Rediscover Ancient Grains

Explore these nutritious and adaptable grains, known by many cultures over thousands of years.

- BY BEVIN COHEN

Ancient grains are plants grown for their edible seeds that have remained relatively unaltered since their domestication.

Modern grains, such as commercial wheat, have been dramatically altered from their original state through extensive breeding.

While this extensive breeding has led to the creation of crops that are better suited to large-scale commercial production, these modern crops often lack the nutrients available in their ancient counterparts.

Most ancient grains are part of the grass plant family, Poaceae, although there are a few exceptions, such as the pseudo-cereals amaranth and buckwheat.

WHEAT

There are a few different species of wheat that are ancient grains. Each of these species were domesticated around 10,000 years ago in an area of the Middle East commonly known as the Fertile Crescent. In fact, many foods can be traced back to this region, including garbanzo beans, peas, lentils, flax, barley and figs.

Wheat varieties are either considered spring or winter wheats depending on the time of year the seeds need to be planted. Spring wheats, as the name implies, are planted in the early spring, while winter wheats are planted in the fall and allowed to overwinter in the field. Each species of wheat offers both spring and winter varieties. Aside from differences in their planting times, all wheats are grown and harvested the same way.

EINKORN: Einkorn is considered the oldest of all domesticated wheat. The name einkorn is used to describe both the wild species, Triticum boeoticum, or its domesticated counterpart, T. monococcum. This wheat is the most primitive species having only 14 chromosomes compared to modern wheat which has 42.

Einkorn has larger seeds and more protein than other wheats. It’s easier to digest and people that suffer from gluten intolerance are often able to eat this ancient wheat without issue.