Grains

Barley comes in two varieties, two row and six row. The six row is higher in protein and used primarily as animal feed. The two row is higher in sugar and is used more for human consumption.

While it was an important staple in early cultures, the most important use for barley today is in the making of beer. Well, maybe actually it always has been - some archaeologists think agriculture was started mainly for the production of beer and wine. English and German beers are made from malted two row barley. American beers were traditionally made from six row barley but both varieties are used today. Pardon me a moment - I have to refill my beer mug.       There, that's better.

The photo shows barley as harvested on the right, hulled (and possibly very lightly pearled) in the center, and to the left the heavily pearled form generally found in North American supermarkets.

The first known noodles (2000 BCE) were made in northern China from two varieties of millet, foxtail (Setaria italica) and broomcorn (Panicum miliaceum). Similar noodles are still made in northern China where wheat does not grow well, and are called "iron wire" noodles because they are much stiffer than wheat noodles. Millet does not contain gluten so is safe for celiacs.

Types of Millet:

Foxtail: - [Xiao Mi (China); Tinal (India); Setaria italica] This millet is a major food crop in dry regions of northern China. In North America it is grown on a moderate scale for animal silage and bird seed. In China this millet was in cultivation by 5000 BCE, is known in Europe from around 2000 BCE and was cultivated in Turkey by at least 600 BCE. Foxtail millet is the most common millet in China today and is a component of the 4000 year old noodles recently found in China but cannot be made into noodles alone - other, stickier millets are needed for adhesion, in this case Proso millet.   Photo of immature seed head by Mark Nesbitt and Delwen Samuel released into the public domain. Pearl: - [Pennisetum glaucum] Originating in tropical Africa, this millet was in cultivation in India by 2000 BCE. This millet grows under conditions other grains can not and is an important crop in areas where the soil is poor and salty and the climate dry and hot. It now account for about 50% of the millet grown worldwide.   Photo by US Federal Government = public domain. This millet is very good as poultry food and is fed to chickens so they'll lay the high Omega-3 eggs sold to the health conscious, and is sold as a substitute for wheat for persons with wheat intolerance. It can be most commonly found in markets serving communities from the Indian subcontinent and Africa. Proso Millet - [Common millet, Broom corn millet, White millet, Hog millet; Siao mi (China); Panicum miliaceum] Cultivation appears in both the Caucasus and eastern China about 5000 BCE. It is the second most common millet in China today. The seeds are small, about 0.1 inch (2 to 3 mm) and vary in color from cream to yellow to orange-red and brown. Proso millet is grown mainly as animal fodder and bird seed in North America, the former Soviet Empire and South America. In India it is an important food crop, but it is not grown in Africa. Like Pearl Millet it is sold in North America for use by persons with wheat intolerance.   Photo by Kurt Stüber distributed under license GNU Free Documentation License v1.2. Glutinous Millet - [] There are a number of "glutinous millets", none of which contain any gluten. The one shown in the photo is common in Korean markets here in Los Angeles. The seeds are tiny about 0.05 inch (1.3 mm) and are dark and greenish in color. A Chinese glutinous millet, Echinochloa villosa, has quite large 0.16 inch (4 mm) reddish seeds and has been cultivated in northern China since the Neolithic. There are also glutinous varieties of Proso Millet. Finger Millet - [Ragi (S. India); Juar, Jowar, Bajra (Hindi); Dagusa (Ethiopia); Hong mi, Chi ke (Viet); African millet; Eleusine coracana] Native to the Ethiopian highlands, this millet was introduced into India by 2000 BCE and is now grown in the Himalayas up to an elevation of 7500 feet (2,300 meters). It is often intercroped with legumes for better yield. This millet has very good storage properties so it can be held for times of shortage. This millet is used in hundreds of ways throughout the Indian subcontinent, including in the making of beer. It is also much eaten and made into beverages by the Humong people of Vietnam.   Photo by US Federal Government = public domain.

In North America oats are known almost entirely for Quaker Rolled Oats as a hot breakfast cereal and for oatmeal cookies made from the same product. A less known but very fine use of oats is in the brewing of beer, particularly oatmeal stout.

Rye is well known in North America for the flour used to make Rye Bread, though that bread is commonly as much wheat as rye because rye has less gluten and does not rise as well. This can be somewhat corrected by an acidic dough, for which reason sourdough rye is so much made. By this means quite edible bread of only rye flour can be made. Rye crisp crackers are also very well known and popular. Another popular use for rye is in the making of rye whisky.

Rye is still grown widely in Central and Eastern Europe where it has long been the main bread grain, particularly in Finland, Latvia and Lithuania. Its production is, however, in decline as imported wheat has become increasingly available. Russia, Poland and Germany are the major producers.

Rye is, of course, not safe for celiacs, having a fairly substantial gluten content. It's other health problem, affecting both horses and humans, is vulnerability to ergot fungus which is seriously toxic. Ergot poisoning affects not only the body but the mind, causing convulsions and hallucinations. In the past ergot infections have coincided with a rise in witchcraft trials, in both Europe and North America.   Photo by U.S. Federal Government = public domain.

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