Chinese archeologists have found the oldest processed wheaten food remains ever unearthed in the country, indicating that people ate bread-like food 2,600 to 2,900 years ago.

Yang Yimin, associate professor with the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said yesterday that his team used infrared scans to screen the food remains, which were discovered in pottery wares unearthed from Yanghai Cemetery in north China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

"The ingredients were mainly flour made from barley and millet. It was also mixed with lactobacillus and yeast," he said.

The food was made in a period between China's Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771 BC) and Spring and Autumn Period (722-476 BC).

Yang said the discovery showed wheat had became an important staple food in Xinjiang during that period.

Food decomposes quickly and is rarely found at archeological sites. However, the remains were preserved because of the extremely arid climate of the Gobi Desert.

There are more than 500 ancient tombs located in the cemetery.

Yang said the recent discovery would not only lead to better understanding of ancient food processing methods, but also shed more light on the role Xinjiang played in influencing China's cuisine.

Among the major grains consumed in ancient China, only Chinese millet originated from the central Yellow River region, while rice was domesticated in southern regions. Wheat and soybean, which were generally believed to have been originated from Central Asia, were cultivated in northwest China.

Archeological research shows wheat cultivation in China began in Xinjiang and spread to Qinghai and Gansu provinces, which further suggests Xinjiang's role linking China with the West.

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