Sri Lanka’s Ancient Cosmopolitan Cuisine

MANTAI, SRI LANKA—According to a Science Magazine report, researchers who analyzed soil samples collected at the site of the ancient port of Mantai on the island of Sri Lanka detected plant remains from around the world. Researchers found grains of locally grown rice, charred black pepper dating to between A.D. 600 and 700, and a single clove dating to between A.D. 900 and 1100. Archaeobotanist Eleanor Kingwell-Banham of University College London said spices are rarely found in the archaeo