Reviving the Bread of the Hittites: Ancient Recipe Recreated by Women’s Cooperative in Central Türkiye

In the heart of Anatolia, a 3,500-year-old culinary tradition has been brought back to life. Inspired by cuneiform tablets unearthed in the ancient Hittite capital of Hattusa (modern-day Boğazkale), a women’s cooperative in the Turkish province of Çorum has successfully recreated “Hittite bread” using organic, pre-industrial methods.

Led by agricultural engineer Tuba Topkara, the Valide Sultanlar Sofrası Women’s Cooperative has revived this Bronze Age staple through a blend of experimental archaeology, gastronomy, and traditional craftsmanship. The initiative, launched in collaboration with culinary historian and teacher Ülkü Menşure Solak, brings a tangible piece of Hittite heritage into modern kitchens.

A Recipe from the Tablets

The inspiration for the project comes from Hittite ritual and temple texts, many of which contain detailed references to ceremonial foods — including specific types of bread. Solak, co-author of the 2007 book “Hittite Cuisine as Experimental Archaeology,” helped interpret these ancient texts and guided the reproduction of the bread according to historical clues.

To achieve authenticity, Topkara and her team cultivated heirloom wheat with local farmers, milled it in a stone grinder, and mixed it with natural spring water, wild yeast, and rock salt. The dough was hand-kneaded in wooden troughs and baked in a renovated wood-fired stone oven, a structure the women restored specifically for this purpose.

“This bread carries the memory of an empire,” said Topkara. “Every ingredient, every step of the process respects the spirit of the Hittites. It’s not just food — it’s cultural revival.”

From Ritual to Reality

The Hittites, one of the great Bronze Age civilizations of the Near East, ruled much of Anatolia between 1600–1200 BCE. Their archives, inscribed on thousands of clay tablets, include not only treaties and legal codes but also religious rituals and food preparations — providing rare insight into daily and ceremonial life.

Gastronomy instructor Solak highlighted the importance of a methodical approach:

“The bread had to be fully organic. It had to be milled by stone, fired by oak wood, and shaped by hand — just as the Hittites would have done 3,500 years ago.”

Today, the bread is offered to the public through Çorum Municipality’s cultural centers and is already drawing interest from culinary tourism groups and food historians alike.

Heritage with a Future

The cooperative’s goal is not just to recreate a taste of the past but to position Hittite bread as a symbol of sustainable food culture. With a growing global interest in ancient grains, pre-industrial baking techniques, and women-led food heritage initiatives, the project has already sparked inquiries from researchers and chefs across Europe and Asia.

“We want to share this story with the world,” said Topkara. “Hittite bread belongs not just to the past, but to the future of cultural gastronomy.”

Cover Image Credit: Kemal Ceylan/AA