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Einkorn wheat (from German Einkorn, literally "one grain") can refer either to the wild species of wheat, Triticum boeoticum (the spelling baeoticum is also common), or to the domesticated form, Triticum monococcum. The wild and domesticated forms are either considered separate species, as here, or as subspecies of T. monococcum. Einkorn is a diploid species of hulled wheat, with tough glumes ('husk') that tightly enclose the grains. The cultivated form is similar to the wild, except that the ear stays intact when ripe and the seeds are larger.
Wild einkorn, Karadag, central Turkey Credit: Mark Nesbitt
Einkorn wheat was one of the earliest cultivated forms of wheat, alongside emmer wheat (T. dicoccon). Grains of wild einkorn have been found in Epi-Paleolithic sites of the Fertile Crescent. It was first domesticated approximately 9000 years ago, in the Pre Pottery Neolithic A or B periods. Its cultivation decreased in the Bronze Age, and today it is considered a relict crop that is rarely planted. It remains as a local crop, often for bulgur (cracked wheat) or as animal feed, in mountainous areas of France, Morocco, the former Yugoslavia, Turkey and other countries.
[edit] Gluten toxicity
In contrast with more modern forms of wheat, there is evidence that the gliadin protein of einkorn is not toxic to sufferers of coeliac disease.[1] It has yet to be recommended in any gluten-free diet.
[edit] Further reading
- Daniel Zohary, Maria Hopf (2000). Domestication of plants in the Old World. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-850356-3.
[edit] References
[edit] See also
| Wheat resources (edit) |
| History: Domestication, Neolithic Revolution, Tell Abu Hureyra, Aaron Aaronsohn Evolution: Triticeae |
| Types of wheat: Wheat taxonomy, Common (Bread) wheat, Durum, Einkorn, Emmer, Kamut (QK-77), Norin 10 wheat, Spelt, Winter wheat |
| Agronomy: Wheat diseases, Wheat mildew Trade: Canadian Wheat Board, International Wheat Council, International wheat production statistics |
| Food: Wheat beer, Wheat Thins, Whole grain, Whole wheat flour, Farina (food), Bran, Flour, Gluten, Bread, Matzo, Wheat gluten (food), Complete Wheat Bran Flakes, Shredded wheat, Pasta, Macaroni, Couscous Other Uses: Wheat pasting |
| Associated Diseases: coeliac disease, diabetes mellitus type 1, Exercise-induced anaphylaxis, baker's allergy |
[edit] External links
