German archaeologists have unearthed fragments of bread that are believed to be the oldest pretzels of the world.
Archaeologists revealed that they found the pretzel fragments during excavation of the Donaumarkt in Regensburg near the Danube, which was destroyed in the 1950s and 1960s. The charred fragments are estimated to be around 250 years old.
The archaeologists found the pretzel fragments under the floor of a structure, which is believed to have been used as a bakery.
Silvia Codreanu-Windauer of the Bavarian State Department of Monuments and Sites explains that they found two pretzel pieces, three tiny bread rolls and also a part of bread that has a shape of a croissant.
The archaeologists suggest that the baked products were well preserved as they were entirely carbonized. Codreanu-Windauer suggests that a baker may have forgotten about the bread pieces in the oven. After finding the burned pieces, the baker may have thrown the charred pieces in a hole that was under the bakery's floor.
Carbon dating suggests that the bread fragments were made between 1700 and 1800. The archaeologists have found evidence which suggests that a baker called Johann Georg Held lived at the site in 1753.
"As far I know these are the world's oldest pretzels, although we know from 12th century miniature pictures and from a pretzel-shaped fibula that these dough products were baked since the early Middle Age," says Codreanu-Windauer.
Pretzels are normally made of dough and are a type of baked bread product. Pretzels are believed to have originated in the 5th and 6th centuries in Europe by monks. Normally, pretzels have a knot shape.
The fragments of the recently found pretzels are similar to the pretzels found today. However, they seem smaller than regular modern day pretzels due to the carbonization process. Normally, archaeologists unearth bones, metalwork, glassware, ceramics and more. It is not common for archaeologists to find remnants of old food products.
The latest find represents the first archaeological proof of a classic Bavarian bakery range.
Photo: Ana Ulin | Flickr
