. In fact, it's surprising for multiple reasons. The first reason is timing: apparently, Europeans were consuming seaweed way before people in the Far East, which is where seaweed is stil a popular food to this day. The second is that this suggests that ancient people would have been aware of the nutritional benefits of seaweed.

More:
https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/ancient-europeans-ate-seaweed/