Starchy food residue on a potsherd from a late Holocene hunter-gatherer site in Argentine Patagonia: towards the visibility of wild underground storage organs

The aim of this paper is to present recent advances in the microbotanical analyses an organic residue on a potsherd from late Holocene hunter-gatherer site Argentine Patagonia, which first evidence kind for processing starchy food. Standard methods were carried out starch grain recovery and morphometric analysis, care being taken prevention cross-contamination evaluation post-depositional factors. Diagnostic features ancient grains recovered compared against those list, available bibliography, plants potentially processed pottery, but no match was found. An anatomical reference collection established with three most frequently consumed traditional wild underground storage organs (USOs) Alstroemeria aurea Graham, Tropaeolum porifolium Cav. Diposis patagonica Skottsb., order compare these archaeobotanical record. We suggest that T. aff. (and probably also A. aurea) pot sherd came, discuss results terms better understanding role USOs subsistence possible cooking used societies Patagonia.