Scientists Say Bakers Were Making an Early Version of Focaccia Bread 9,000 Years Ago

Focaccia, with its flaky crust and rich olive oil flavor, is a beloved staple—but just how far back does the delicious bread’s history stretch?

While experts know it was made in ancient Rome, new research suggests that its origins may be even older: According to a recent study in the journal Scientific Reports, Neolithic communities were making their own focaccia-like bread between 7000 and 5000 B.C.E.

“Studying past dietary behaviors can provide valuable information about the social and cultural aspects of ancient populations,” first author Sergio Taranto, an archaeologist at UAB Barcelona, tells ZME Science’s Rupendra Brahambhatt. “This is particularly useful for studying prehistoric communities about which we have limited knowledge due to the lack of written records.”

To learn more about early baking practices and eating habits, researchers studied clay oval-shaped vessels known as “husking trays.” The trays had been found at sites across the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East, including Mezraa Teleilat, Akarçay Tepe and Tell Sabi Abyad. After analyzing the fossilized residues stuck to the artifacts, the team found that the bread was made by mixing wheat or barley with water.

Based on how the trays have degraded, the researchers think the loaves were baked for around two hours—“longer than the 20 to 30 minutes recommended today,” writes Artnet’s Tim Brinkhof—in a domed oven at an initial scorching temperature of 788 degrees Fahrenheit. They also discovered traces of animal fat and plant-based seasonings.

“The variation in organic materials found across the fragments suggests that Neolithic communities experimented with multiple recipes,” says Taranto, per Archaeology News’ Dario Radley.

The husking trays are made of coarse clay. They have low walls and a long oval base with a series of grooves on the inside. Previously, researchers have created replicas of such trays to learn more about how they were used, and they think the grooves made it easier to remove the bread from the trays so that it wouldn’t stick to the pan.

“[The new study] confirms that the impressions inside these trays were meant to facilitate taking the bread/focaccia out of the vessel once cooked—essentially an ancient non-stick technology, akin to our modern pans,” Taranto tells ZME Science.

Some of the larger trays from the study could produce loaves weighing nearly seven pounds—suggesting that bakers may have made bread for many people to enjoy together.

“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,” says Taranto in a statement. “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.”

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Julia Binswanger is a freelance arts and culture reporter based in Chicago. Her work has been featured in WBEZ, Chicago magazine, Rebellious magazine and PC magazine.