250-year-old pretzel unearthed in Germany

REGENSBURG, Germany, March 12 (UPI) -- Archaeologists in southern Germany announced the discovery of a 250-year-old pretzel dubbed "the oldest ever found."

Silvia Codreanau-Windauer of the Bavarian State Bavarian Bureau for the Conservation of Historic Monuments said the pretzel was found alongside other baked goods including rolls and a croissant dough during an archaeological dig last summer in Regensburg.

"It is an archaeological sensation," Codreanau-Windauer told NBC News. "In my 30 years in the business I have never found an organic object."

She said carbon dating indicates the baked goods date back to between 1700 and 1800.

"The baked goods, which were typical for the religious fasting period, are very well preserved because they were originally burnt in the baking process," Codreanau-Windauer said.

She said the pretzel is estimated to be about 250 years old.

"This is definitely the oldest pretzel ever found," she told The Local.

Codreanau-Windauer said she and her team also unearthed the remains of a wooden house from approximately A.D. 995 and the baseplate of an ancient gallows.