Archaeologists have discovered what is thought to be the oldest fermented bread sample.

Discovered at the famous ancient Anatolian city of Catalhoyuk, the bread was found during excavations that unearthed a large furnace-like structure that would likely have been used as a communal oven.

Traces of vegetable and food remained inside the oven, as well as an unusual spongy residue with a curious texture.

Testing was carried out at the Necmettin Erbaken University Science and Technology Research and Application Centre (BITAM), which found the substance was actually the remains of fermented bread. Radiocarbon dating revealed it was originally made around 6600BC.

The archaeologist at Anadolu University who led the excavation team, Ali Umut Turkcan said, “considering observations, analyses and dating, we estimate this organic residue to be approximately 8600 years old.”

According to ancientorigins.net the BITAM researchers were able to determine this was a commonly produced bread, that was small in size and likely consumed regularly by a significant portion of the 7000-10,000 people who lived in Catalhoyuk in 6600BC.

However, it’s also thought the bread wasn’t actually made in the large oven in which it was found.

“It’s a miniature version of a load of bread,” Turkcan said.

“It hasn’t been baked in the oven, but has been fermented, preserving the starches. Such an example hasn’t existed until now.”

There has been some debate about Turkcan’s claim this is the oldest bread, as several years ago archaeologists found scraps of what has since been identified as flatbread at a 14,000 year old hunter-gatherer site in Jordan, called Shubayqa.  More recently there were reports of a 34,000-year-old bread discovered here in Australia.

According to Guinness World Records the 14,000 year old bread was found in Jordan by University of Copenhagen Archaeological Research Group in the Black Desert before its age was reviewed on June 12, 2018.