Archaeologists have discovered the world’s oldest bread in the Stone Age settlement of Çatal Hüyük in Anatolia, Turkey. The bread, which is approximately 8,600 years old, was found in an oven structure that was mostly destroyed. The Turkish Necmett Erbakan University studied the bread and described it as “fermented bread from the year 6600 BCE.” Researchers found wheat, barley, seeds, and a round, spongy residue in the oven.
The assistant professor who led the archaeological excavations, Ali Umut Turkcan, stated that the earliest remains of raised bread had previously been found in Egypt. He described the bread found in Turkey as a miniature version, with a fingerprint in the center. The bread had not been baked in the oven but had been fermented for preservation purposes, a technique not previously discovered. Grain residues and signs of fermentation were found in the bread, which had been mixed with water and flour and kept next to the oven.
The organic material of the ancient bread had been preserved under a thin layer of clay for thousands of years. This discovery was described as exciting for Turkey and the world by biologist Salih Kavak, who studied the bread. Çatal Hüyük, where the bread was found, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012. The Stone Age settlement was a significant center of around 7500–6400 BC, where 5,000-10,000 people lived.