Late Neolithic communities in the Fertile Crescent baked large spiced loaves in shell trays. Analysis of archaeological remains reveals a six-hundred-year-old culinary tradition involving grain processing and communal eating.

A study by researchers at UAB and La Sapienza University in Rome shows that purely agricultural communities in the Fertile Crescent region of the Middle East developed a complex culinary tradition during the Late Neolithic period, between 7,000 and 5,000 BCE. This tradition involved baking large loaves of bread and focaccia of various flavors in special trays known to archaeologists as paring trays.

The research was published in the journal Scientific Reportsand also included staff of the Milà i Fontanals Institute (IMF-CSIC) and the University of Lyon (France).

Peeling machines were vessels made of coarse clay, with wide oval bottoms and low walls. They differed from ordinary trays by their inner surfaces marked with rough impressions or cuts, placed repeatedly and regularly. Previous experiments using replicas of these trays and kitchen structures similar to those found at archaeological sites of the period under study allowed researchers to hypothesize about their functions.

These studies showed that large loaves made of water and flour could be baked on these trays placed in domed ovens for approximately 2 hours at an initial temperature of 420°C. The cavities on the inner surface will make it easier to remove the bread after it is baked. Additionally, the large size of the loaves (about 3 kg) indicates that they were probably intended for social consumption.

Analysis of traces of Neolithic agriculture

The research team analyzed ceramic fragments of husking trays from 6,400 to 5,900 BCE to determine their use as specialized vessels for baking grain-based dough and whether the dough could be flavored with products such as animal fat or vegetable oil. The analyzed remains come from the archaeological sites of Mezra Teleilat, Akarchay Tepe and Tell Sabi Abyad, located in the region between Syria and Türkiye. The analysis was carried out at Istanbul and Koç (Türkiye) universities.

Based on different types of analysis from an integrated perspective, the study provides clear evidence about both the use of these artefacts and the nature of the foodstuffs processed into them. In particular, analysis of phytoliths (silica residues from plants) shows that grains such as wheat (Triticum sp.) or barley (Hordeum sp.) were processed in these trays by turning them into flour.

Additionally, analysis of organic remains indicates that some of the trays were used to prepare foods containing ingredients of animal origin, such as animal fat and, in one case, herbal spices. The degree of deterioration of the remains suggests that the trays reached experimentally verified temperatures for baking dough in dome-shaped ovens at least twice. Finally, analysis of ceramic surface use allowed the identification of wear associated with other items, especially bread scraps and aged focaccia remains.

“Our study provides a vivid picture of communities using the grains they grew to make bread and focaccia, enriched with different ingredients and consumed by groups,” explains Sergio Taranto, lead author of the study, which was part of a doctoral thesis completed at UAB. La Sapienza. The researcher concludes: “The use of paring trays we describe leads us to believe that this late Neolithic culinary tradition developed over approximately six centuries and spread over a wide area of ​​the Near East.”