Emmer

Emmer wheat
Spikes (ears) of cultivated emmer wheat
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Subfamily:	Pooideae
Genus:	Triticum
Species:	T. dicoccum
Binomial name
Triticum dicoccum Schrank ex Schübl.[1]
Synonyms[3]
Spelta amylea (Ser.) Ser. Triticum amyleum Ser. Triticum armeniacum (Stolet.) Nevski Triticum arras Hochst. Triticum atratum Host Triticum cienfuegos Lag. Triticum dicoccum Schrank.[2] Triticum dicoccoides Triticum farrum Bayle-Bar. Triticum gaertnerianum Lag. Triticum immaturatum Flaksb. nom. inval. Triticum ispahanicum Heslot Triticum karamyschevii Nevski Triticum maturatum Flaksb. nom. inval. Triticum palaecocolchicum (Menabde) L.B. Cai Triticum palaeocolchicum Menabde Triticum subspontaneum (Tzvelev) Czerep. Triticum tricoccum Schübl. Triticum volgense (Flaksb.) Nevski

Emmer wheat or hulled wheat^[2] is a type of awned wheat. Emmer is a tetraploid (4n = 4x = 28 chromosomes).^[4] The domesticated types are Triticum turgidum subsp. dicoccum and T. t. conv. durum. The wild plant is called T. t. subsp. dicoccoides. The principal difference between the wild and the domestic forms is that the ripened seed head of the wild plant shatters and scatters the seed onto the ground, while in the domesticated emmer, the seed head remains intact, thus making it easier for humans to harvest the grain.^[5]

Along with

Emmer is considered a type of farro food, especially in Italy.^[2]

Taxonomy

Strong similarities in morphology and genetics show that wild emmer (T. dicoccoides Koern.) is the wild ancestor and a crop wild relative of domesticated emmer. Because wild and domesticated emmer are interfertile with other tetraploid wheats, some taxonomists consider all tetraploid wheats to belong to one species, T. turgidum. Under this scheme, the two forms are recognized at subspecies level, thus T. t. subsp. dicoccoides and T. t. subsp. dicoccum. Either naming system is equally valid; the latter lays more emphasis on genetic similarities.^{[citation needed]}

For a wider discussion, see

Wild emmer

Wild emmer grows wild in the Near East. It is a

Botanists Körnicke and Aaronsohn in the late 19th-century were the first to describe the wild emmer (Triticum dicoccoides) native to Palestine and adjacent countries.^[6][7][8] Earlier, in 1864, the Austrian botanist Kotschy had collected specimens of the same wild emmer, without signifying where he had collected them.^[9]

Although cultivated in ancient Egypt, wild emmer is not cultivated for human consumption in recent history,^[7] perhaps owing to the difficulty with which the chaff is separated from the seed kernels, formerly requiring the spikes to be pounded with mortar and pestle.^[10]

The wild emmer is distinguished from T. vulgare, with its tougher ear rhachis and the beards releasing the grains easily, by their ear rhachis that are brittle when ripe and their firmly fitting beards.^[7] The wild emmer grows to a height of 50–70 cm (20–28 in), and bears an elongated spike measuring 10–15 cm (3.9–5.9 in), with long, protruding awns extending upwards.^[9]

Morphology

Like einkorn and spelt wheats, emmer is a hulled wheat, meaning it has strong glumes (husks) that enclose the grains, and a semibrittle rachis. On threshing, a hulled wheat spike breaks up into spikelets that require milling or pounding to release the grains from the glumes.^{[citation needed]}

Wild emmer wheat spikelets effectively self-cultivate by propelling themselves mechanically into soils with their

First use: 1908
Origin: species of wheat, from German Emmer, variant of Amelkorn, from amel, 'starch', from Latin amylum.[12]

History

Wild emmer is native to the

Emmer is found in a large number of Neolithic sites scattered around the fertile crescent. From its earliest days of cultivation, emmer was a more prominent crop than its cereal contemporaries and competitors, einkorn wheat and barley.^[16] Small quantities of emmer are present during Period 1 at Mehrgharh on the Indian subcontinent, showing that emmer was already cultivated there by 7000–5000 BC.^[17]

In the Near East, in southern

Emmer wheat may be one of the five species of grain which have a special status in Judaism. One of these species, referred to as kusmin (Aramaic) or kūsmīn (Hebrew: כוסמין), may be either emmer or spelt (emmer and spelt are easily confused with each other). However, it is fairly certain that spelt did not grow in ancient Israel, and emmer was probably a significant crop until the end of the Iron Age. References to emmer in Greek and Latin texts are traditionally translated as "spelt", even though spelt was not common in the Classical world until very late in its history.^{[citation needed]}

In northeastern Europe, emmer (in addition to einkorn and barley) was one of the most important cereal species and this importance can be seen to increase from 3400 BC onward. Pliny the Elder notes that although emmer was called far in his time formerly it was called adoreum (or 'glory'), providing an etymology explaining that emmer had been held in glory (N.H. 18.3), and later in the same book he describes its role in sacrifices.^{[citation needed]}

Cultivation

Today emmer is primarily a relict crop in mountainous areas. Its value lies in its ability to give good yields on poor soils, and its resistance to fungal diseases such as stem rust that are prevalent in wet areas. Emmer is grown in Armenia, Morocco, Spain (Asturias), the Carpathian mountains on the border of Czechia and Slovakia, Albania, Turkey, Switzerland, Germany, Greece and Italy. It is also grown in the U.S. as a specialty product. A traditional food plant in Ethiopia, this relatively little-known grain has potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable landcare.^[23]

In

Emmer's main use is as a human food, though it is also used for animal feed. Ethnographic evidence from Turkey and other emmer-growing areas suggests that emmer makes good bread (judged by the taste and texture standards of traditional bread), and this is supported by evidence of its widespread consumption as bread in ancient Egypt.^[24] Emmer bread is available in Switzerland^[25] and the Netherlands. The largest Dutch supermarket chain in the Netherlands, Albert Heijn, sells emmer bread as part of their luxury bread line.

In Armenian cuisine, emmer pilaf is cooked in sunflower oil. The pre-cooked emmer is fried in oil and then sautéed onions are added. In the second version, boiled water and emmer are added to the sautéed onion and then cooked until tender.^[26] In Armenia, emmer porridge with lamb called "kashovi" is widespread in the

In Italy, whole emmer grains can be easily found in most supermarkets and groceries, emmer bread (pane di farro) can be found in bakeries in some areas, while in Tuscany emmer has traditionally been consumed as whole grains in soup. Emmer has also been used in beer production.[28]

In parts of India, emmer wheat (in Maharashtra called खपली गहू, transcription "khapalī gahū", meaning "crusty wheat") is grown as a drought- and stress-resistant wheat variety with some work ongoing to improve yields, as a result of increased interest in this variety due to possible value for diabetics.^[29]

As with all varieties and hybrids of wheat,

Avni et al., 2017 provides a genome.^[33]

Notes