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.