It was discovered at the Çatalhöyük archaeological site in Konya Province, southern Turkey.
![The bread was found to be made from wild grains such as barley, einkorn, and oats, as well as the tubers of an aquatic relative of papyrus. —Reuters/File](https://www.geo.tv/assets/uploads/updates/2024-03-08/534158_3580306_updates.jpg)
Archaeologists in Turkey have made a groundbreaking discovery that has identified the world's oldest known bread, dating back to 6,600 BC. BBC It has been reported.
The discovery occurred at the Çatalhöyük archaeological site in Turkey's southern Konya province. Among the mud-brick houses, a partially destroyed oven structure was discovered in an area known as “Mekan 66”.
Necmettin Erbakan University's Center for Science, Technology Research and Applications (BİTAM) reported that archaeologists found wheat, barley and pea seeds and palm-sized round “spongy” remains near the oven. Analysis confirmed that this organic residue was a surprisingly 8,600-year-old uncooked fermented bread.
“The bread discovered in Çatalhöyük can be said to be the oldest bread in the world,” said archaeologist Ali Umut Türkcan, head of the excavation delegation and associate professor at Anadolu University in Turkey. It's a smaller version of a loaf of bread.
A finger is pressed in the center, and although it has not been baked, it has fermented and remains to this day with starch inside. “There has been no similar case so far,” he said.
Detailed scans, including electron microscope images, revealed air spaces in the samples, eliminating any doubts about their authenticity.