Goat stew & berry pudding

Our meal of a goat stew with a wild fruit pudding for dessert represents a feast that would have been served during the Neolithic Era. While this may not have been an every day meal, it would have been prepared for a larger gathering or some sort of social event.

Our recipes are appropriate to this era because goats were a common animal for many early farmers to domesticate during the Neolithic revolution. They would also have used the goat`s milk in the wild fruit pudding recipe. Onions were able to be found nearby in the woodlands and forests and lentils were able to be grown by early farmers. This meal would have most likely taken place in the early summer such as the months of May and June because that is when the fresh berries and garlic mustard seed would be available to harvest and pick.

There are quite a few anachronisms that differentiate this recipe from a true Neolithic recipe. Firstly, the tools would be quite different than the ones used today. In the Neolithic Era, a clay pot would most likely be used to cook the meat over an open flame and a stone knife or sharp pebble would be used in place of modern day knives. There would also not be the accurate modern day measurements included in this recipe as everything would be much less specific in the Neolithic Era. Overall, we have tried to limit the anachronisms by using ingredients that are still around but less popularized such as bilberries and goat's milk.

Goat Stew:

Ingredients-

3 lbs of Goat

3 whole onions, finely chopped

4 cups of Lentils

1 lb of Spinach

3 tablespoons of Salt

2 tablespoons of Garlic Mustard Seed

2 tablespoons of Coriander

4 cups of Water

Tools:

One medium sized knife

One large pot

10 bowls

One spoon

Steps-

1. Prepare the 3lbs of goat meat by cutting it into small square pieces with a knife

2. Season the meat lightly with 3 tablespoons of salt, 2 tablespoons of coriander, and 2 tablespoons of garlic mustard seed

3. In a large pot, cook the goat meat until it is browned nicely on the outside

4. While the meat is cooking, begin to chop the 3 onions and 1 lb. of spinach into small, long pieces using the blade

5. Add 4 cups of water in with the cooked meat and mix the water and meat juice together with a spoon until it become more of a broth consistency

6. Add in the 4 cups of lentils and let simmer

7. When the meat is almost fully cooked, add the onions and spinach

8. Continue to cook the stew until onions and spinach are sauteed

9. Serve in a bowl and enjoy

Wild fruit pudding:

Ingredients-

4 cups of Wild berries (Bilberries, Raspberries)

4 tablespoons of Honey

1 ½ cups of Hazelnuts

3 cups of Goat's Milk

Tools:

10 bowls

One small knife

One spoon

Steps-

1. Add 4 cups of berries to a bowl

2. Crack open the 1 ½ cups of hazelnuts on a flat surface using a small knife

3. Crush the hazelnuts on the same flat surface using the small knife

4. In the same bowl as the berries, add 3 cups of the milk and stir with a spoon

5. Lightly sprinkle the hazelnuts on top

6. Drizzle the four tablespoons of honey on top of the berries and hazelnuts

7. Serve in a bowl and enjoy

Sources:

Gooii. “History Cookbook.” Prehistoric History Cookbook - Cookit!, cookit.e2bn.org/historycookbook/index-29-prehistoric.html.

“Ingredients & Diet.” Ancient Craft - Stone Age Food, www.ancientcraft.co.uk/Archaeology/stone-age/stoneage_food.html.

Madison F, Victoria D, Lizzy I, and Nadia H