"zxcvbob" > wrote in message
...
>I was talking to a missionary home on furlough from Niger; one of the
>things she mentioned was how the Fulani women spend hours every day
>pounding millet in big wooden mortar & pestles to make flour for the daily
>meals.
>
> I was wondering what the introduction of some 19th century technology --
> a cast iron hand-crank grain mill big enough for a village, or several
> small "Corona" mills -- might do... and the unintended consequences.
>
> After reading more about the process, I'm not sure a mill would be as
> revolutionary as I originally thought; they thresh and winnow the grain
> every day, and then winnow the flour to remove the bran and husks, so
> there's a lot of time consumed doing other steps besides pounding.
>
> I don't really have a point; just thought it was interesting and might be
> worth discussing.
>
> Bob

One has to have a point here? New to me.

Anyway, I collect artifacts. I have a few metates, that is flat stones that
were used to grind grains. The large ones are for grains, the medium ones
for dyes, the small ones for medicines. They are usually just big flat soft
rocks with a depression in them. The people would not carry these, but leave
them at regular campsites, and just use them when they got there. The
handstone is called a mano, which is Spanish for hand. Some very large
immovable boulders have depressions in them where holes were ground from
years of grinding.
Dental studies on them, as well as Egyptians show higher than average dental
wear because of the grit in foods.

Small stones of particular types were used as cooking stones. They were
heated in a fire, then thrown into clay bowls or baskets of uncooked foods,
actually getting them to the boiling point. Cool stones were fished out,
and hot ones put in until the proper temperature or doneness was achieved.
I say particular, because it has to be the proper type of rock not to
shatter or even explode during the heating process or rapid cooling process.
I found one in my property yesterday. In fact, ALL of the things I have
came from private property.

Cultures have undergone changes in cooking, preparing, and preservation
techniques with the changes from nomadic hunters to stationary crop raisers.
It is a very interesting subject, and makes one wonder what the menu would
have been like back then.

Archaeological studies have proven by remnants left behind that they did
actually eat pretty well. And almost every culture had some form of
alcoholic drink(s).

Steve