It is a bread made from the ancient wheat varieties of Einkorn and Emmer, the distant ancestors of modern wheat, ancient wheats that were first farmed in the Fertile Crescent where bread-making has been dated back some 12,000 years in the Anatolia region of Turkey. And now if you are traveling out of Istanbul to an overseas destination on Turkish Airlines, you can partake of what the airline refers to as « the world’s oldest bread. » which is being served to passengers in business class, providing a journey into Turkey’s cultural and culinary traditions as well as a voyage back in time to the world of the ancients. The onboard bread is prepared daily by the Istanbul-based Turkish DO & CO which supplies the airline with its often award-winning cuisine. The company was advised by two Turkish culinary historians Ömür Akkor and Çetin Şenkul.

« We are delighted to present to our Business Class passengers the oldest bread in the world, made from the reproduction of an ancient wheat discovered in archeological digs in the region of Anatolia, » said Professor Ahmet Bolat, the CEO of Turkish Airlines, « With this bread, a tradition of Turkish cuisine and of importance to the world’s culinary history, we want to bring together the past with the present in our travel experience. »

The Turkish region of Taş Tepeler saw the domestication of staple foods some 12,000 years ago when bread made from domesticated wheat became part of daily life in Taş Tepeler where the key archeological sites of Karahan Tepe and Göbekli Tepe are found. Göbekli Tepe is located in Upper Mesopotamia, a region which saw the emergence of the most ancient farming communities in the world, according to UNESCO. Meanwhile the bread on Turkish Airlines is served warm with butter and olive oil before the actual meal. It is presented in a small cloth bag that explains the origins of the bread that is now taking to the skies. Turkish Airlines is a sponsor of the Taş Tepeler excavation site. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette
https://www.turkishairlines.com/