The social context of food technology in Iron Age Gao, Mali

Songhai communities living in Gao (Mali) today have a distinctive cuisine, in which pounding and boiling/steaming technologies are dominant. Other characteristics include the use of ceramic stoves and kitchen mobility. Archaeological excavation at Gao, together with historical evidence, suggest that certain of these characteristics can be projected back a thousand years to the Iron Age. In turn, these technologies have social implications, particularly when considering the lives of women at this period.