CEREALS

Cereals1 are grains produced by annual plants belonging to the grass family. Cereals were the earliest cultivated plants, and, for over ten thousand years, they have been the staple food for many human societies. Today, cereal plants account for over fifty per cent of human energy and protein needs1 and occupy two-thirds of all cultivated land.


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1 The word “cereal” derives from the name Ceres, the Roman goddess of the harvest, who was believed to teach humans how to grow, preserve, and prepare grain and corn.


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1 What are cereals mainly used for?


Main crop varieties

All varieties are relatively easy to grow, store and transport and have a high nutritive value.2
The three most important food crops in the world are the following.

  • Wheat (Triticum durum/Triticum aestivum) is the primary cereal of temperate regions, adaptable to a wide range of growth conditions. Consumed worldwide, it is a staple food in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
  • Maize (Zea mays) grows best in hotter conditions and is an important cereal crop in many different areas, from the arid desert plains of the southwestern United States to the high Andean mountain plains of Ecuador and Peru. It is mainly used as forage, but it is also employed to make mush or produce vegetable oils.
  • Rice (Oryza sativa) is a semiaquatic cereal crop which requires abundant water. Rice production and consumption is highly localised; China and India produce 50% of world rice production.

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2 Most of the grain used for human food is milled to remove the bran (pericarp) and germ. However, the milling process strips the grains of important nutrients such as fibre, phenolics, vitamins and minerals.


Other crop varieties

  • Sorghum can survive in very hot, extremely dry conditions, and is mainly grown in tropical and subtropical regions in Africa and Asia.
  • Rye and barley, grown in temperate and cool regions, are used to make whisky or beer. Barley, in particular, has been adapted to the widest variety of climates, from the sub-Arctic to the sub-tropical, from Russia, Germany and Turkey to Australia and North America.
  • Triticale,3 derived from hybridisation of wheat and rye, combines cold tolerance and high protein content of rye, and good baking characteristics of wheat; major producers are Poland, China and USA.
  • Oats are grown in areas with temperate climates, mainly in Russia, Canada and Poland.
  • Millet is a staple food in the semi-arid tropics of Asia and Africa.
  • Khorasan wheat, also known as Kamut, is an ancient delicate grain that requires fertile soil and a warm climate. It has always been grown in the Mediterranean. It is easy to digest and has a high content of protein, minerals and vitamins.

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3 Its name is the result of combining the two Latin words Triticum, wheat, and Secale, rye.


Pseudo-cereals

Botanically, chia, quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat are neither grasses nor true cereal grains, but they produce seeds consumed as grains. They are high in protein and gluten free and are important in the diet for anyone with a gluten-related disorder.


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  • Golden rice
  • Quinoa