Ancient Dental Plaque Reveals Osaka Commoners Ate Prized Fish and Taboo Meat

In late Edo-period Osaka, itinerant fish vendors delivered fresh catches to residential neighborhoods, including high-grade red sea bream as seasonal gifts. Despite the taboo against eating four-legged animals, wild meat like deer and wild boar was consumed as medicinal food. However, the diets of ordinary residents were not well-documented.

Now, hardened dental plaque from eight adults buried in a cemetery for commoners reveals that these foods reached them too. Red sea bream proteins were found in six people, indicating their consumption. Cold-water fish from outside the region and wild meat were also identified in their teeth, despite the taboo. The study, published in Anthropological Science, suggests that the food trade earned Osaka the nickname "Kitchen of the Realm."