9,000 years ago, people between Syria and Turkey baked flavored focaccias

A recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports reveals that Neolithic communities between 7000 and 5000 BCE developed a sophisticated culinary tradition, including the baking of large loaves of bread and 'focaccias' enriched with various ingredients and consumed in groups. The international research team analyzed ceramic fragments of husking trays dating from 6400 to 5900 BCE from archaeological sites in the area between Syria and Turkey, aiming to identify their use as specialized containers for baking cereal-based doughs.

This culinary tradition involved baking large loaves of bread and flavored 'focaccias' on special trays known as husking trays. The trays were oval-shaped containers with low, coarse clay walls, distinguished by rough, regular impressions on their internal surfaces. The grooves on the internal surface of the trays would have facilitated the extraction of the bread once baked.

The studied remains came from the archaeological sites of Mezraa Teleilat, Akarçay Tepe, and Tell Sabi Abyad, located between Syria and Turkey. Previous experiments using replicas of these trays and cooking structures similar to those found at archaeological sites from the studied period had allowed researchers to hypothesize their function. The research team aimed to provide clear evidence regarding both the uses of husking trays and the nature of the foods processed in them.

Phytolith analysis indicates that cereals like wheat (Triticum sp.) and barley (Hordeum sp.), reduced to flour, were processed in these trays. Organic residue analysis shows that some trays were used to cook foods containing animal-derived ingredients, such as lard or animal fat, and in one instance, plant-based seasonings, including vegetable condiments. The analysis also aimed to determine whether these doughs could have been seasoned with products such as animal fat or vegetable oil.

Use-alteration analyses of the ceramic surfaces allowed the identification of use-wear specifically associated with bread residues and revealed distinct wear patterns. The analysis also identified use-wear linked to seasoned focaccia residues, providing further evidence of the trays' use in baking different dough types, including simple bread and seasoned flatbreads.

The degradation state of the residues suggests that, in at least two cases, the trays reached temperatures compatible with those experimentally verified for baking dough in domed ovens. The loaves, made from water and flour, were likely baked in domed ovens at around 420°C for about two hours. The large size of the loaves, approximately three kilograms, indicates they were intended for communal consumption.

"Our study offers a vivid picture of communities using the cereals they cultivated to prepare breads and 'focaccias' enriched with various ingredients and consumed in groups," said Sergio Taranto, lead author of the study and part of a doctoral thesis carried out at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and La Sapienza University of Rome, according to Tech Explorist. Taranto concluded, "The use of the husking trays we identified leads us to consider that this Late Neolithic culinary tradition developed over approximately six centuries and was practiced in a wide area of the Near East."

The analyses were conducted at Istanbul University and Koç University in Turkey, with involvement from the Milà i Fontanals Institution (IMF-CSIC) and the University of Lyon in France. It provides clear evidence regarding both the uses of husking trays and the nature of the foods processed in them.

Based on archaeological findings and previous experiments using replicas of these trays and cooking structures, it was suggested that husking trays were used to bake large loaves of bread, which weighed around three kilograms, indicating they were probably intended for shared consumption by a group of people.

The findings were reported by Phys.org, Tech Explorist, and Agencia SINC, among other websites. 

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq