Early Dietetics of the Ahanta: An Archaeological Study of Dixcove and its Neighbourhoods, Western Region, Ghana

Abstract

This paper presents results of historical archaeological investigations undertaken at Dixcove and its neighbourhoods on early dietetics of the Ahanta, one of seven ethno linguistic groups settled along Ghana’s coastline who interacted with Europeans in the early seventeenth century.

The study had two main objectives which were: one, to recover food related cultural materials from the archaeological record and two, use the data to reconstruct past dietary patterns of the Ahanta. Data for the study was derived from four sources. Archaeological data recovered from reconnaissance surveys and excavations in the research area constituted the primary data source used for the study. The bulk of the archaeological evidence was direct and comprised a variety of molluscs and faunal remains of both domesticated and undomesticated species. Historical data documented by early European traders, ethno-historical data collected from selected indigenes in the research area and ethnographic data constituted other data sources used for the study.

The study revealed that the Euro-Ahanta encounter which spanned over four hundred years directly impacted indigenous dietetics and food-ways. New foreign cultigens like maize and cassava introduced by Europeans did not only become major staples adopted by the indigenes but eventually overshadowed millet, the main staple of the people. It also necessitated the invention of new technologies to process and prepare them for consumption. Maize and cassava four for example became the principal ingredients for the preparation of kenkey and bread. Other major novel introductions included molasses, sugar, wheat flour, alcoholic beverages (wines, schnapps, gin, whiskies), and non alcoholic beverages (mineral water, syrups).

The research was financed by the University of Ghana Faculty Development Grant and the Ghana Denmark Archaeological Project (GDarch Project). Some final year students of the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, University of Ghana, Legon and locals from Dixcove assisted the writer in the excavations.