Document Type

Data Set

Publication Date

Spring 6-4-2021

Keywords

Castroville, Faunal, Biry House, Food waste

Abstract

In 2013, Van Dyke excavated a historic residence located at 309th Paris Street in Castroville, Texas. Beginning in 1844, the house was occupied by the families that had immigrated from the Alsace region of France. Preliminary analyses of the faunal recovered from a lime slaking pit suggested that over the course of the home’s residence, family members incorporate wild taxa into their diet in addition to their traditional Alsatian foodstuffs. Expanded analyses of the faunal remains from additional features provide additional evidence that the diet of the residents slowly transitioned away from a strict Alsatian diet and eventually included native fishes, birds, and deer. Other domesticated food items such as chicken, however, remained consistently used through the occupation. The evidence from these analyses demonstrated how families adapted to local conditions while also maintaining traditions linked to their Alsatian Heritage.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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