Any domesticated species with millennia of history behind it is bound to have some fuzzy origins, and wheat is no exception. All true wheats belong to the genus Triticum, of the tribe Triticeae. These genetically rich grasses can hybridize with species from other genera, leading to incredible levels of diversity and adaptability, as well as a complex and difficult to trace history.
Known from both written history and archaeology, wheat appears early in the ancient human civilizations in and around Mesopotamia. The first two species that emerge are the einkorn (diploid) and emmer (tetraploid). Wild variants of both these cereals can still be found in areas of West Asia today. Spelt came soon after, possibly a natural hybrid between emmer and a species of wild goatgrass. Spelt is a hexaploid wheat, like common bread wheat. In many ways it functions as a bridge between the two very early wheats and the our modern varieties; certainly in a culinary sense if not a genetic one.
These three wheats have remained in cultivation of some kind ever since, though each has had its rises and declines as other cereal grains like barley grain came in and out of favor. Both einkorn and emmer were widely grown during various Egyptian dynasties, and emmer was a staple in the Roman empire until free-threshing species like durum and common wheat eventually pushed it to the side. It is difficult to say how much spelt was present in some of these societies due to overlapping terminology- many sources have been translated with the word “spelt” when later analysis shows that the grain most almost certainly emmer. At any rate, spelt was definitely in use in northern Europe by the middle ages, and became a major crop there.
There can still be confusion between these three grains today, in fact. The mountainous regions of Italy became something of a safe harbour for all three wheats over the years, in part because they were better suited to the environment. Here they became known collectively as farro; einkorn as farro piccolo, emmer as farro medio, and spelt and farro grande. Emmer became the preferred variety for culinary use, and in the the US, farro almost always refers to this species. In Italy, however, the term farro used alone could denote any of the three, so further checking may be required to learn to exact type.
The fourth ancient wheat is Khorasan, (often known as Kamut in the US), which was named for the historic region of Persia. Suspected to be related to emmer and/or durum wheat but with much larger kernels, its exact genetic heritage is challenging to pin down. Its unlikely rediscovery in the 20th century is emblematic of where all the ancient wheat stand today. Long overshadowed by higher yielding and easier to harvest strains of wheat, they are now being sought out again in small but growing numbers. While they are unlike to ever dominate agriculture like they did in the past, their valuable genetics, culinary diversity, and purported health benefits have secured what looks like a lasting niche in todays market. It doesn’t get more “whole food” than an ancient cereal unchanged from the days of the Pharaohs. How fascinating to consider these grains as a piece of living history- a relic or an artifact from long ago, yet one that we can grow and cultivate! Access to these grains has never been better; with modern shipping methods and renewed interest in organic farming, we can enjoy these treasures like never before.
