Latest news with #MuratTurkteki
The Star
05-07-2025
- Science
- The Star
Ancient bread rises again
IN the early Bronze Age, a piece of bread was buried beneath the threshold of a newly built house in what is today central Turkiye. Now, over 5,000 years later, archaeologists have unearthed it, and helped a local bakery to recreate the recipe – with customers lining up to buy it. Round and flat like a pancake, 12cm in diameter, the bread was discovered during excavations at Kulluoba, a site near the central Anatolian city of Eskisehir. 'This is the oldest baked bread to have come to light during an excavation, and it has largely been able to preserve its shape,' said Murat Turkteki, archaeologist and director of the excavation. 'Bread is a rare find during an excavation. Usually, you only find crumbs. But here, it was preserved because it had been burnt and buried,' he said. The bread was charred and buried under the entrance of a dwelling built around 3,300BC. A piece had been torn off, before the bread was burnt, then buried when the house was built. 'It makes us think of a ritual of abundance,' Turkteki said. Unearthed in September 2024, the charred bread is now on display at the Eskisehir Archaeological Museum. 'We were very moved by this discovery. Talking to our excavation director, I wondered if we could reproduce this bread,' said the city's mayor, Ayse Unluce. Sari and Turkteki inspecting an ancient house at the Kulluoba excavation site in Eskisehir province. Analyses showed that the bread was made with coarsely ground emmer flour, an ancient variety of wheat, and lentil seeds, with the leaf of an as yet undetermined plant used as yeast. Ancient emmer seeds no longer exist in Turkiye. To get as close as possible to the original recipe, the municipality, after analysing the ancient bread, decided to use Kavilca wheat, a variety that is close to ancient emmer, as well as bulgur (whole grain made from cracked wheat that has been parboiled and dried) and lentils. At the Halk Ekmek bakery (meaning 'people's bread' in Turkish), promoted by the municipality to offer low-cost bread, employees have been shaping 300 loaves of Kulluoba by hand every day. 'The combination of ancestral wheat flour, lentils and bulgur results in a rich, satiating, low-gluten, preservative-free bread,' said Serap Guler, the bakery's manager. The first Kulluoba loaves, marketed as 300gm cakes that cost 50 Turkish lira (RM5.45), sold out within hours. 'I rushed because I was afraid there wouldn't be any left. I'm curious about the taste of this ancient bread,' said customer Suzan Kuru. In the absence of written traces, the civilisation of Kulluoba remains largely mysterious. In the Bronze Age, the Hattians, an Anatolian people who preceded the Hittites, lived in the Eskisehir region. 'Kulluoba was a medium-sized urban agglomeration engaged in commercial activities, crafts, agriculture and mining. There was clearly a certain family and social order,' said archaeologist Deniz Sari. Halk Ekmek employees mixing and cutting dough to make Kulluoba bread. — AFP The rediscovery of the bread has sparked interest in the cultivation of ancient wheats better adapted to drought. Once rich in water sources, Eskisehir is today suffering from drought. 'We're facing a climate crisis, but we're still growing corn and sunflowers, which require a lot of water,' said Unluce, the local mayor. 'Our ancestors are teaching us a lesson. Like them, we should be moving towards less thirsty crops.' The mayor wants to revive the cultivation of Kavilca wheat in the region, which is resistant to drought and disease. 'We need strong policies on this subject. Cultivating ancient wheat will be a symbolic step in this direction,' she said. 'These lands have preserved this bread for 5,000 years and given us this gift. We have a duty to protect this heritage and pass it on.' — AFP
BBC News
03-06-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Ancient bread recipe in Turkey has been recreated
Archaeologists in Turkey have teamed up with a bakers to bring an ancient bread recipe back to life!Around 5,000 years ago someone buried a piece of very burnt bread in the soil by their house in Eskisehir in central a few thousand years and a team of experts found it during a dig at Kulluoba Hoyuk, an ancient Bronze Age settlement, in September one of the oldest baked breads to be discovered during an excavation, and the ancient loaf is now on display at the Eskişehir Archaeological Museum in Turkey. Archaeologist and director of the excavation - Murat Turkteki - said it is very difficult to find ancient bread like this one during a dig - as only crumbs usually survive - but because this bread was burnt and buried, it helped to preserve city's mayor, Ayse Unluce, said she was very moved by the team's discovery, as it showed what life was like for people living there thousands of years ago, and she wondered if the bread could be recreated today as a tribute. How did they work out the secret recipe? The archaeologists studied the flat round-shaped bread in a lab to work out what ingredients it was made research showed that the bread was made of ground emmer flour - an ancient type of wheat - and lentil seeds, as well as the leaf of a plant which was used as a type of yeast to help the bread to ancient emmer seeds no longer exist in to find an ingredient that would be as close as possible to the original recipe, the team decided to try using Kavilca wheat, which is similar to ancient scientists then worked with a team of bakers from the Halk Ekmek bakery (meaning "People's Bread" in Turkish) to try to make the made around 300 loaves and sold out within the first few hours of opening.
Gizmodo
01-06-2025
- Business
- Gizmodo
5,000-Year-Old Bread Recipe Recreated in Turkey—and Locals Can't Get Enough
Scientists have discovered an ancient bread recipe in Turkey—and now the local bakery that recreated it can't keep up with demand. Some 5,000 years ago, someone buried a piece of charred bread beneath the threshold of a house in what is now Eskisehir in central Turkey. Archaeologists unearthed it in September 2024 during an excavation at Kulluoba Hoyuk, a Bronze Age settlement that has been under investigation for decades. The remarkably preserved bread has been on display at the Eskişehir Archaeological Museum since March 28. 'This is the oldest baked bread to have come to light during an excavation, and it has largely preserved its shape,' said Murat Turkteki, archaeologist and director of the excavation, in an interview with AFP. Analysis revealed that the bread was made from coarsely ground emmer flour—an ancient wheat variety—along with lentil seeds and a plant leaf used as a natural leavening agent. Flat like a pancake and disc-shaped, the bread measures about 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) in diameter. Curious to see if the recipe could be recreated, local officials contacted Halk Ekmek, a bakery in Eskisehir. Since ancient emmer seeds are no longer available in Turkey, the bakers used Kavilca wheat—a closely related variety—along with bulgur and lentils to approximate the original ingredients. And apparently, it's delicious. The first batch sold out within hours, and the bakery has been selling around 300 loaves of 'Kulluoba bread' daily ever since. With municipal subsidies, the bread is sold for just 50 Turkish lira (about $1.30). Another compelling aspect of the bread is that it's made from drought-resistant crops. This has caught the attention of both archaeologists and local officials. Turkey currently cultivates water-intensive crops like corn and sunflowers, but Kavilca wheat is resistant to both drought and disease. 'Our ancestors are teaching us a lesson. Like them, we should be moving toward less thirsty crops,' Ayse Unluce, the mayor of Eskisehir, told AFP.
Al Etihad
01-06-2025
- Science
- Al Etihad
Ancient bread rises again as Turkiye unearths, then recreates 5,000-year-old loaf
1 June 2025 11:37 ESKISEHIR, TURKIYE (AFP)In the early Bronze Age, a piece of bread was buried beneath the threshold of a newly built house in central more than 5,000 years later, archaeologists have unearthed it, and helped a local bakery to recreate the recipe -- with customers lining up to buy and flat like a pancake, 12 centimetres in diameter, the bread was discovered during excavations at Kulluoba, a site near the central Anatolian city of Eskisehir."This is the oldest baked bread to have come to light during an excavation, and it has largely been able to preserve its shape," said Murat Turkteki, archaeologist and director of the excavation."Bread is a rare find during an excavation. Usually, you only find crumbs," he told AFP."But here, it was preserved because it had been burnt and buried," he bread was charred and buried under the entrance of a dwelling built around 3,300 BC.A piece had been torn off, before the bread was burnt, then buried when the house was in September 2024, the charred bread has been on display at the Eskisehir Archaeological Museum since Wednesday."We were very moved by this discovery. Talking to our excavation director, I wondered if we could reproduce this bread," said the city's mayor, Ayse showed that the bread was made with coarsely ground emmer flour, an ancient variety of wheat, and lentil seeds, with the leaf of an as yet undetermined plant used as emmer seeds no longer exist in get as close as possible to the original recipe, the municipality, after analysing the ancient bread, decided to use Kavilca wheat, a variety that is close to ancient emmer, as well as bulgur and lentils. At the Halk Ekmek bakery, promoted by the municipality to offer low-cost bread, employees have been shaping 300 loaves of Kulluoba by hand every day. "The combination of ancestral wheat flour, lentils and bulgur results in a rich, satiating, low-gluten, preservative-free bread," said Serap Guler, the bakery's first Kulluoba loaves, marketed as 300-gramme cakes that cost around $1.28, sold out within hours. The rediscovery of the bread has sparked interest in the cultivation of ancient wheats better adapted to drought. The mayor wants to revive the cultivation of Kavilca wheat in the region, which is resistant to drought and disease.
Japan Today
31-05-2025
- Science
- Japan Today
Ancient bread rises again as Turkey recreates 5,000-year-old loaf
Employees at the Halk Ekmek bakery mix and cut dough for Kulluoba bread, recreating a 5,000-year-old loaf By Burcin GERCEK In the early Bronze Age, a piece of bread was buried beneath the threshold of a newly built house in what is today central Turkey. Now, more than 5,000 years later, archaeologists have unearthed it, and helped a local bakery to recreate the recipe -- with customers lining up to buy it. Round and flat like a pancake, 12 centimeters in diameter, the bread was discovered during excavations at Kulluoba, a site near the central Anatolian city of Eskisehir. "This is the oldest baked bread to have come to light during an excavation, and it has largely been able to preserve its shape," said Murat Turkteki, archaeologist and director of the excavation. "Bread is a rare find during an excavation. Usually, you only find crumbs," he told AFP. "But here, it was preserved because it had been burnt and buried." The bread was charred and buried under the entrance of a dwelling built around 3,300 BC. A piece had been torn off, before the bread was burnt, then buried when the house was built. "It makes us think of a ritual of abundance," Turkteki said. Unearthed in September 2024, the charred bread has been on display at the Eskisehir Archaeological Museum since May 20. "We were very moved by this discovery. Talking to our excavation director, I wondered if we could reproduce this bread," said the city's mayor, Ayse Unluce. Analyses showed that the bread was made with coarsely ground emmer flour, an ancient variety of wheat, and lentil seeds, with the leaf of an as yet undetermined plant used as yeast. Ancient emmer seeds no longer exist in Turkey. To get as close as possible to the original recipe, the municipality, after analyzing the ancient bread, decided to use Kavilca wheat, a variety that is close to ancient emmer, as well as bulgur and lentils. At the Halk Ekmek bakery (meaning "People's Bread" in Turkish), promoted by the municipality to offer low-cost bread, employees have been shaping 300 loaves of Kulluoba by hand every day. "The combination of ancestral wheat flour, lentils and bulgur results in a rich, satiating, low-gluten, preservative-free bread," said Serap Guler, the bakery's manager. The first Kulluoba loaves, marketed as 300-gram cakes that cost 50 Turkish lira (around $1.28), sold out within hours. "I rushed because I was afraid there wouldn't be any left. I'm curious about the taste of this ancient bread," said customer Suzan Kuru. In the absence of written traces, the civilization of Kulluoba remains largely mysterious. In the Bronze Age, the Hattians, an Anatolian people who preceded the Hittites, lived in the Eskisehir region. "Kulluoba was a medium-sized urban agglomeration engaged in commercial activities, crafts, agriculture and mining. There was clearly a certain family and social order," said archaeologist Deniz Sari. The rediscovery of the bread has sparked interest in the cultivation of ancient wheats better adapted to drought. Once rich in water sources, the province of Eskisehir is today suffering from drought. "We're facing a climate crisis, but we're still growing corn and sunflowers, which require a lot of water," said Unluce, the local mayor. "Our ancestors are teaching us a lesson. Like them, we should be moving toward less thirsty crops." The mayor wants to revive the cultivation of Kavilca wheat in the region, which is resistant to drought and disease. "We need strong policies on this subject. Cultivating ancient wheat will be a symbolic step in this direction," she said. "These lands have preserved this bread for 5,000 years and given us this gift. We have a duty to protect this heritage and pass it on." © 2025 AFP
