Latest news with #HalkEkmek
Gizmodo
a day ago
- 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.
Japan Today
2 days ago
- 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
Kuwait Times
4 days ago
- General
- Kuwait Times
Ancient bread rises again as Turkey recreates 5,000-year-old loaf
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 (five inches) 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 said. 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. Archeologists Murat Turkteki (R) and Deniz Sari look at an ancient house at the Kulluoba excavation site, in Eskisehir province, in central Turkey, on May 23, 2025. Employees of Halk Ekmek (Public bread, in Turkish) mix and cut dough in order to make Kulluoba breads. This photograph shows emmer, einkorn and lentil flour, as well as cooked lentil and bulgur grains, the ingredients of Kulluoba bread. Employees of Halk Ekmek (Public bread, in Turkish) mix and cut dough in order to make Kulluoba breads. This photograph shows cooked Kulluoba breads, a reproduction of a 5,000 years old bread unearthed in an archeological excavation in Eskisehir province, in central Turkey. 'Moved by this discovery' Unearthed 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 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-gramme (11-ounce) 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. Serap Guler, manager of Halk Ekmek (Public bread, in Turkish) poses next to cooked Kulluoba breads, This photograph shows Kulluoba bread, a 5,000 years old bread unearthed in an archeological excavation. Archeologists Murat Turkteki (left) and Deniz Sari look at Kulluoba bread. An employee of Halk Ekmek (Public bread, in Turkish) puts in a package Kulluoba bread. This aerial photograph shows a general view at the Kulluoba excavation site, in Eskisehir province, in central Turkey. Drought resistant 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 towards less thirsty crops," she added. 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
NDTV
5 days ago
- Science
- NDTV
Ancient Bread Rises Again As Turkey Recreates 5,000-Year-Old Loaf
Turkey: 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 centimetres (five inches) 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 said. 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. Moved by this discovery Unearthed 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 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 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 (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-gramme (11-ounce) 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. Drought resistant 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. 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 towards less thirsty crops," she added. 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."
eNCA
5 days ago
- Science
- eNCA
Ancient bread rises again as Turkey recreates 5,000-year-old loaf
ANKARA - 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 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 said. 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 Wednesday. AFP | Yasin AKGUL "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 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 (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 300g 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.
