Neanderthals Cooked and Ate Crab 90,000 Years Ago, Researchers Say - Robb Report

Next time you go out to eat and splurge on some market-price crab, just know that Neanderthals were enjoying the same delicacy without the high price tag.

Researchers have found that Neanderthals in Portugal were roasting and eating crab at least 90,000 years ago, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.

In a study published in the journal “Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology,” the team noted the discovery of charred crab legs and claws in a cave just outside of Lisbon.

But the shells found in Gruta da Figueira Brava didn’t carry tooth marks or the shattering patterns seen after birds drop them on rocks.

In fact, some of the shells were charred and blackened, leading researchers to say that they had been roasted, just like you might see on any restaurant menu today.

The idea of Neanderthals serving up an elegant meal of roasted crab is a bit at odds with the general depiction of them as, well, idiots.