A study led by researchers from UAB and the University La Sapienza in Rome reveals that between 7000 and 5000 BCE, agricultural communities in the Fertile Crescent developed a sophisticated culinary tradition. This included baking large loaves of bread and flavored “focaccias” on special trays known as husking trays.
Husking trays were oval-shaped containers with low, coarse clay walls, distinguished by rough, regular impressions on their internal surfaces. Based on archaeological findings, previous experiments using replicas of these trays and cooking structures suggested that they were used to bake large loaves of bread.
The loaves, made from water and flour, were likely baked in domed ovens at around 420°C for about two hours. The grooves on the trays helped remove the bread once it was baked. The large size of the loaves (about 3 kg) indicated they were intended for communal consumption.
The research team analyzed ceramic fragments of husking trays dating from 6400 to 5900 BCE to investigate their use as specialized containers for baking cereal-based doughs and to determine if they might have been seasoned with animal fat or vegetable oil.
The fragments were sourced from archaeological sites at Mezraa Teleilat, Akarçay Tepe, and Tell Sabi Abyad, located between Syria and Turkey. The analyses were conducted at the Universities of Istanbul and Koç in Turkey.
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The study, using an integrated approach with various types of analyses, provides clear evidence of 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.), ground into flour, were processed in these trays.
Organic residue analysis shows that some trays were used to cook foods with animal-derived ingredients, such as animal fat and, in one instance, plant-based seasonings.
The degradation state of the residues suggests that, in at least two cases, the trays reached temperatures consistent with those used for baking dough in domed ovens.
The use-alterations analysis of the ceramic surface revealed distinct wear patterns. Some alterations were specifically linked to bread residues. In contrast, others were associated with seasoned focaccia residues, providing further evidence of the trays’ use in baking different dough types, including simple bread and seasoned flatbreads.
Sergio Taranto, the lead author of the study, which is part of a doctoral thesis carried out at the UAB and La Sapienza, said, “Our study offers a vivid picture of communities using the cereals they cultivated to prepare bread and ‘focaccias’ enriched with various ingredients and consumed in groups.”
“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.”
Journal Reference:
- Sergio Taranto et al., Unveiling the culinary tradition of ‘focaccia’ in Late Neolithic Mesopotamia by way of the integration of use-wear, phytolith & organic-residue analyses, Scientific Reports (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-78019-9