Griddles, Ovens, and Agricultural Origins: An Ethnoarchaeological Study of Bread Baking in Highland Ethiopia

An ethnoarchaeological study of highland Ethiopian griddle technology is compared to bread-baking technologies in Africa and the Near East. There is a functional relationship between the use of ovens and griddles and the presence or absence of gluten in bread ingredients. Ovens are most appropriate for cereals containing gluten and may be implicated in the selection of higher quality gluten in domesticated wheats. We conclude, based on evidence for griddle use and the performance characteristics of African cereals, that indigenous species were exploited in highland Ethiopia before Near Eastern cereals were introduced. Griddle-cooking practices that bias the preservation of Near Eastern cereals over African ones may explain the absence of African cereals in the early archaeobotanical record. Keywords: Ethiopia, ethnoarchaeology, archaeobotany, ovens, griddles]