Find occurred at archaeological site of Çatalhöyük in southern Turkish province of Konya
Archaeologists in Turkey have made a groundbreaking discovery, identifying what is believed to be the world’s oldest known bread, dating back to 6,600 BC, BBC reported.
The find occurred at the archaeological site of Çatalhöyük in the southern Turkish province of Konya, where a partially destroyed oven structure was uncovered in an area known as “Mekan 66,” amidst mudbrick houses.
The Necmettin Erbakan University Science and Technology Research and Application Center (BİTAM) reported that, near the oven, archaeologists discovered wheat, barley, pea seeds, and a palm-sized, round, “spongy” residue. The analysis confirmed that this organic residue was an astonishing 8,600-year-old uncooked, fermented bread.
Archaeologist Ali Umut Türkcan, head of the Excavation Delegation and an associate professor at Anadolu University in Turkey, declared, “We can say that this finds at Çatalhöyük is the oldest bread in the world. It is a smaller version of a loaf of bread.
It has a finger pressed in the center, it has not been baked, but it has been fermented and has survived to the present day with the starches inside. There is no similar example of something like this to date.”
Detailed scans, including electron microscope images, revealed air spaces in the sample, eliminating doubts about its authenticity.