Oldest cooked leftovers ever found suggest Neanderthals were foodies

Pancake/flatbread with a nutty' taste is first evidence of complex cooking and food culture

If you thought Neanderthals survived on a diet of foraged berries and uncooked animal flesh, think again. Charred remnants of what appears to be the world's oldest cooked meal ever found have been unearthed in a cave complex in northern Iraq, prompting speculation that Neanderthals may have been foodies.

Our findings are the first real indication of complex cooking - and thus of food culture - among Neanderthals," said Chris Hunt, a professor of cultural paleoecology at Liverpool John Moores University, who coordinated the excavation.