An article recently published in World Archaeology by lab members Melissa, Yufeng, Xinyi and Petra, shows the role that Central Eurasian cuisines played in changing the morphology of barley (Hordeum vulgare) as it spread across the continent during the Bronze Age. Barley becomes shorter in Monsoonal China, interpreted as a selection for smaller-grain size to fit into the whole-grain boiling and steaming traditions. Interestingly, the grains measured from the Tibetan Plateau show the opposite pattern. These grains are some of the largest. This trend is attributed to the practicalities of high-altitude cooking where boiling and steaming would be increasingly difficult the higher the elevation. Two new deep-seated culinary traditions are proposed, a high-altitude roasting and grinding tradition in Tibet and a mix of boiling/steaming-baking/roasting in the Inner Asian Mountain Corridor of Central Asia.
See more: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00438243.2022.2030792