Guessing here. I think the concept of a "snack" depends on the concept of regular times for proper meals. Among hunter-gatherers, most would have grazed on fruits and nuts whenever they could find them, as well as collecting some to bring home for storage. If one observes footage of Kalahari bushmen, their powers of endurance are astonishing. They can chase a kudu for four hours in 50ºC sun until it is so heat-stressed and exhausted that it collapses and does not struggle when slaughtered. Eating nothing, the hunters then butcher the animal and carry it back to the tribe. They take only water-filled gourds for refreshment. Clearly, they are far less worried about the occasional need to fast than we Westerners are. In the arid inlands of Australia where Mitchell or wild "barley" grasses grew, various indigenous tribes cultivated the grasses, and harvested and threshed the seeds. The seeds were ground between stones and made into "damper" or unleavened bread between stones in coal fire pits. Some of this could then be carried while out hunting or gathering, and so could be considered as snack food or sustenance if a hunt was unsuccessful. Lack of success was rare because they were masters of knowing where and how to find whatever was in season.
The most likely snack foods would result from learning how to preserve foods against times of dearth - always readily available. Nuts, dried fruits, pickled vegetables, flatbreads and crackers, cheeses, smoked mushrooms, meats, and fishes were all a traditional part of diets before refrigeration.
China has ancient traditions of pickles and dried goods. Circa 10,000 BCE there were underground vaults for storage in the tells of Mesopotamia. Archeological digs show that the earliest Norsemen kept pickles in pottery jars and smoked meats. Africa is known for the variety of different tribal architectures for the storage of grain harvests.
This post was edited by inky at October 22, 2018 9:31 PM MDT
