Table 3.

Archaeobotanical and archaeological evidences associated with each step of acorn mook processing.

Processing stage	Product	By-product	Micro-botanical evidence	Macro-botanical evidence	Archaeological evidence	Location where products/by-products are stored/discarded	Chances of preservation under carbonized condition	Chances of preservation under mineralized condition	Chances of preservation under waterlogged or desiccated conditions
Collection	whole acorns without cupules	cupules	acorn pollen and charcoal of oak trees	cupules	minimal use of oak amongst building timbers	woody area with oak trees	low	low	high
Storage	whole acorns without cupules		acorn starch	whole acorns	container vessels such as basket	pits under or near houses or away from settlements; in the flowing water	low	low	high
Grinding	acorn powder		use-wear and raw acorn starch on tools	fragmented acorn residue	grinding tools	dwelling sites	high	low	high
Rinsing and filtering	leached acorn powder		acorn starch	fragmented acorn residue	traces of constructed platforms near water for leaching	near water	high	low	high
Starch-shell separation	brown liquid containing raw acorn starch	fragmented shells and cotyledons	raw starch on tools	fragmented shells and cotyledons	basins	dwelling sites	high	low	high
Boiling	cooked acorn starch paste	charred acorn crust	gelatinized acorn starch in cooking vessels	charred acorn crust	heat-resistant pots and pyrotechnic structures	dwelling sites	high	low	high
Solidification and serving	cooked acorn starch paste		gelatinized acorn starch in serving utensils	acorn starch paste residue	serving utensils	dwelling sites	high	low	high