CK is right, the evidence that Neanderthals cooked some of their food is overwhelming.I suspect that, like modern human HGs, though, they did not cook some of their meats, and that the more northerly Neanderthals had much more rawish diets like the Inuit. The idea that cooking gives an edge is highly disputable. Most of the body can be eaten raw,and bone broth does not make the entire bone digestible to put it mildly(except perhaps for tiny animals like chickens?). Raw foods have so many advantages such as the enzymes aspect, the extra bacteria and the lack of heat-created toxins created by cooking plus the fact that raw(palaeo) foods contain higher levels of nutrients than their cooked counterparts. The only exception are non-palaeo grains and legumes which have multiple health problems arising from their consumption, and raw vegetables. But even raw vegetables provide higher levels of nutrients only if lightly steamed, and even then, heat-created toxins are produced, thus negating the bonus.
One other obvious effect I had forgotten is the negative epigenetic effects of eating cooked foods.
Oh, yes, GS made a good point re food-storage. However, during the Ice-Age, the Neanderthals would, like the Inuit, have been able to store their raw meats in frozen form in the snow and ice for long periods. Plus, one can dry raw meats, making long-lasting raw jerky, without having to cook it.Plus, the Neanderthals would not have minded eating raw aged meats.
