New Research Reveals Key Role of Olive Oil in Ancient Roman Diets oliveoiltimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from oliveoiltimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Organic residues on ceramic pottery are a valuable resource for understanding medieval cuisines of Islamic-ruled Sicily, according to a study published today in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.
YORK, ENGLAND
Cosmos Magazine reports that grape residue has been detected in medieval containers unearthed in Sicily, which suggests that wine was produced on the island during the Islamic period. Léa Drieu of the University of York said that analysis of residues in the jars detected molecules very similar to those produced by modern winemakers who use ceramic jars to ferment wine. “We had to develop some new chemical analysis techniques in order to determine that it was grape traces we were seeing and not some other type of fruit,” Drieu said. Muslims who occupied Sicily in the ninth century are thought to have produced and exported wine to boost trade, since alcohol consumption does not play a major role in Islamic cultural life, explained archaeologist Martin Carver. The wine industry eventually became a core element of their success, he said. Similar amphoras have been found in Sardinia and Pisa. The new test for grape products in ceramic containers could help researchers
24 February 2021 By Phoebe French
A study conducted by the universities of York and Rome Tor Vergata has found evidence of a prosperous wine trade in Sicily during the Islamic occupation.
Sicilian wine was given a distinctive form of ‘branding’
Researchers studied chemical residues found on medieval amphorae dating from the 9th to 11th century. The team found evidence that the vessels had held wine, with traces of grapes found as far away as Sardinia and Pisa.
This, they concluded, meant that not only was wine production flourishing in the region, but that it was also being exported across the Mediterranean.
Medieval tipples cosmosmagazine.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cosmosmagazine.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.