CARACTERIZACION CUANTITATIVA DE PRODUCTOS INTERMEDIOS Y RESIDUOSDERIVADOS DE ALIMENTOS DEL ALGARROBO (PROSOPIS FLEXUOSA YP. CHILENSIS, FABACEAE): APROXIMACION EXPERIMENTAL APLICADA A RESTOSARQUEOBOTANICOS DESECADOS

摘要

Experimental approach was used to characterize quantitative macromorphological attributes ofintermediate and final food products and residues that might have reached the archaeological record asmacrobotanical remains of Prosopis chilensis and P flexuosa (white and black "Algarrobo" respecti-vely). General morphology of beans and seeds of these species are provided. Unrefined and refinedflour, afiapa, aloja and arrope were elaborated following traditional techniques registered by the authoralong the Hualfin Valley, Catamarca Province, Argentina, during previous works. It was concluded thatquantitative analysis of macrobotanical remains of Prosopis, together with qualitative features, allo-wed the identification of different stages in the preparation and processing of Algarrobo. Distinguis-hing between black and white algarroba is essential to interpret Prosopis macroremains. The propor-tion of different categories of seeds and endocarps may help to distinguish the production of unrefinedand refined flour. The last one may indicate the elaboration of patay, ulpo or aloja. Anapa and alojaresidues are characterized mainly by rolled, folded or loosening of testa seed and their quantities arediminished or increased with respect to the initial amount of flour used depending on entire or frag-mented seeds are being considered. The arrope residues are identified by the presence of closed endo-carps, which are fully recovered after processing in their totality, and large pieces of epicarp. Exceptfor the arrope residues, the majority of the Prosopis archaeological assemblage is considered to repre-sent a very low proportion of the ancient processed volume of each dynamic context.