Ancient Escargot: Paleolithic People in Spain Dined on Snails

It turns out that escargot may have been a daily part of the Paleolithic diet for inhabitants of what is now modern-day Spain. Scientists have found that these people actually ate snails 10,000 earlier than their Mediterranean neighbors, taking advantage of the food source.

Snails were widespread in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene, but researchers aren't sure exactly when and how they were incorporated into human diets. Now, scientists may have taken a step closer to finding that out; they've found land snail shell remains from 30,000 years ago at a recently discovered site in Spain.

Yet did the ancient inhabitants of this area actually eat snails? The researchers investigated patterns of land snail selection, consumption and accumulation at the site. Then, they analyzed the shells' decay, fossilization process, composition, and age at death by measuring the shell size.

They found groupings of complete shells from a large land snail species at three areas of the site, corresponding to different time points. These adult snails were located near prehistoric human-constructed structures that were likely used to cool the snails; they were also near stone tools and other animal remains that were likely roasted in ambers of pine and juniper.

It's likely that these Paleolithic inhabitants actually ate these snails at a time far earlier than expected. In fact, neighboring Mediterranean areas didn't start eating land snails until 10,000 years later. This may mean that this new site could represent the oldest known evidence that ancient human populations used snails as a food source about 30,000 years ago.

The findings reveal a bit more about the diets of our ancient ancestors. By learning more about the lives of these ancient inhabitants, scientists can piece together exactly how populations grew and traveled over time.

The findings are published in the journal PLOS One.