The recent findings, published in the journal Science Advances, provides more details on the role of the global spice trade, which shaped world history.
These remnants were obtained from the Funan-era archaeological site in southern Vietnam called “Óc Eo”. The researchers recovered grinding slabs, mortars and pestles resembling early South Asian stone tools used for curry preparation.
The researchers analysed a total of 717 starch grains, pollens, and silica particles from plant tissues found on the surfaces of 12 of these tools.
This is the first ever study to trace the culinary spice trade outside the Indian subcontinent.
Talking about the spices, these included turmeric, ginger, fingerroot, sand ginger, galangal, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
In the research, archaeologists, including those from Australian National University, analysed plant remains from the surfaces of stone grinding tools found in Vietnam.
“We suggest that South Asian migrants or visitors introduced this culinary tradition into Southeast Asia during the period of early trade contact via the Indian Ocean, commencing about 2000 years ago,” scientists wrote.
Researchers said the "new findings represent some of the earliest evidence for the use of many of these spices, and for curry-making, in southeast Asia."
"Direct biological evidence for the culinary use of spices in both south and southeast Asia during this period of history and earlier times has been limited," researchers mentioned.
Spices such as nutmeg and clove from Indonesia played an important role in the maritime spice trade during the Funan era (~65-580 AD) by serving as an intermediary trade hub between south Asia and China.
Eventually, the use of spices as preservatives has also been increased. This has helped the era of European colonisation of the East.
Now, scientists will be focussing on whether, or how, these spices may have been used in southeast Asian cuisine during that time.
