What You Might Not Know About Wheat

A current fad is to vilify and to try not to eat any wheat, but how much do you really know about it? 

It is probable that most people don’t realize that what we commonly refer to as wheat is a reference to a genus of grass, called Triticum. There are many species. Some species are noticeably different from each other, while others are so similar that it is quite difficult to tell them apart.

Early Wheat

Wheat was the first grain that was purposely grown and it has been a food crop for about 10,000 years. There is solid evidence that without wheat, civilizations as we know them, wouldn’t have occurred. While this is a stretch, prior to being able to grow wheat, people were nomadic hunter-gatherers because once the food resources in a given area were used up, it was necessary to move on to another area.

The ability to grow wheat made it possible for people to settle in an area permanently. This gave rise to villages, towns, and eventually cities. Without the additional stress of the nomadic lifestyle, more time could be spent in the pursuit of philosophy, art, science, and the other traits we associate with civilizations.

Wheat Species

Many species of wheat are entirely natural. That is, they did and still do grow wild, though they may also be cultivated. Other species are the result of intentional cross-breeding. A few are even genetically altered. All of the variation has made it possible to grow wheat in many different climates and habitats.

With the many variations, there are also many common names. Sometimes the wheat isn’t even called wheat, though it is definitely a kind of Triticum. This can cause confusion, but the grain is still wheat.

Common Wheat Species

Here are some of the most common species and subspecies of Triticum, with their most common names:

Common wheat (Triticum aestivum aestivum)

Wild emmer (Triticum turgidum dicoccoides)

Cultivated emmer (Triticum turgidum ispahanicum)

Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum durum)

English wheat or Rivet (Triticum turgidum turgidum)

Persian wheat (Triticum turgidum carthicum)

Einkorn (Triticum monococcum)

Spelt wheat (Triticum aestivum spelta)

Shot wheat (Triticum aestivum spaerococcum)

These are sometimes divided into wheat types, such as einkorn wheat, spelt wheat, bearded spring wheat, and rivet wheat. These are often used for different purposes, due to the variations. For instance, some are better for use in flour and others for meal and yet others for grain.

Other names

As if this wasn’t all confusing enough for someone who isn’t a botanist or taxonomist, some wheat is given different names that are primarily related to how they are used. For example, Farro, from which farina comes, is spelt or emmer wheat.

Wheat today

Although some wheat is hard and some is soft, different species of wheat can actually be interchanged. It is simply a matter of some species being better suited for certain uses than other species are.

More wheat is grown and sold, worldwide, than all other crops combined. The various species have a lot of variation, but they all have similar nutritive value, too. Among grain crops, wheat is quite high in manganese, selenium, zinc, copper, as well as vitamins B1, B3, Folate, E, K, carotene, protein, and carbohydrates.

However, about 1% of the people around the world are sensitive to eating wheat or wheat byproducts. Still, without wheat, it is entirely possible that we wouldn’t and couldn’t be discussing this or anything else electronically. Electronics is something that has come about due to our current civilization, after all.