• Exploring the cultural origins of bread and how it became an important part of the human diet.
It is no longer a surprise to anyone that bread has been part of the legend of mankind for centuries. It plays an essential role in our daily lives and is a cultural, historical and anthropological symbol representing abundance, peace and prosperity. Not only does this seemingly simple product bring with it a biography that has merged with that of civilizations, but it has also been an indispensable staple food for the survival of peoples. The story of bread begins tens of thousands of years ago, since then it has become a constant in the life of all humanity.
Archaeological excavations carried out over the years have shown that rudimentary forms of bread have existed since the dawn of history. investigation carried out in 1989 on archaeological sites in Israeli territory revealed grain grinding stones dating back 22.000 years, suggesting that bread existed even before humans became farmers.
The archaeological site of Ohalo II
Stone tools were used to break and grind various wild cereal grains so that they could be made into an easier to eat food. This coarse flour was then mixed with water and baked in a fire, obtaining an assortment of bread, but far from what we know today.
Scientists who analyzed the flooded ruins of the ancient fishing settlement Ohalo II in Israel discovered that the villagers were gathering wild grains, turning them into flour and baking bread, long before the advent of agricultural crops.
Researchers have found traces of barley and other grains in the cracks of a grinding stone unearthed at Ohalo II, the settlement that stood on the southwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee 22.000 years ago. Discovery it is the oldest evidence that people have been processing cereal grains since then.
The grinding stone was found by the team of archaeologists in the ruins of one of the six huts at Ohalo II, where a circle paved with ash-covered stones that may have served as a makeshift oven was also discovered.
Grains were processed thousands of years before the advent of agriculture
These investigations add a new dimension to the still-mysterious story of how agriculture evolved, showing that humans began gathering and processing grains thousands of years before they thought of growing them themselves.
"Barley is the first crop to appear among cereals, and this shows that people were focusing on it even 10.000 years earlier (from the advent of agriculture)," he tells the magazine Nature Dolores R. Piperno, the archaeobotanist from the Smithsonian Institution who led the research team.
"There were several hearths, but only one area lined with stones", Piperno points out. Even today, she noted, many cultures have these kinds of ovens. "Cooking is done by lighting a fire over stones in an enclosed space, then shoveling away the coals before sliding bread or other food onto the hot surface."
Natufi culture: hunter-gatherers
Another example that certifies the early appearance of bread is given by the archaeobotanical research of Shubayqa 1 – a site in northeastern Jordan, dating from the time of the culture Natufian culture – 9.500-12.000 BC
archaeologists they discovered here two large hearths in an old structure, one of which contained different types of flour. They cataloged 24 types of bread-like scraps, in which mainly crucifers, legumes, barley, oats and einkorn wheat were found.
By examining flour-like particles and grinding stone tools from the ancient village, scientists revealed that the inhabitants ground grain and obtained flour that they turned into bread. Therefore, as in Ohalo II, bread making was probably a routine activity for the Natufi culture. Following the excavations, charred fragments of bread were discovered in a stone oven, thus proving, once again, that people were making bread long before the advent of agriculture.
Analyzed under a microscope, the bread samples showed obvious signs of the grinding, sifting and kneading processes. Dr. Amaia Arranz-Otaegui from the University of Copenhagen, who discovered the remains of bread, said that he did not expect to make this discovery at the site, but also that it represents an important step in deepening the gastronomic past of mankind. The research results were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Prehistoric bread – from wild wheat, barley and tuber flour
These showed that prehistoric bread it was unfermented, similar to today's loin, a bit burnt and very high in protein. The researchers recreated the ancient recipe in the lab, saying the grain mixture gave the bread a nutty flavor, much like today's multigrain bread.
Lara González Carretero, from the Institute of Archaeology UCL, an expert on prehistoric bread, examined the 24 bread scraps from the Shubayqa 1 site under an electron microscope, discovering that the prehistoric bread was made from wild wheat and wild barley flour, mixed with water and baked on a hearth over a fire. Analyzes showed that tuber flour from various plants was added to the cereal flour, which probably gave the bread a slightly bitter flavor.
Bread - the path to evolution and civilization
Following these discoveries, it can be said that bread is a true synonym of human ingenuity. For man, the mastery of grain processing techniques represented the path to evolution and civilization. And from the first wild grains ground with the help of stones, mixed with water and baked over an open fire, man learned to perfect his preparation.
In the history of bread, an important chapter is written by the emergence of agriculture in the Neolithic period. Wheat and barley were some of the first grains cultivated in the so-called Fertile Crescent region or Cornucopia from Mesopotamia and near the Nile.
And in other parts of the world, the cultivation of grains begins, such as rice in East Asia, corn in the Americas and sorghum in Sub-Saharan Africa, grains used to obtain varieties of bread. Cereal crops allowed agriculture-based civilizations to support much larger populations than previously possible, leading to the emergence of civilized states.
About The Blessing of Isis - Bread in Ancient Egypt, we will talk in part II of the series Bread in human history.
Article written by Gabriela Dan, Editor of Arta Albă
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