Unlocking the Past: How Nearly 2 Million Years of Meat Smoking Shapes Our Culinary History

Long before refrigerators, humans turned to smoke for meat preservation. A recent study suggests this practice might date back nearly 2 million years. This could be one of the main reasons our ancestors learned to control fire.

Starting a fire isn’t easy. It takes time and energy. But the ability to preserve meat may have made it worthwhile. Researchers from Tel Aviv University conducted this study, building on earlier work that linked human evolution to hunting large animals and a decrease in their sizes over time.

The researchers analyzed remains from nine historical sites across South Africa, Kenya, Israel, Ethiopia, and Spain. They found some animal bones believed to be almost 2 million years old. “Gathering fuel and maintaining fires required a solid reason,” says paleoanthropologist Miki Ben-Dor.

Wherever they discovered fire, there were large animal remains, not just smaller game. The team calculated the energy benefits of eating freshly cooked meat against the energy gained from preserving it. They concluded that these early fires served more than just cooking or warmth—keeping them going required more energy than they could gain from a few meals.

These fires could dry and smoke meat, making it last longer. They also helped protect food from scavengers like hippos and rhinos. “Fire use wasn’t common among early humans,” Ben-Dor notes. “Before 400,000 years ago, there’s little evidence of fire use in archaeological sites.”

The research suggests that early humans, mainly Homo erectus, used fire occasionally and mainly for specific needs. An ancient elephant could feed many people for months, making the effort to preserve that meat very worthwhile.

The study’s findings shift our perspective on why early humans began using fire. Once a fire was established for smoking, it was likely used for cooking at minimal extra effort. The detailed research is published in Frontiers in Nutrition.

Fascinatingly, studies continue to show how early innovations, like fire control, shaped human development. According to a 2020 survey, 64% of people see the control of fire as a crucial turning point in human history, marking the shift from foraging to cooking and preserving food.

This research adds depth to our understanding of early human behaviors, showing how survival needs influenced their innovations.

For anyone interested in deeper insights, you can explore the study here to see how these findings connect to our evolutionary story.

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